Counting our Blessings and Having Faith

2009-09-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

more pics

2009-09-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

New School Year Eve

2009-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well the kids are napping and I am reflecting on this wonderful summer. It is amazing how much we have all changed and grown. We have played in the sun and sand, worked a lot in the yard, travelled to Tennessee and Silver Lake, and just hung out. Sammy is now fully an O'Meara we are coming up on a year with her in our lives. I am just at a loss for words to describe how much my girls have changed. Sammy in particular. At the beginning of the Summer she would not touch the sand. Much less go in the water. You should see her now. She swims all over. Caitlin will be a big first grader. Sammy will start her second year of ECDD for speech. It will be another amazing, busy and crazy year I am sure. I don't know what tomorrow holds but my goal is to play with my girls each day and stop planning so much. I want to live more by faith than by my own plans. Gods plans are better than mine anyways. Here are a couple highlight pictures from the past year.

My hubby is....

2009-08-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

AWESOME!

Pat took me away this weekend to Detroit to see Kenny Chesney's Summer Carnival Tour. I got to see SUGARLAND too. As well as Montgomery Gentry and Miranda Lambert. We should have seen Lady Antebellum too but were stuck in line waiting to get in for an hour. I was bummed. But I danced the night away to 7 hours of country jams. So cool. All I needed was boots, a hat and a hoochie shirt in order to fit in! I guess my jeans, flip flops and t shirt served me just fine though!!!

one happy country girl-Kim

Signs of bonding...too funny.

2009-08-17T05:44:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I was standing at the counter cutting veggies for a fresh salad and preparin dinner. I had taken the puppy out not too long ago when she circles around the counter to me. I assumed she wanted to lay near my feet, that would be normal for her. But NO she circles around the counter while I'm chopping away. squats, and pees on my foot. So of course I am yelling, Oh my gosh did you really just pee on my foot-Gross!! So Caitlin takes the dog out, I'm wiping up the mess and then I feel this tiny little hand on my shoulder; "it's okay momma, it's okay. You okay momma..." My little Sammy was consoling me, patting my back and trying tomake me feel better because the dog peed on my foot! Amazing.

Yours
fam of 4 or more?

Prayer

2009-08-14T06:24:00.001-07:00

Morning All
Some of you know that I have been toying with adopting again. At this time that decision has not been made. I just viewed this video about Steven Curtis Chapman and the Hill's from Sammy's Foster Home New Hope, and am crying of course because it is so beautiful. Please view it and see if you can find a means to help. I know many babies need sponsorship. I am praying now that God will clarify for me what my desire is; is it another baby for our home, or am I supposed to be involved somehow, someway with these organizations. More so than I am already, that is. Anyway, back to the video...amazing people, doing amazing things in the name of God.
yours
fam of 4...or more?

Some Vacation Pictures

2009-08-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We just got home froma week long camping vacation. We had lots of fun and even got our family photos taken. I'm so glad to have new pictures of us all together with Sammy. We have come so far this summer as a family. Sammy is happy as a clam, a complete stinker, talking a blue streak and so resilient. I am so proud of her for making it through those first rough months when we(I was)were trying to figure out how to be her parent. Caitlin is as always the best big sister. Sam visited the cleft clinic in mid July and we discussed the two surgeries she may need in the next couple years to further enhance her speech and align her face structure properly. For now she is the picture of beauty. Enjoy the pictures.

Yours Truly
the fam of 4

more summer pics

2009-07-15T03:56:00.000-07:00

here are a couple anyways-more to come

2009-07-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Its been a while again...

2009-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well I've been busy with this thing called life and then someone reminded me I haven;t posted o the blog in a bit. Or maybe more like months. We have been busy playing this summer and trying to get life back in order from the school year. My list of things to do only seems to be growing. I added a garage sale to August's list. Our Jeep is finally working again so we can enjoy that, we have been going crazy with new excavating in our yard to make aplay area for the girls which has morphed into a pole barn project as well. Amazing how that happens isn't it.

Anyway, on to the girls. Caitlin and Sam both had VBS and then Caitlin went to camp at our local Nature Center. Since then we have been swimming and enjoying eachother. I am struck by how much Sam has changed in such a short amount of time. SInce summer break she has just blossomed. She is talking so much more, understanding everything and she and Caitlin have been so wonderful together it is truly a sisterhod meant to be. Sam walks around telling us she has a sister and that she is a sister. I think sometimes she makes connections that show she is happy to be with a family. Speaking of sisterhood, the girls have been camping out together on one or the other's bedroom floor since summer break began. They want to share a room but I think the novelty would wear off fast. So they can camp out 'til their hearts content I guess. I may even have some video of it if I can find it. I am truly blessed to be a mama to both my girls.

I have been trying to catch up on my reading. I have magazines galore-three to four months of Birds and Blooms, Shutterbug, I have also been reading a book by Angela Thomas called Dance. It is about being a strong woman for Christ. I have quite enjoyed it. I heard her speak at a conference in June and purchased her book there. One of the best parts is about letting go of guilt and I do harbor lots of that. Guilt over how I could, should have and wish I would have done so many things differently. I have so many wonderful family members, and am blessed in so many many ways. Sometimes I think I am a litte self destructive. So anyway the book has been uplifting-check it out. I keep wanting to read something mindless, and a little smutty but I haven't gotten to that yet. Probably won't too much to do.

I photographed my first wedding. It was exciting and scary. I learned alot and look forward to my next wedding. I am hoping to get some family shoots this summer yet and I may have a senior shoot coming up. I am really excited about a Sports Photo class at our local art school in Sept. I hope I can take it this year.

I should be able to get into school soon to start putting my room back together. That is bittersweet time away from the kids. I need to get in there though so this year can be more prganized than last year. A trip to China in Oct was pretty devastating to my organizational skills. I was a bit scattered the remainder of the year.

Hopefully, I 'll post more often from now on. So here is what you all really want. Pictures...

Hmm-can't seem to post pics right now. I'll try again in the morning. Off to read...

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL

2009-05-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Caitlin is in her second half of her first year of AYSO soccer. Last night she scored her very first goal. She was so happy and excited she did not know what to do. Here is the video that should have made Sportscenter last night:

more pictures

2009-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a while

2009-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone-its been quite a while I think since my last post. We are happily looking forward to summer vacation. Work stinks right now; Lots of stress and people who are ready to implode. So in 10.5 days I will happily skip on home (after a short celebratory annual get together at a local establishment)and spend the summer with my girls. We have a couple- week long vacations planned and the rest of the summer is family, fun and photography. I can't wait. Anyway, the girls are great. Growing by the minute, loving and fighting one another. Caitlin has loved Kindergarten and adores her teacher. Sammy loves everything. Her speech is coming along. She is still hard to understand but that is Cleft Lip and Palate related-not language related. She has another cleft appointment in July. Here are some pictures-because I know that is what you really want anyway...Brooke, Gini and Linda!!!Love to all-
Kim

and a few more

2009-03-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

Just some more pictures

2009-03-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

6 Months and counting

2009-03-29T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All
We had a 6 month "checkup" with our social worker today for Sammy's adoption. Of course I cleaned like crazy all morning, but aside from that all went very well. It was nice to reminisce about the past six months and how far we have come. It seems like just yesterday we were in China waiting to come home. Caitlin and Sammy are really close. Theyare playing together and seem to really enjoy one another. I think this summer will be wonderful. Caitlin is reading constantly, writing 2 to 3 sentences on a topic and just being generally amazing. Sammy is learning her shapes and going to school and daycare. She is working in potty training and loved basketball season and going to the big gym to see all the kids and family there. I am counting down the days until Summer Break. One more week until Spring Break ad its all down hill after that thank God. Pat and I even went out on a date this weekend. Amazing. So here are some recent pictures. SOme go back to Feb and Sammy first day of school.

Sometimes Our Prayers Get a Little Out of Hand!

2009-02-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post some new video...enjoy

2009-01-31T16:54:00.000-08:00

A New Year

2009-01-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All
We had a fabulous Christmas this year after which we celebrated Sammy's Birthday. It is the first year Caitlin has really gotten into the whole Santa thing and looked forward to Christmas morning. I still had to wake her up though. The Christmas season lingered as we did not do our school winter celebration until last Friday due to school closings. Caitlin sang with her class and had fun. She told me next year I have to let her wear a short sleeve shirt though because she was "Sweaty". It does get a tad hot with all those kids and parents. Anyway, I am back to work and overloaded as usual. Pat is pluggin away looking forward to all of you buying Fritos for the Superbowl and we are just hanging out here in the snow. I am joining our Church's Missionary Committee as this is an area of interest for me. We just signed up to sponsor a baby from Sammy's Foster Home and there are others that do not have sponsors yet if anyone is interested. Here is the babies home page: http://www.hopefosterhome.com/babies/index.htm
Our baby's name is Lilly (my favorite flower) An Faith.
I went to a presentation last night for teen moms. I was asked by a teen mom who is a friend of ours. It was a courageous and giving thing for her to sit in front of our community and speak to her experiences. I was there to support adoption. The emotions were raw and many tears were shed but it was a healing and restorative session. I would love to be involved in the future and help take this young woman's message further. To other towns, other faces, other lives. God's presence surrounds this family as they heal and I am honored to have been allowed to have a very small part in that process. Here is a passage I have kept near and dear through our adoption process: Joshua 1:9 (I opened up to this page in my Bible the morning we left for China so I wrote it on the lip of an envelope and stuffed it in my passport holder)
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

2008-12-21T11:19:00.000-08:00

2008-12-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas Wishes

2008-12-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well I have yet to get out Christmas cards to family and friends so I am hoping this will make up for it. I found out that many of you are still checking our blog frequently so here is an update for ya'll. Caitlin and Samantha are truly becoming sisters...they fight! Samantha has learned to say "mine" from Caitlin of course so I guess that is a natural consequence for her. She can't take over and play with all of Sam's toys anymore.

Caitlin is doing well in school and reading like a whiz. Samantha is going to speech once per week and will soon have ear tubes placed to be sure she is hearing as well as possible to learn speech sounds properly.

Pat shot a big ole buck...he's in our freezer. He has also been helping his brother coach JV boys basketball. Work is work for both of us and we are just happy to come home each night to our two beautiful girls. God has truly blessed us. We hope the coming year will be gloriously uneventful as this past year was full of ups and downs.
Love to you all-
Kim

a couple more

2008-11-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

2008-11-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

Since we got home

2008-10-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

Hi all
We are super busy since we came home. Caitlin has gone back to school, had a soccer gane and we all went to our Church Pumpkin carving night last night. I have lots of good new pictures for you. Before I do that though, if you are a prayerful person, please put Jade in your prayers. She is one of the babies whose family we travelled with in CHina. Her heart surgery was puched way ahead to today for several clinical reasons. Her surgery begins in about an hour so any prayers for her strength and the doctors skillful hands would be greatly appreciated. She is only about 13 months old if I remember correctly. Thanks for your help. Here are the pictures.

Last Call From China

2008-10-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone
(Hey Grandma & Grandpa O'Meara; Could you please let the dogs out Friday afternoon? I told the girls they didn't have to come back out in the afternoon. Thank you a bunch.

We are all packed up and ready to go. We had our consulate appointment today which was essentially just a huge formality. We walked in, showed our passports, sat around for a while and chatted with the other families, went up to a counter where they took our visa paperwork for Samantha, sat back down for a bit. Then a guy came out, talked for about 5 minutes, said raise your right hand "Do you swear to take care of this child (a guess on our part because we couldn't really hear him)" "Yes, we do" Okay see ya have a great day...

Not that the man wasn't sincere. He was very gracious and talked about how this is a favorite part of their day, watching families being made and getting us all home. But it was really bizarre. There were 45 families there and they do this every afternoon. Can you believe that. Every afternoon they usher famiies out of the country with these little chinese babies/children and they (we) are the lucky ones.

Hundreds and thousands of babies are left behind here to wait and or grow up in an orphanage. I knew the numbers were staggering. But every afternoon they grant visas, swear oaths and say good bye to groups of families just like ours. Amazing. I guess knowing the numbers are staggering and seeing it are two different things, and that is just the U.S. Consulate. China compeletes international adoptions with something like 15 other coutnries.

Okay anyway we had a pretty good day with Samantha overall. Her general happiness level was a little higher. Less crying and tantrumming. More willing to accept the word "no" and a little direction. We had a melt down at dinner but I couldn't really blame her. It took forever to order and we were all tired and thirsty. If I could have cried through dinner rather than eat I may have.

Samantha is beautiful, stubborn, curious, used to getting her own way, smart, very funny and perfect for our family. We just need to get back to life. Cailtin is very much missing her normal routine. She enjoys the hotel but is stir crazy too.

Caitlin absolutely is in love with Samantha and the hardest part right now is that Samantha doesn't always appreciate Caitlin's desires to play (more accurately)smother her with kisses, hugs, tickles, and hand holding from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed.

Caitlin will also miss the families we have been with here. It has been wonderful to be with a group of compassionate and loving people who are all here to better a child's life and further their families. It has been wonderful to see these babies grow and become rounder, and happier in just a few short days. Samantha too looks bigger, or older somehow.

One woman in particular, really caught Caitlin's eye. Tall, slim and beautiful, every time she walked in the room Caitlin lit up. In fact, when she walked in to breakfast yesterday morning Caitlin nearly fell over herself and said "Mom, **** is so beautiful this morning. Can I go talk to her?" I almost choked, the awe in her voice was so sincere. So I said sure go see her, all the while wondering how our new friend would receive Caitlin's admiration. What exactly do you say to a kid so awe struck. Of course she was very gracious and Caitlin stayed to chat her up for a while.

So I guess that is all I have for now. Our time in China has been amazing, tiring, educational and wonderful all in one. We won't soon forget the incredible sights and not so incredible smells. We have had good food, scary food and okay food. One time on the plane the hot dog was white! We have made new friends, had excellent guides, wonderful happy times and frustrations too. All in all we are a bigger family and God alone knows what the future holds for us. No matter what we are ready for the next step. Coming home. So please pray for good flights and sleepy kids!!! Love you all and thanks so much for following along and offering us your support and love.

Kim, Pat, Caitlin and Samantha

Kristi and Lesley or Brooke or anyone who knows the kids birthdays

2008-10-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hey can someone emal me Robby, Rylee, Norm and Brooke's birth years?

Red Couch Photos

2008-10-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hi All
We just got back from our red couch photos with all the other families. All the babies were great...the O'Meara toddler...not so great. She screamed through the entire thing and had a complete meltdown on the way back to the hotel.

At our last province Samantha was familiar with a few people we saw over and over again. I think that delayed her grieving process and we are now in it. She will hopefully get through this and allow us to comfort her along the way. Thang, if you read this, how do you say "You're okay" in Mandarin? How about "No" and "Yes". Guess I should have done a little more studying before I left.

The flight times I listed earlier are p.m. for arrival to Grand Rapids.

Here are some pictures...
Kim

Flights

2008-10-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Today we are staying around the hotel until our paperwork is fully processed through the U.S. Consulate. We have to stay near a phone. Pat is going to take Caitlin back to the park with another family for some play time and I'll stay back for nap time with Samantha. We also will have our group picture taken today on the Red Couch at the White Swan Hotel. This has been a tradition for adopting families for a long time and the kids all dress in traditional Chinese outfits. Caitlin can't wait to wear her dress. Here is our flight information for those of you who are wanting to meet us at the airport in Grand Rapids. I can't wait to see all of you.

We fly out of Guangzhou to Hong Kong at 8:25.
We leave Hong Kong at 12:45.
the next day...
We leave Chicago at 6:20
Arrive in Grand Rapids at 8:14!!!

Pearl Market Adventure

2008-10-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone
Today we went out shopping around the hotel and picked up laundry and pictures from a disposable camera. The pictures are not great but are a little snapshot of Samantha's life at the Foster Home.

We weren't out too long and Samantha melted down so I took her back to the hotel while everyone else shopped. She has been a crying mess today. Every little thing set her off. It is hard to distinguish naughtiness from confusion/grieving.

After a long nap we went on an excursion to the pearl market. We had to walk quite a while through several roads of markets. It was quite an incite into life in general here and what people will eat. We went past several beggars as well. Our guide told us that poor families from the country will send their disabled family members to the city were "bad men" employ them to beg on the streets. Some are without limbs and there are also disabled children on the streets as well. It is very sad especially considering the fact that the disabilities we saw were simple missing limbs. So correctable and unnecessary. Our guide said it is the best life they can have and "at least they have three meals a day. If they stayed home they would starve."

Here are some pictures from our day and our trip to the doctors for Samantha's exam yesterday.

Kim

Happy Birthday from China!!

2008-10-13T22:41:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE NORM AND GREAT GRANDPA!!!

Six Banyan Temple

2008-10-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Sorry for the late post. Hope you catch it before bed. We went to the Six Banyan Temple today. It was a very interesting place. They have all kinds of Budhas and it was intriguing to watch the people pray and light incense sticks for the Budhas. They have a Budha for fertility(who knew) and also a new one to protect them against SARS.

This city is far more western and easy to navigate than the others we have been in so far. They cator to adoptive families because all families are funneled out of the country through this city due to the presence of the US Consulate and possibly others for all I know.

We have our Visa pictures and official doctors appointment for Samantha today. We also have lots of paperwork to complete this afternoon. Then we are free to shop and eat the rest of the evening.

We ate at a Thai resturaunt last night whch was very interesting. It was good but it still seems strange to see boiled pigs feet and the like on a menu.

4 days to go until we fly home!!!The count down is on...

Kim

On to the Next City....

2008-10-11T03:09:00.000-07:00

We got up and around early this morning and flew out of Zhenghzou for our final destination. We had about a two hour flight to Guangzou with a 45 minutes bus ride to the hotel. This flight was much better than the last one. Everyone did very well. The on flight meal was intertesting at best (rice, cabbage, and chicken pieces & parts).

Everyone is doing well, tired but well. We have a down day tommorrow including some tours and a nice dinner out. Then after that the meetings and paperwork start. We will leave here EARLY Friday morning (Thurs. night for those at home) for Hong Kong then catch a ride back home.

How is the weather back home? It is hot and humid in this town. It reminds us of Florida/Georgia area. This area seems to be safe and comfortable to walk around. We are on a little island within town. Well better go, Papa Johns is about to deliver our Pizza. Hope everyone is doing good at home and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Brian and Michele

2008-10-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

Brian this might be Hale.

No Pics Sorry

2008-10-10T06:02:00.001-07:00

Hi All
Today was our last day in Zhengzhou. We are flying out tomorrow for Guangzhou. My sister asked why we are going to different provinces so heres that answer. We flew into Beijing for a couple days of touring and we also managed to visit the Hope Foster Home where Samantha has been living since the spring of 2006. She was not there though as all the kids have to go back to their original orphanages so their passports can be processed and all the notory work must be completed in their home province. So that is why we are now in Zhengzhou. We have to leave from Guangzhou because that is where the US Consulate is located which is the last of the official paperwork and exit medical exam.

The past two days we have had a lot of healing. Caitlin is adjusting and not giving me the cold shoulder each time I try to talk to her and Samantha is doing much better now that she has not seen people from her orphanage in the past two days. She laughs and giggles and has even called us Mommy and Daddy a couple times.

Just a word of caution for the Leonard and Theis family who are travelling in a couple weeks, they call the nannies from Jiaozuo, momma. So every time I said momma and pointed to myself the first day, Samantha freaked and cried even harder pointing out the window or trying to run for the elevator. So you may want to call yourself MOMMY to avoid the confusion.

We went ot a museum today and read a lot about China's history. It was an amazing museum but a bit of sensory overload for a three year old who isn't used to being out in public.

So we fly out tomorrow at 10:50. I am planning to dose up on dramamine as the flight in was less than pleasant. Aside from the dissapointment of not getting photos and video of Samantha's birth city we have been thoroughly blessed by this time here and are now a family of four.

See ya all
Love Kim

Just a Lazy Day

2008-10-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Today we stayed around the hotel and nearby area. We walked to the park that is about a block away and had a nice time with another family that is travelling with us. The smog was really heavy this morning. The hotel doors were open when we came down for breakfast and it looked thick like smoke inside the building. There was no sun today or yesterday. Very cloudy and over cast. I have been feeling bad that we did not get any video or pictures of our trip to Jiaozuo yesterday. I think we were so focused on Hope Healing home as her "home" rather than her orphanage we just neglected to get any pictures. Hopefully the family that went with us will share their pictures. So I regret not doing that. Our guide stopped by today to ask if we wanted to go to the museum tomorow and we asked if we could find out whether there was a note left with her and/or where the exact finding spot was and she said the only information available is in her finding add which we already have.

Anyway, we had a nice day all together without any trips for paperwork. Daddy pulled out some matching shirts he had hidden (sorry Uncle Norm)so you can see that in the pictures.

We had an adventurous meal at a local resturaunt. The staff spoke very little english and it was quite a challenge but it all ended up fine.

We found out we are travelling with a pro baseball player...Braden Looper, from the Cardinals. Pretty cool.

Okay here are some pictures.

great wall adventures

2008-10-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

Our first few minutes together...

2008-10-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my big mouth yelling for the other family down the hall...typical huh!

What Day is it?

2008-10-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all
Thank you so much for all your comments. I have spent quite a bit of time replying to them. However, I think you may not be getting them because they are automatically generated from the blog site. So when you post a comment, type in your email address and I'll be able to reply. I have my laptop with me and it doesn't have everyones emails saved in the address book I guess.

Anyway, Marta asked how Pat and I are doing. We are doing pretty well. Pat had a stomach issue and has been generally tired but happy. I have been an emotional wreck. It is such a happy time punctuated by such overwhelming emotions. Caitlin is still very standoffish to me and even though I know she is adjusting to this change it still hurts my feelings. I know how silly that sounds but it does. Never the less, we are settling in more each day.

This morning we travelled to Jiaozuo to complete the adoption process. It was about an hour and half away. Riding on the roads here is completely unbelievable. I tried to keep my eyes closed most of the way. Never have I been so in need of a seat belt. We were on a three lane highway with no painted lines. Cars come from cross streets and never stop, they just pull on in. If our driver wants to get around someone he just lays on the horn and swerves out and around. It is too much to even explain. At one point on the highway a truck was coming towards us in the wrong directions and just buzzed on by...obviously the other side of the road was too far away for him! At one point our driver wanted to get over a cross road so rather than going around on the road her drove over the elevated brick median.

Besides the drive it was a hard journey for Samantha (Caitlin stayed at the hotel with G&G Hayward) because we had to go back to her orphanage. She was only there for three weeks but she definitely recognized the building. Then our driver whisked her out of my arms and brought her inside, even though I was waiting with her outside for Pat to return to the vehicle. Apparently babies are fair game for anyone to hold here.I followed right behind him and he took her inside where she pointed out the directions to go and of course he was obliged to take her wherever she pointed. You couldn't go too far as the babies rooms were locked and we finally made it back to the van. Pat returned not too long after that and said it was nice and clean and that he thought it appeared as if they cared for the children well. he also said he saw a teeny tiny baby and one of the other families with him commented on how he should just wrap her up in his coat and take her too. No matter how well taken care of these babies appear it is not the same as having a family.

I think each time we go anywhere that is familiar to Samantha she thinks we are taking her back and each time she hears someone speak Chinese to her she is attracted to them. I can't wait to get out of this province so the people are less familiar. We were with the nanny who brought her to us again today at the Notory office so I can't imagine how confusing this all must be for her.

After a quick lunch of PBJ's (yes they sell Skippy brand here!)we walked to a nearby park and had a nice walk and threw around a little ball we managed to pack. We left after about an hour because we had generated quite a crowd. Caitlin has been attracting a tremendous amount of attention since the very first day. People walk up and want their kids pictures taken with her and they want to touch her hair. She was pretty freaked out in the beginning but our guide in Beijing explained that they are just curious and friendly.

Tomorrow is the first day in Zhengzhou that we have a free day with no paperwork so we are planning to find some fun.

So our journey continues one day at a time and with God's good grace we'll be home soon.

Love You all and we miss each of you so much. Enjoy the pictures...

2008-10-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

More Pictures for ya'

2008-10-06T23:16:00.001-07:00

Official Adoption Day

2008-10-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone
Yestreday we went to the registration office which was quite an experience. Unfortunatly one of Samantha's nannies was there and whisked her out of my arms so she only wanted to be with her after that. So I took her out in the hall away from everyone else once I got her back. Then last night she played really well in the hallway with Caitlin. They held hands and ran up and down the hall and chased a balloon.

This morning we had to go back to the registration office and we received our official adoption paperwork. We didn't know what we were doing so it was a pleasant surprise and quick trip.

This afternoon we have tried to nap and that was a no go...I need to email Hope Foster Home and find out what they say for nap time. She slept very well last night though, from about 8 until 7 this morning. Caitlin and I have been sleeping together and we managed to stay asleep until 5. Every other day before this has been much earlier. Yesterday Pat and I were both awake at 2 am. Maybe by the time we leave we will be adjusted to the time change!

We are going to go to a shopping area today, similar to a Walmart. We need diapers and things for an easy and quick lunch.

Caitlin is doing better this afternoon than she was this morning. She has been pretty standoffish to me...she wants to be with and play with Samantha but she doesn't want to be around me a whole lot. Which is more difficult for me than I would like to admit.

I don't think we wrote much yesterday when Samantha arrived. So here is a little update. There were 10 babies delivered to the hotel yesterday for a few different agencies, so the plan was for us all to wait in our rooms and the kids would be delivered to us. We really wanted to be with the rest of our group when the kids arrived but it wasn't to be. I talked one other family into staying out in the hall with us since both our chidren were coming together from the same orphanage.

The Nanny(from the registration office) and our guide walked her to our room where we were waiting in the hall. The nanny talked to her, telling her Momma, Babba, Jie Jie, but she was not pleased with the whole ordeal. She cried quite a lot and tried to drag the nanny back to the elevator. Finally I took her from the nanny and she sat with me in the hall. Caitlin ran in the room for some fruit snacks and we tried that. She sucked on one and after a while more we walked into the room and sat on the floor. She sat with Pat for a long time and ate the rest of the fruit snacks and another bag as well. Her feet were crammed into a pair of shoes that were far too small but it took a long time to get her to let us take them off. We eventually got her coat off and she explored a little.

We went to lunch after about an hour and a half after a little paperwork. When we were working on our paperwork I found out that the nannies refer to themselves as Momma so every time I said momma and pointed to myself she cried even harder.

Anyway, lunch went very well. She sat with Pat, already her favorite, and ate spaghetti. Then she discovered his french fries and had fun dunking one for him and one for her. Then after lunch we had to go to ther registration office. Sorry this post is running in backwards order.

Anway, I know you don't want so much reading and really just want pictures so here they are.

We miss you and love you all. Thank you all for the posts we read them throughout the day and it is wonderful to hear from home. I am already ready to go home.
Love ya all-Kim

We Have Samantha!!!

2008-10-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here are few quick pictures from this morning. Thought we would try to post as quickly as we could. Enjoy the pics.

Just trying some video...

2008-10-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Samantha Day

2008-10-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone
It is about 8:30 here and we are expecting Samantha around 9:30. We just had a fancy meal for breakfast and Caitlin in playing in Grammy and Poppy's room. Which is good since I am sitting here bawling. This is a very emotional time, crazy ups and downs from one moment to the next. We are very excited but missing home very much. I read all of your comments, hence the bawling, but I am touched by all your love. Caitlin just walked in and out cheering, "my sister is coming". She is off to find the pool. Sound familiar Brooke? Anyway, we are missing you all very much. caitlin's foot is much better. Slightly bruised and you can still see the bite but the swelling is gone.

Here are some pictures of Caitlin in the airport yesterday having some fun. Also a picture of our $4,000.00 worth of fees that we have to pay today, exchanged into Chinese money. Pat had to walk down the road a block or so carrying it all. What a story that is...
I'll post video and pictures of Samantha's arrival tonight!!!
Love to you all again-

What a day.

2008-10-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone
Caitlin's little foot continues to improve. Right now it looks like it may bruise but it is otherwise much better.

Today we left the hotel at 9 am and got back around 7pm. We went to the Jade factory to learn about how the Jade pieces are made. It was amazing and I had to keep myself from spending a ton.

We went to the Great Wall after that. It was cold and rainy but it was amazing just the same. We hiked a ways up and then it dead ended which was fine since Caitlin was tired and it was slippery. It really is an amazing sight for all of us to be able to see. Many of the steps were grooved from so many feet treading upon the steps. Caitlin had fun but her five year old view of the wall was "why did they make some steps so big?" She had to climb her arms and feet over some of the steps because they were so tall.

After the Great Wall we went to lunch and saw a Cloissonne Factory which was also very cool to see. We went from there to the Olympic area which was quite a site. We were supposed to park and tour around but there were lots of people and police so we could not get into the parking area. It was amazing to see how large an area was constructed for the Olympics. There are 56 different groups of people in China and each was represented by a different section with its own unique architectural style.

After that we went to an Acrobatic Theatre Show. It was very cool and amazing what the players could do with their bodies.

So now we are completely tired out and getting ready for our flight to Zhengzhou tomorrow. We leave around 9:30 and fly out around 12:30. It is only an hour flight so I imagine we will have time to relax tomorrow afternoon and evening. The next morning we get to meet Samantha. We are all very excited.

Thang

2008-10-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Caitlin has been asking about Hana and all her friends too. She has certainly been missing school and her buddies. Thanks for watching along and I'll post more pictures with Caitlin in them for Hana and all the kids to see.

Caitlin's Foot

2008-10-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all
Caitlin is doing much better. It is a little painful still but the hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl and the Zithromax are working. The swelling is down and I think she is on the mend. Must be the fact that she has been on the Zithromax for a couple days before the bite actually helped. Thank you all for your comments and I know you are all worried. I was too, but it looks much much better this morning. Just to ease your fears a little, we have two nurses travelling with us in our group. If it looks inflamed again today we will seek further help. Our guide will know what to do. Of all the thigns to forget, we forgot bug spray. Our guide went out last night to buy us some so we should be all set today. Thanks mom and Kristi and all who commented. Love you all.

Mom

2008-10-03T03:48:00.000-07:00

scroll down to my Help Please Post

Hope Foster Home

2008-10-03T03:38:00.001-07:00

We visited Hope Foster Home last night when we arrived. It is a fabulous place and has given Samantha her first home. Here are some pictures.

Day 1

2008-10-03T03:20:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our first full day. So far we are having a good time but are still pretty tired. We were all up by 4:30 as we are still adjusting to the time change. We went to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and took a Ricksha ride through the Hongtan District which is an old town area with family squares. We had a wonderful lunch at a 400 year old resturaunt. Here are some pictures...love you all.

HELP PLEASE

2008-10-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

Mom
Could you please call promed...552-2500 and ask if zithromax/azithromycin will help a yucky bug bite on Caitlin's ankle. It is swollen and red, kinda hot. I have the above antibiotic and am using it along with benadryl and hydoroctisone cream. A nurse here said it looks like it may be getting cellulitice? Leave me a comment on the blog and I'll get it.
Thanks
Kim

We have been busy!

2008-09-29T02:59:00.000-07:00

My goodness we have been very busy lately. We had two wonderful showers for Samantha, Caitlin's Birthday Bash, Soccer games, and school work galore. I have begun to get up at 4 am to get things accomplished for school. I rather enjoy this time and I hope that my efforts help my sub have a good experience in my classroom. You can actually get quite a lot done between 4 and 6 am. No ringing phones, and one snoring five year old helps my productivity level immensly.

I would like to ask you all to pray for us as our trip to China gets so very close. I am definetly stepping out of my comfort zone for this trip and hoping God's grace is sufficient to get me through as I am sure it will be. We leave Wednesday morning and there are still many things that need to be accomplished. Packing of course being one of them. I am actively trying to remain calm as I don't want to upset Cailtin but the closer we get the more I remember how much I DON'T LIKE TO FLY! Anyway, here are some pictures from the last couple weeks. Our next post will more than likely be from Beijing!!!!! Check out our Blog the morning of the third and I'll try to be sure to post some pictures. Our first day in Beijing will be the Great Wall and we hope to visit New Hope Foundation the night we arrive in Beijing.

Check out our Quilt blog by tomorrow. We have several fabulous new pieces of fabric from family and friends. I am going to try to get them photgraphed and loaded tonight. Thank you all for contributing. There is still lots of time if you are considering doing so. I won't even attempt to make the quilts until well after we are home. I'm thinking Christmas sounds good!

Ist AYSO Game

2008-09-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to Caitlin playing soccer since she was teeny tiny. The day finally arrived and she was so excited. We have met some new families from our area and there is even a little girl on our road that we didn't know about. We had a lot of laughs and found out that we "are those crazy parents" now! Then of course when Cailtin's cousin Brooke arrived it was all about Brookie; see the waving photo. Yeah the show stops for Brookie. Poppy even saved the day by evacuating a dead gopher so the game could go on! Beware it was a quick shot I can't help it that it looks Poppy is about to drop the gopher into the guys pants! Such drama...

Just tryin the new video camera

2008-09-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

We purchased a digital video camera so we can post video from China and just have an easier camera to use. We have a stack of little tapes of Cailtin that need to be transferred to a DVD. This digital process will be much easier. Anyway here it goes.

first day of kindergarten

2008-09-02T17:08:00.001-07:00

Oh my, Caitlin had her first day of Kindergarten today. I was a wreck and she, although pretty tired, did fabulous. She never ceases to amaze me and I feel truly and wonderfully blessed to be her mom. She is such a wonderful little girl and is growing every time I look at her. So enjoy the sleepy but good photos...

WE GOT TA!!!

2008-09-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone- about a week ago we got a call from our agency and they let us know our tentative travel dates were October 1st or 2nd. Today we got the call that our Travel Announcement has arrived. This basically means that the Chinese Government has said yes you can travel to our country. Right now we are waiting for our Consulate Appointment which is the second to last day in China. Our travel date is based on when that appointment is scheduled. Our agency requested a consulate appointment for Oct 14th-16th. So we will know in 1-6 days exactly when we will travel. We are super excited. We were just talking last night about how this was the worst part of our wait throughout this whole process which has been amazingly predictable. The timetables we were given were perfect and helped us through each stage. Our agency is awesome. So as time ticks by these next couple days I will be trying to cram 3 months of work into one. China here we come!!!!!!!

This says it all...from someone else's blog

2008-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Every call has a beginning
A quiet moment when God
whispers a promise to a mother’s heart
A holy place where a father bows and faithfully accepts
the journey set before him.
A miraculous morning that unexpectedly dawns…
Casting its first light on a chosen threshold.
A gentle knock..a closed door opens.
A sacred invitation sent by the Father..
Leads to the other side of the world.
Where lonely hearts stare out orphanage windows
Praying for someone to care..
And then one morning,
On an ordinary day
An orphan’s life changes...
God sends them a second chance...Through you..

--author unknown

Wow lots to tell ya'

2008-08-21T18:50:00.001-07:00

We got an official update a few days ago and we received our Letter of Acceptance yesterday. It was about a month earlier than we originally expected and it bumps our travel from end of Oct or Nov up to end of Sept or beginning of October. There are two major Holidays happening during that time and we hope we can get over there in between the celebrations. There are two other families who think they may travel at the same time so that is wonderful as well. The more ther merrier and the less expensive!!So, we are thrilled, stressed and generally crazy over the whole thing. The new batch of paperwork is a bit overwhelming but I keep looking at her sweet face knowing we are meant to be her family and just wishing I could swim over there. Too bad it isn't that easy.

Here is the info:
Fu Hai Xia

08/06/2008 update

Medical/Development:
She does not have a hole in her palate and the cleft did not affect her teeth.
Her cleft lip and palate had both been repaired and she does not need any more surgery.

She is not potty trained and still needs diaper. She can run, jump and go up and down the stairs. She can say some simple words, such as “baba, maam, jiejie, chi fan” and etc., sometimes what she said could not be understand. This does not seem to frustrate her.

Personality:
She plays with toy cars.

She plays well with other children.

She is a docile girl, but sometimes she is stubborn.

General:
The orphanage has received the care package.

She is in the hope foster home, Shun Yi, Beijing.

an update from china

2008-08-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief update on our sweet HaiXia or Samantha Paige. I am getting so used to her chinese name now it seems a shame to change it. Caitlin said tonight as she was getting into bed that she wished she had her baby sister home with her right now. It is very heartening to hear this from her and it makes me feel more confident in their ability to bond. So without further delay here is her update. Oh on more thing. We are waiting on our Letter of Acceptance and then I think we will travel 5-8 weeks afterwards. Normal wait for LOA is averaging 70-90 days. We are at about day 50 I believe. So a ways to go yet...

08/06/2008 update

Medical/Development:
She does not have a hole in her palate and the cleft did not affect her teeth.
Her cleft lip and palate had both been repaired and she does not need any more surgery.

She is not potty trained and still needs diaper. She can run, jump and go up and down the stairs. She can say some simple words, such as “baba, maam, jiejie, chi fan” and etc., sometimes what she said could not be understand. This does not seem to frustrate her.

Personality:
She plays with toy cars.

She plays well with other children.

She is a docile girl, but sometimes she is stubborn.

General:
The orphanage has received the care package.

She is in the hope foster home, Shun Yi, Beijing

just a couple more

2008-07-31T17:40:00.001-07:00

here are a couple of the grounds....

2008-07-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

the little house is where Samantha lives with her little friend Lucia.

more pictures

2008-07-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

A very nice woman who has volunteered at the New Hope Healing Home where Samantha lives emailed us several pictures. We are so grateful to have them. Enjoy...

Care Package and More New Pictures!

2008-07-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Samantha got her care package we sent and she loves her Jie Jie (big sister)can't you tell!

a couple more

2008-07-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

If I could I would take home Sam's little buddy Lucia as well. They live together and are essentially sisters. It is very sad that they will have to part.
The picture with the orange shirt was taken June 30...so very recent.

new pictures of samantha!!!!!!!

2008-07-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yes thats right. We have more pictures of Samantha and are so excited. Here are a couple. We got Sam's finding add as well but it did not have any new info which was a little dissapointing especially given the price tag. But we are happy to have it and any other info we can get. These new pics are wonderful.

2008-07-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Make sure to check out our new blog for our 100 Good Wishes Quilts for Caitlin and Samantha. Here is the website: 100princesswishes.blogspot.com

catch, dribble and pass

2008-07-08T03:44:00.000-07:00

Caitlin has found she can dribble the big basketball and thinks she is the newest basketball prodigy. She loved being outside practicing and thought she should go play Monday night ball with Daddy and Uncle Norm!!

Bubble Debackle

2008-07-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

Caitlin and I like to take baths in the big tubby but todays relaxation session turned into a bubble disaster. There were so many bubbles and they were so think we couldn't get rid of them. We had to go to the other bathroom for a shower!

New Pictures of Sam

2008-07-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Pat helped me decide that it was okay to cut and paste the photos from New Hope Foundation's website to our blog for you all to see without following the link. So enjoy. Please do visit their website though as it will be eye opening to see what they do with 100% donations and no government money. Consider helping them please. Later today I'll pop up some pics from the 4th of July weekend (we started early).

Finding Add

2008-07-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

We just heard from a man named Brian Stuy that he has located our Samantha's finding add. This is the add the police place in the local papers to give the birth parents one last chance to claim their child before giving her solely over to the government run orphanage. Unfortunately, it would do the parents no good to come forward as I am sure they would be tossed into jail. It is hard for me to imagine opening my local newspaper, sipping my coffee and seeing my child's face there waiting for me to claim her. But of course I can't imagine the terrible circumstances the government places on birth parents that forces them into thinking abandoning their child is their only option either.
But I digress, back to the add. We purchased the copy of the newspaper, a blown up photo of her as a baby, so pre cleft surgery, and it will come translated so we will know as much as we can about her beginnings. At least the exact location, time and what she was wearing when she was abandoned. The rest, such as who her birth parents are, is for God's knowledge alone and we will leave it that way. We hope that we can raise Samantha to appreciate both her cultures in time.
But I'm off topic again, Brian has a website where you can purchase other China related stuff and is a very useful and informative site for adoptive parents and families wishing to learn more about their child's region of birth. Here is the address: www.research-china.org

Samantha Moved!

2008-07-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

Our little Samantha does not reside at the Jiaozuo Children's Welfare Institute afterall. She is and has been living at the Hope Healing Home in ShunYi Beijing. I suspect she was released to this large Foster Home setting because her Cleft Lip and Palate was a lot of work in multiple and very long feedings for the orphanage staff. She has been at Hope since June of 2006, so since she was six months old. They did at least one if not both of her surgeries. This is a much more appealing and healthy setting for Samantha. There is a much higher nanny to child ratio and they facilitate a family atmosphere and there is on campus medical intervention. She is attending a preschool english class each day which is also wonderful for her transition. You can view pictures of the Hope Home and Samantha by cutting and pasting this link: www.hopefosterhome.com once there, click on the babies link on the left and she is listed as Julia. You can view some of the other kiddos there as well. They vary in age and disability. You can sponsor a child for $40.00 a month. This Foster Home is run completely on donations-they accept no money from the Chinese government so they could use all our help. You can also read their History and tour their facilities on the website as well. Dr. Joyce Hill and her husband Rob began the Foster Home to follow Christ's calling, I think in the late '90s, you'll have to read it to be sure. But what an incredible couple. Their work for China's orphans is priceless. They have saved countless lives through their surgeries and home like settings including our little girls. I hope that even though Samantha will have to return to the CWI for us to pick her up, they delay it as long as possible before we get there. Would you consider sponsoring a little one?

WE HAVE A NEW DAUGHTEER!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

It is with great celebration that we announce our referral of Fu Hai Xia. She is 30 months old and currently resides at the Jiaozuo Children's Welfare Institute in the Henan Province of the P.R. of China. She has a repaired cleft lip and palate. Her estimated birth date is December 25, 2005. She is beautiful and we hope to travel to make her our own in "Octoberish". Our hope is that travel will fall between Caitlin Birthday on Sept 19th and Thanksgiving.

We received her referral on the 12th of June. I had prayed I would be out of school so I could devote my full attention to the referral and I was. My dear friend Tracy and I were sitting on my porch watching kids play in the dirt when our call came in.

I had sent an email to our agency saying I thought I would like to decrease my age limit back down to 24 months from 30. But if the perfect little girl came along age was not a deal breaker. Pam, from CCAI called the next day and said "I need a hard and fast answer on age" I said "really, I don't want to do that". And then my overworked, on summer break, brain kicked in and said "why, why do you need a firm answer?"
"Well, I may have a very good reason why but I'm not telling you if you will have to say no beacuse of her age!!!!!!!!!"
"No age isn't that big of a deal, we are looking at development and severity...blah, blah, blah..."
The last thing I remember was her saying "SO, do you want me to call back with your real call!!!!"
Then I started yelling at my husband to get on the other phone, my girlfriend Tracy was in tears. And then of all things it took sooo long for her pictures to come through the email and Pam wasn't getting off the phone with us until we saw her pictures. I just love that woman. She knows us better than we know ourselves sometimes.
So for all of you still waiting. Trust the CCAI ladies. They will hang in there with you no matter what.
There are a couple families travelling to our Daughter's orphanage right now and we hope to get some more pictures of her. We only have 3, aside from the 2 lip and palate pictures. We have emailed a man named Brian Stuy who finds children's finding adds. The finding add is the announcement made in the local papers with the child's picture to attempt to give the birth parents one last chance to reclaim their child. Which of course would do them no good because they would likely be promtly tossed into jail and wouldn't get to raise their child anyway...
So we hope to get that in the next two weeks or so. At least that will allow us to have a picture of her as an infant.
She was estimated to be 5 days old upon abandonment and arriving at the CWI. What a start for her. It is truly a miracle that these children are able to live in the elements for who knows how long before they are found, taken to the police and then to the orphanages. Their little lives are protected and touched by God because only He knows where they will go in life. And this little one will bless our lives and be our second miracle baby!!

Oh, I almost forgot. Her name. Fu means good fortune or blessing. Hai means Sea, and Xia(/Sha/)means Rosy Cloud. We will be naming her Samantha Paige HiaXia.
Thnaks for following along with us...

The Jungle

2008-06-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

Well Spring has sprung and after about 4 days of work on my Jungle flower bed in the front of the house it is actually looking pretty good. I love this time of year and am so happy to be on summer break. Maybe we'll even have some good news on the adoption front soon. Caitlin is growing like a weed and having a great time. Check out the slide below for some fun spring pictures.

Devastation in China

2008-05-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

The whole world has watched as China attempts to recover from the earthquake just a few short days ago. I thought it would be appropriate to set a link here for both information and an opportunity to donate if your heart is compelled to do so.Our adoption agency is currently collecting for the relief effort and it is of course a tax deductable donation.PLEASE say a prayer for these families who have lost children and other loved ones as well as for the many babies who are now without families. My heart aches for these people. The devastation is incomprehensible to me.

14.5 more days to go...

2008-05-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well I have 14.5 days to go until summer vacation from school. I am very much looking forward to time with my sweet girl. I need the summer break every year and this is no exception. Here are some pictures of Mother's Day Weekend. Specifically the Mother Daughter Banquet at Church. My husband got the honor of serving us and Caitlin and I sported funny fashions for the show. Check out my "Shelf Bra" and Caitlin's "Flour Sack Dress." Such good clean fun! On a serious note, we took a break from the medical side of our China Adoption process for a little bit. Since March basically. We re filed our checklist yesterday and eagerly anticipate "the call". We have no idea when it may happen as there are all kinds of extraneous circumstances, not the least of which is the major earthquake and the Olympics. Besides whomever is waiting in line in front of us who may be willing to accept a child with similar needs as those we checked.

Just some recent pics

2008-03-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

our Easter Egg hunt winner, card shark, cutie pie and oh my have you ever seen anyone so flexible...girl.

on a lighter note

2008-03-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Spring may have sprung here on our little lake. The frogs are back. They made their debut tonight and are croaking away as I type. Listening to the frogs at night is by far one of our most favorite things about living in the boonies on this tiny lake...

it's been awhile...

2008-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well it has been quite a while since I last posted. We have had a couple ups and downs in our journey towards adoption recently. We are currently trying to make some decisions about the path we will take. The Chinese Government has mandated that all agencies that have a Waiting Child program are to participate in one shared list. Which means that all 51 agencies will fight to "lock in" kids from one very large group of children and families must respond to a referral within 48 hours. I think this is bad for families and encourages people to make decisions too quickly. So we are evaluating whether we want to be involved at all. If we choose not to we will stay in the traditional program and forge ahead as originally planned.

what a day

2008-02-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well its a snowy blowy day here. Caitlin and I headed out today for church and found out just how deep the drifts on our road can be! We were stuck-really stuck. Even in my truck. So I called Gordy for help and we had quite a time trying to get out. The snow was all the way up to my doors and getting worse by the second. We had to dig out the road just so Gordy didn't get stuck. Unbelievable. Then of course someone else on the road thought they could get around me despite my obvious state of "stuckness" I tried to sound the horn but it was so muffled there was no use. Well anyway and hour and a half later I was soaking in the tub trying to revive my purple and painful toes. So we didn't make it to church. Caitlin was not pleased.

time to move on...

2008-02-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well folks it appears that a referral off the current list of children is probably not going to happen. Several times the ladies in the Waiting Child Department at CCAI have stated that the current list will focus on folks with Jan through March Medical Checklists. Even though we are open to a boy which so many are not we will have to wait. Many of the boys are older and/or have more significant needs than we feel comfortable with so they are waiting their families on the agencies website because their needs don't match anyone's list. It is a very sad thing. If Caitlin was a little older there are a couple boys we would snatch up in a second...I'm not sure we are ready for virtual twins. Our wait continues.

Amazing News

2008-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

CCAI is delighted to announce that we have received a new list of Waiting Children! YAHOO! We are hard at work translating and verifying our Waiting Children’s information and contacting families. We will consider each child’s case individually, so we appreciate your patience as we work carefully through our files. If CCAI has a potential match for your family, we will contact yo

We are sooooooooo excited that the new list is finally here. We hope we will see our next little O'Meara very soon. It is not a guarantee that we will get a referral but we sure are crossing our fingers and praying we will.

A Munchkin Prayer

2008-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

So we have been talking with our sweet girl, Cailtin about adoption and China in general. Saying prayers for all the little ones who need families to come get them...I have been a little more specific lately and asking her if she wants to go to China to get a baby brother or sister. She definitely thinks that would be cool and the past two nights has been very specific in her prayers. The other night she said something like this: Please God let us go to China to play for a little bit and see stuff and then bring home a baby sister or brother. Tonight she said: "Please God let me get to the Great Wall so I can bring home my baby brother or sister." I gotta tell ya' she is the sweetest, most in tune with things around her, kid I have ever known. She picks up on all our conversations and this adoption has just become a part of her awareness just by hearing us talk about it. She truly amazes me and I am forever thankful to have her in my life.

Snow and Home Bound

2008-01-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

We got a couple inches last night on top of what we already had and we are staying home today! Happy New Years Everyone! Here are some pictures from outdoors today. Our nephew stayed the night and may stay again tonight since his dad and sister are sick in bed at home. Enjoy the pics-we had fun!

A New Year

2007-12-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

I reconnected with a very special person in my family today. I think our busy lives have impacted the amount of time we had to spend together just talking and hashing out life in general. I realized today how much I have missed those conversations as well as how much this person means to me. During that two hour phone call-we talked a lot about my little families pending adoption and the choices we have made to bring a child into our lives who may or may not have a "disability." After the conversation ended I made the desicion to share our Medical Conditions Checklist with people, which we have not done until today. Not out of a desire to keep secrets, just simply because these are personal decisions that we made as husband and wife.
Our decision to adopt a child with or without a disability is born from our desire to grow our family. We wish to make a difference in a child's life and be the family that a waiting child needs. What we know is that there are children who are considered "unadoptable" in China's eyes because they are termed less than perfect. I thank God that in our family we view human life with more respect. We did not arrive at any of these decisions lightheartedly. A lot of thought and research was done prior to filing our Medical Checklist. I feel we have been led to this point in our lives and guided in these decisions. I know as a family we will all come together and embrace this new child in our lives and I am so thankful for the love and support we have been given. So here is our checklist.
We have said Yes to the following medical conditions: Congenital heart disease-minor; club foot/feet; malformation of the fingers/toes; missing fingers/toes; hypospadias; anemia; birthmark/hemangioma-non facial; eczema; extra fingers/toes; hernia-umbilical/inguinal; malnutrition; physical development delay; premature/low birth weight; scar/burn-non facial; torticollis; undescended testicles; vision-strabismus. We have said Maybe to:Imperforated Anus; hearing loss-partial to moderate; vision-cataracts.
So there it is, I think this sums it up pretty well and I quote (from two exceptional teens in our life) "thats it-they really give kids up because of those things..."
If any of you would like to do your own research on these Medical Conditions there is a "Waiting Child Adoption" CD available for purchase from Love Without Boundaries. I would loan out ours but it is inexpensive and purchasing it goes to help save the lives of medically fragile children in China. Feel free to check out their website: www.lovewithoutboundaries.com Also, if you have not viewed the videos from LWB at the bottom of our blog-please do so, they are very informative. I couldn't decide between them so I included them all.

Kung Hei Shing Taan & Gung Hay Fat Choy

2007-12-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year-
Please don't ask me how to pronounce the title above- I got it from someones email! Well I have been digging out of the rubble from our Christmas Explosion today. Caitlin woke up with a yucky tummy and had thrown up in bed-just yucky snotty drainage I think. So several loads of laundry and hours of cleaning later things are somewhat put back together. Gotta love the Christmas Season and once again-thank God I don't have to work this week-or next! Check out Caitlin's new tent! There is a short story behind that purchase. Caitlin had a fever last week and Grandpa came over to stay with her. By noon she was playing and insisted that Grandpa climb in her makeshift tent(made with a sheet & chairs) Grandpa grudgingly complied and they both fell asleep in there. What a picture that would have been. Anyway, Grandpa decided it was time for a bigger tent. So I moved things around in her room to make it fit. Thanks Grandpa-She loves it!

Just Checking In...

2007-12-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all-
I just thought I'd check in. Things are moving along day by day. Cailtin is ready for Christmas to get here. All the preparation and goings on have her pretty tired out. I am just extremely relieved to have school over with for a little bit. It always amazes me how exhausted I am and ready for a break already. On the adoption front, our agency is waiting for a new list and we are waiting to see if our new little one may be on it. I am becoming more anxious as the days go by...we really haven't waited that long in the world of adoption. But still and all we are ready.
We got luggage today for our first Christmas celebration. We have been married for nine years and never have we had a decent set of our own luggage. Just another little note...Caitlin asked me tonight how we see God-I am mystified as to how to explain this as I am just learning myself but I said God is like a Ghost who is with us all the time. He is next to us holding our hand and waiting for us to talk with him. She is really picking up a lot in Sunday School-I am so proud of her. Before we finished talking she said something like... God is beside me but Jesus is in my heart! Gotta love that.Here are some pictures of her as Mary in our Christmas Program at Church. They sang Away in the Manger.

How Could I Forget!

2007-12-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

Our Dossier was reviewed and "Logged In" in China only two days after its arrival. I can't believe it was such a short wait for our LID. Now we wait for referral. Amazingly enough, on the yahoo group that we are a part of there are only two families ahead of us waiting for referral. The yahoo group tends to be an approximate of half the real number of people waiting from our actual agency. So there may be from 2 to 4 people waiting before us. We could even see a referral in January on the next list of Waiting Children to come from China.

We Switched!

2007-11-30T06:01:00.000-08:00

While we are waiting for our dossier to get "Logged In" in China we have decided to refile our gender preference to either, rather than girl only. We are really excited about this and look forward to getting the call for referal just like waiting for Cailtin's birth. The nurses swore her heart rate indicated she would be a boy! I know we will be overjoyed with either gender, and feel like now it is in God hands- phew! What a load off my mind. Well and of course in the hands of CCAI-who will do the choosing for us...

Our Dossier is in China!

2007-11-28T02:17:00.000-08:00

Our Dossier arrived in China Monday the 26th of November. Now we are waiting for the CCAA to give us a log in date. If we were only in the traditional non special needs program the log in date is the date from which your true wait for referal begins. Our Medical Conditions Checklist symbolizes our Log In Date for the Waiting Child Program. We are also very seriously considering changing our preference to either a girl or boy. If we do so we are far mre likely to get a boy than a girl. We are really excited about this change and Caitlin is steadfast in her desire for a brother. I think she just wants to retain her Princess standard of living!Pray for us as we make this decision.

OUR DOSSIER WAS SENT TO CHINA TODAY- Halleluiah! Our paper work is done!

2007-11-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS, Pat & Kim,
Here’s the news you’ve long been waiting for—your dossier was sent to China today (11/21/2007)!

Here’s what to expect for the next month:
The CCAA will receive your dossier in approximately 3-5 days. Our China Department will contact you by email once your dossier has been received by our representatives in China and hand-delivered to the CCAA.
The CCAA usually logs in dossiers within 4 weeks of their receipt. This Log-In Date is called your LID, the date that you may “count down” to your referral. As the CCAA is the ultimate authority in logging in your dossier, we are unable to estimate your LID. The CCAA should notify us of your LID within the next 8 weeks. We will e-mail you as soon as we have confirmation of your LID and will then give you instructions on how to download your LID Packet.

Our Dossier Arrived at CCAI

2007-11-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our dossier made it to Colorado today. Here is the info we got back from them...
Your dossier will now go through the following steps:

Check-in: Your dossier package is checked to ensure all necessary dossier items are present. If your package is missing any item(s), we will let you know. If all dossier items are present, we will begin the review of your dossier! Please do not be alarmed if your fees are not checked-in immediately; they are handed to the Accounting Department and are processed on a different timeline than the rest of your dossier.

Critical Review and Translation: Your dossier will be here for 9-11 business days if it is complete and problem-free. During the critical review process, your dossier is looked through another 3 full times for any mistakes or errors. This review includes a careful inspection of the document in terms of content and format, possible translation problems, and dates. A thorough check of the notarization, certification, and authentication pages are also made at this time just to make sure all is in perfect order. We will notify you once this step is complete.

Once your dossier is complete and the critical review is finished, a summary translation of your dossier is completed, making sure the most important information is easy to locate when your dossier is received by the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in China. This also helps decrease the chance this important information is mis-interpreted during the full translation of your dossier in China.

Binding: Your dossier is bound together in a very professional red folder, with photos being mounted and documents carefully lined up and ordered according to the CCAA’s preference.

Mailing: Lastly, your dossier will be carefully packaged and sent to China via international express mail!

DON"T EVER USE PYXMA...

2007-11-08T03:50:00.000-08:00

...unless you really know about web design. I tried to download a seasonal and totally cute template for Fall. Even though I did the save process recommended, when it converted to the new design I lost everything except my postings. My adoption timeline is gone- and guess what, it was't written anywhere else with that much detail. I'll never be able to re create it. Beware-don't try to be too fancy! I could throw up I'm still so upset.

OUR DOSSIER IS DONE

2007-11-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

We sent our dossier in to CCAI today. What sweet relief. Four months of work and its somewhere in post office land enroute to Colorado. CCAI will partially translate our documents and send them off to China. CCAI also got a new list of children for their special needs program. They average about 30 children per list and a new list every three months. We are well into the 100's as far as "seniority" so our wait will be long regardless of whether we receive a special needs or traditional program referral.

We Got It!

2007-11-07T02:37:00.000-08:00

Our last document, the I 171H arrived last night in the mail from the Chicago Consulate. I will photo copy it today and then our dossier is done. So much for getting it done over summer vacation. What a process. I am amazed by the people who go through this time and again for multiple adoptions. We forgot to mention earlier that we have filed our Medical Conditions Checklist as well. Basically that means we are willing to adopt a child who may have some minor disabilities which are considered pretty debilatating over in China still. We are praying for a referal from the special needs process sometime next summer. Our agency is waiting on their next list and we are far down the food chain so our wait will be long never the less.

I 171H Glitch

2007-11-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well our I 171h was sent out on the 18th and promptly returned because I didn't include everything it needed. We re sent the document and are not so patiently waiting for its return so we can finalize our dossier. It was sent out for the 2nd time on the 24th so it has been 9 days and counting.

OOPS!

2007-10-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

So Pat and I celebrated our Anniversary this weekend at my favorite place on earth. Silver Lake Sand Dunes. We were there withour dear friends Kim and Vince. Unfortunately, my dune driving skills are a little lacking. I was going to fast and the Jeep went airborn. When we landed (hard!) Pat fractured a vertebrae in his back. The doctors say it will heal- thank the lord, but I will always be guilty of breaking my husbands back. He is healing well, his spirits are good and for some reason he still loves me.

OUR I171H Has Arrived!

2007-10-14T10:47:00.001-07:00

We got our last document from the USCIS on Friday the 5th of October. We are so excited to have this last document that needs to be notorized, certified and authenticated. As soon as that is all done we can send our complete dossier to our agency. Once they receive it they will do a partial translation and send it on to the P.R. of China. The Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs will then give us a log in date or LID, which is how dossiers from all over the world are tracked through the process of referral.

Birthday Girl

2007-09-23T17:46:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Caitlin's Birthday on Saturday. She got many wonderfula nd generous gifts. She greatly enjoyed having her family at our new home in the woods and is completley exhasuted today.

Our Documents Have made their Way Home! But not for long!

2007-09-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

We posted the ticker on our website to count the days since sending our documents to the Consulate General in Chicago for authenticating. Well we were greatly surprised when they arrived today within nine days of being sent off. I am so glad to have them back as it was a weird feeling to have them gone. All the hard work that went into compiling them... Anyway, we need to make the copies and send them off to our Adoption Agency and hopefully, even though our I171-H is still on someones desk, hopefully they will start reviewing them.