A wish sent from heaven......

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I have been collecting fabric squares to use to make a 100 wishes quilt for our Daughter. I thought this would give me a great "project" to work on, while we wait to bring our little one home, and would be a gift she would treasure forever...knowing how many people were sending her their good wishes.
I have received fabric squares from friends all over the country..each with heartfelt messages of hope and joy for our baby girl. To my amazement, I have received 147 squares!!!! I have so many, that i will be able to make 2 quilts for her! I will use 100 squares to make a very large quilt, to lay at the end of her bed. I will use the remaining squares to make a smaller, travel blanket, that she can use on the couch, when we travel...etc..
Back to the reason for this post. While I will treasure ALL of the wishes/swatches I have received, today I received the ONE that will remain dear to my heart, forever. It was sent from Heaven. Well....not really...but in memory of a very dear person who looks over me every single day, from Heaven. My Mother.
The gift in this fabric and wish, is actually WHO sent it. It was sent by my Step-Mother. I'm actually not even sure if that is the "correct" title for her. You see, she married my Step-Father, several years after my Mother died.(My Mother and Step-Father married when I was only 3). While I was expecting for their fabric squares to arrive any day, the surprise came when I opened the package, to find not only their 2 squares, but an extra one. As I glanced at the fabric, a beautiful pastel square of butterflies, my hands trembled. Tears filled my eyes, and I KNEW who it was from. I instantly assumed it to be from my Step-Father, who has always had his subtle ways of keeping my Mother's memory alive for me. Emotions overflowed as I opened an envelope with my name on it, and discovered a letter written by my Step-Mother, explaining that as they were preparing their own fabric squares and wish cards, she felt the overwhelming desire to include a card and swatch from my MOTHER. She explained that she wrote the card from her heart, just as she imagined my Mother would speak the words to me, if she were able. She went BACK to the fabric store to pick out the "perfect" fabric-just from HER. My Mother loved lavender and butterflies....and that is just what the fabric represents.
I will never be able to explain to her what this card and wish mean to me. It was the most selfless, thoughtful thing that she could do and I am so grateful  to have it as part of this quilt. Even as I type these words, tears fall on my keyboard. Please let me share this priceless treasure with you.......

My Dearest Mia,
I am your Grandma Donna. I live in Heaven and will not be able to be with you on this Earth but I love you so much. Your Mommy has prayed and prayed for you to come into our family. Our special time together as Mother and Daughter put such a longing in your Mommy's heart to share those special times with a Daughter of her own, that God sent you to her, all the way from China. Wish I could be there, but always remember what a special gift you are and know that you have your own special angel in heaven watching over you.
I love you and your Mommy!!
Grandma Donna


It is so very hard to have lost a loved one, who your children never had the chance to know. Even when they ask me " Where is YOUR Mommy?", and I explain that she is in Heaven, they still just look at me blankly and don't seem to really get it. The longer she is gone, the less people mention her, and sometimes I honestly feel her "memory" begin to fade. Don't get me wrong, there isn't a day that goes by, even 12 years later, that I don't think of her,long to hear her voice, long to have her back....but others rarely speak of her. And so to receive this card, written in her honor and memory, shows me that she is NOT forgotten....and so to the gracious author of this card......thank you......XOXO.....

A Day to Praise!!!

Since we have been out of town the last two weekends, today was our first Sunday back at Church, since being matched with our precious Daughter. Every Sunday, for the past 9 months, I have prayed about this little girl.
Lord, please speed the process of our paperwork, please ease my heart while we wait, please find our Daughter quickly and bring her file and picture to us. These prayers bring tears to my eyes, and every weekend as the Pastor opens us up for prayer, my husband will grasp my hand softly..for he knows the things I am secretly praying for. Tears stream down my face each week, as I long to KNOW who this child will be. WHO has God chosen for us to raise? WHEN will you show us her face?
Today as we headed to Church, I came into our home of worship with a new prayer and lots of praise. We have FOUND her!! We get to look at her face each day, in photos. I get to send her packages, full of love. We are almost there!! I have been praising God relentlessly since we first got her photo on October 3rd. But now it was time to kneel and give praise to HIM in the place I have spent months begging for him to hear our calls. He has answered our prayers and we PRAISE Him with all that we have.
Now my prayers turn in a different direction....watch over our sweet girl while we wait to be allowed to travel. It may be MONTHS until that happens, and we ask the Lord to watch over her and keep her safe until we bring her home.
While I shutter at the months we have ahead...it's ok... we KNOW her!!! And we will hold her....soon!!!

Many praises,
Angie

What are YOUR favorite things??

The other night I attended a Favorite Things party with some of my Bible Study gals. The idea behind this type of party is that everyone brings 5 of their favorite things that cost under $6. At first, I was at a loos for what to bring...but it's fun to think out of the box...your favorite nail polish color, your favorite pair of costume jewelry earrings, your favorite lotion, favorite candle, favorite kitchen utensil, favorite pair of warm fuzzy socks...you see where I'm going with this...
Then, gather a bunch of friends, throw in some food, open the wine..and start exchanging FAVORITE THINGS!!!
It was so interesting to see the different types of treasure that game from this group. Fake eyelashes, favorite writing pen, hand sanitizer, notecards, scented candles, lotion, handmade ice packs for boo-boos....FUN!!!
here are just a few photos snapped from the party....

Sending LOVE across the world.....

So...we finally know the Daughter we have been praying for, we can send her care packages...but it has to fit in a SHOE BOX???? Are you kidding me??? Have you seen me shop??? Uggh..this is going to be tough!
Well, the good thing is..there isn't a limit  to HOW MANY shoeboxes we can send!!! So, we will take that!!

Last night, as an "almost complete family", we assembled our care package to our sweet little girl, who is waiting for us all around the world. Since it could only weigh under 4 lbs and fit in a shoe box....we had to be selective in what we sent.

We included in it a soft photo album, introducing us as her family. It is complete with Chinese labels for Mommy, Daddy, Big Brothers and Dog. Both of my Boys had one of these, and they still love looking through them....

Next we added a disposable camera (we are HOPING the Nannies will take lots of pictures of her, since we will have only a few baby pictures of her. We will definitely cherish looking back at these one day.). We also added some bibs (cleft babies drool ALOT!!),a lovey/rattle sent from Nana and Grandaddy, A soft comfy pajama, to keep her warm and snuggly, some lotion to keep her smelling sweet,several rattles (the orphanage said that is her favorite toy), and some Mango pudding from our local Asian store......

And because we are so grateful to the Orphanage staff who is raising our little girl, we sent some treats from our local Asian market. My girlfriend took me shopping there and showed me all of the best stuff to buy. I am stocked up and ready for their next care package!!!
Next, it was time to tape and wrap it up. I felt like I was wrapping up half of my heart in this box. Could I fit a hug and a kiss in there?? Oh..soon baby girl...these care packages will be a thing of the past, and you will be here in our arms...and with all of the comforts of HOME...

The next morning, we headed off to the Post Office! The Postal Workers were so happy to see us coming with a package! They have seen me so many times over the last 8 months rushing to send off this paperwork or that paperwork....they have followed us through this journey!!! And so..now it is off to China. We pray that this package makes it into our Daughter's hands, that she will soon learn about the family who is waiting and praying for her. Her 1st Birthday is late next month......YES.....that care package is currently being planned!!!

The Daughter we have been waiting for......

October 3, 2012 will be a date that I will NEVER forget. It will forever be, the first time we saw our Daughter's face. There were no words...tears welled up in my eyes...and I just KNEW...this was her. I didn't know what to expect. I had no preconceived thoughts on how she would come to us. We didn't know what age she would be, how she would look, nothing......For 8 months, we have been in love with a "faceless" person. And now, suddenly, with a push of our computer button...there she is.
Will you accept her file? Do you think SHE could be YOUR Daughter?? How quick can I say "YES!!"
Of course we needed to do due diligence and have her file reviewed by our local Doctors, but they were already on stand-by, waiting to review her file as soon as we were to receive it. Our Pediatrician immediately agreed that everything looked good with her file. Her full physical from China revealed that she was very healthy. She is 10 1/2 months and looks great. Although she started out very tiny, she has made great strides and is thriving. She was born with a congenital cleft lip and palate, which is very common in China. She has had her lip surgery, but will need to face her palate repair, once she is home in the States. We have already contacted our local CleftTeam, who will evaluate her once she is home, and then plan her treatment . Being a Dental Hygienist, I have thoroughly studied Clefts and know what to expect with her treatment. We have  full confidence that our CleftTeam will be able to fully repair her palate and make her into one happy little princess.

We were offered the chance to take over her sponsorship, which essentially means that by paying for her care, we will get updates on how she is doing. Updates are what this Momma needs to keep going! We also are allowed to send her as many care packages as we want. Yep....one is already in the works and will be going out next week!! We want this little girl to know that she has a family waiting to love her!

Oddly, I connected with another Adoptive Mom a few weeks ago who was waiting to be matched with their Daughter. We later came to find out that we were matched with our girls on the same DAY, they are the same AGE, they had their lips repaired on the same DAY and get this...they are living in the SAME ORPHANAGE!! What are the chances? She emailed me a photo last night of her little girl..and guess who I see laying in the backround...OUR GIRL!!! They are playmates!! We talked for a long while last night, just smiling at the thought of our girls being forever connected...what a bond they will share...

ok..ok....I know why you all tuned in...and I have tortured you enough! So, without further wait.we are SO proud to introduce our Daughter, who we will name Mia Xin .........She currently goes by Xin Xin (pronounced Shin Shin) by her nannies, and so we will call her that for awhile.......

We want to graciously thank all of our friends and family who have rallied behind us throughout this process. Adoption is a daunting process and one much easier gone through with the support of those around you. It is so sweet to see the family and friends that we have waiting to welcome her into their arms. We truly are blessed to have all of you by our side. It may be another 4 months or so before we get to bring our precious girl home. We continue to ask for prayers... We pray that God will watch over our sweet girl, let her know she has a Mommy, Daddy and Brothers waiting to spoil her...we pray for the Orphanage Staff who raise these children as their own, until they are lucky enough to find a family.

For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him...........1 Samuel 1:27

Blessings,
Angie

The Call we had been waiting for!!!!

I should begin this post by going back several weeks. I was starting to get "antsy". It felt like we had been waiting forever. I had seen friends who I have met along this process, get matched with their children, and with every new announcement from them,,,,my heart would sink. And so, I decided to email our adoption agency and just throw out the question..."How much longer??". Some people advised me against it..."Don't do it!! You will get the "politically correct" answer and you wont like it".....well...I didnt listen...and I emailed. Boy, I wish I hadn't.  I got the whole...."well, we unfortunately can';t give you an idea of exactly when we will be calling you with a match. It all depends how many people are "ahead" of you, what type of files we receive, and what you are open to.."Blah Blah Blah..then...here was the kick in the stomach...."It could be 6 -12 more months before we find your daughter"..

Are you kidding me??? My heart broke......

So, after I cried for a day..I decided to suck it up and press on....after all, it was all in HIS time...and I can't mess with that.

So, fast forward a week, to last week..my Aunt came in to visit for the week. We had a wonderful visit. We spent the days shopping while the Boys were in school. Everytime I would buy something, I would think...well..this is just gonna sit in a closet for a year..or...this is so premature, why am i buying this??? That Sunday, we went out for Chinese food and celebrated the Autumn Moon Festival, which is the Chinese equivalent to our Thanksgiving. While we were eating, we cracked open our fortune cookie...

                                              A Pleasant Surprise is in store for you soon........

OH!! It's a sign!!! if you know me well, you know how I am with my "signs"..I look for signs in everything..and so THIS was definitely a sign!

Then..after dinner we went home and tuned into The Amazing Race, one of our favorite shows. Well...where do you think they raced on THIS episode??? Yep...CHINA!!!......SIGN!!!!!


Then Wednesday came...and it was an early release day at school. So we picked up the kiddos and headed to the Zoo. I had my cell phone in my purse and never thought to check it. We decided to take a seat and watch the Elephants be fed, and so while we grabbed a seat, I glanced at my phone and noticed a missed call. Glanced at the number and began to hyperventilate when I saw the area code..I knew it by heart...it was our agency!!! i knew exactly why they were calling..or so i hoped!! I quickly listened to my voicemail.."Angie...it's *%^....please call me as soon as you get this!!"

LET'S GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!

We grabbed the kids as fast as we could and ran out of the Zoo. The Boys are whining...."But we want to see the ELEPHANTS!!!!"......Forget the elephants!!! We will come back another day!! We have to get home!!!!

I called my husband and let him know that we had missed the call. He left work, because we knew that they would eventually be emailing us a child's file. We had agreed to open the file together..(and let's face it..my hubby knew that if I got to it first..it would be opened without him!!)

Once we got home, we called the agency back...She was at lunch!! How DARE she take lunch!!! So, about an hour (a Loooooong hour) later, she called!!! We got a little backround on the little girl...Do you want me to email you her file?? Are you serious???? How fast can you hit SEND???

So we all gathered around the computer and opened the file...and there SHE was!!! Yep...This would be our daughter!

we read the file....everyone was so quiet....nothing like i imagined it would be. Tears streamed down my face as I read her backround...there was no doubt in my mind, or heart, she was OURS.
We agreed to do due diligence and consult with our Drs here, just to let them review her file.

The next day, we called our agency and verbally accepted her as our Daughter. There was MORE paperwork to do, and since all of China had shut down for the week, due to the Autumn Festival, no one in China would be there to accept our Letter of Intent, so the agency suggested that we take our time and prepare our paperwork over the weekend, and be ready to scan it to them first thing Monday morning. And so that's just what we did. She was officially locked in as OURS!

We still have to wait another week to receive what's called "PA" from China, before we can post any pictures of her...so for now..you will have to just take our word for it...she is a precious blessing that we are so ready to call our own....

Next post.......a PICTURE!!!!!!

Blessings,
Angie

Autumn Moon Festival

On Sept.30th, The Autumn Moon Festival marks the beginning of a week long holiday celebration in China...a country that has become very dear to our hearts. Since it, after all, is the birthplace of our soon-to-be-Daughter, we felt it appropriate to celebrate in our own special way. This day is their equivalent to our Thanksgiving. People gather outdoors with family, eat and give thanks , all while gazing at the Moon..which they give many thanks to, as well. They often celebrate by lighting paper lanterns, eating moon cakes, cooking traditional Chinese cuisine, and of course, pouring out their THANKS for all they have.
so..we decided to have an early Thanksgiving,too. we celebrated by dining out at one of our favorite Asian restaurants, lighting lanterns and eating our own version of Moon pies. While, unfortunately,our weather did not permit a very good view of the Moon, we did reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Boy are we extremely blessed! And while we firmly believe that our Daughter has already been born and is waiting for us in her homeland of China, we said an extra thanks to the birth mother who sacrificed so much to give her life and to the caretakers who are raising her until we find her.......

One of our fortune cookies even read...."A sweet surprise awaits you soon!"........Ohhh, be still my heart!!

Birthday Boy!!!

Well, we celebrated another Birthday in our household!! Our little guy, Alex turned 4!!

Alex, you have turned into such an outgoing, lovable little Boy! We absolutely adore you and thank God everyday for making us your Mommy and Daddy. You are going to LOVE being 4--it's SO much fun!!

May this upcoming year bless you immensely!!!