October Update

Well it has been quite a month. We finally know who Abby Grace is and we know where she is. Praise God!! We started this journey last year after taking a huge step of Faith that the Lord would see us through and provide for our every need. So far he has done just that. He has chosen the perfect child for us. He has provided financially for us up to this point. We are so grateful to Him for all he has done.

We have been compiling squares for a quilt for Abby Grace Liang. So far we have 76. We need a total of 100. We have a few more coming from friends and family and hopefully we'll make it to 100 and have her quilt done before we get home. So if you want to contribute let me know and I'll send you the info.

I was reading on the CL/CP chat group today some very disturbing info. It brought tears to my eyes. Some of the members stated that when children have their surgery done in China they are not provided with enough pain medication and they actually suffer long term effects. I cannot imagine Abby suffering in pain. I cannot imagine that surgery being done with the children receiving pain medication for several days after. I am so glad that we requested her surgery not be done in China. I would much rather be there with her to make sure she is as comfortable as possible.

On a positive note...we have a LOI date of this week and now all we are waiting for is China to say ok, she's yours. Still hoping and praying for that to happen soon so we can travel in Feb or March. V and I are ready to get shopping for bunk beds and bedding for "the girls" room. Oh what fun!! White beds and some very colorful bedding.

LOI !!!!!

Well our paperwork requesting to adopt Liang Wan Jian is on the way to China. Amy e-mailed me today and said she had submitted our approval electronically and I guess the real stuff will be on it's way later this week. One step closer to bringing our sweet Abby Grace home.

We still have a long road ahead of us. It is anywhere from 2-5 months from out LOI to our RA. (For all of you non-adoptive readers that is referral acceptance, when China says sure you can adopt this child.) Praying we will be on the short end of that wait. Once we receive our RA it will move rather quickly. Our agency will secure consulate appointments, make travel arrangements and help us get our Visas ready for travel to China. Whew...I can't wait for that time to come. Still hoping and praying for February or March travel. Faith and God have guided us through this entire process thus far and I know he will pick the perfect time for us to travel. It is just so hard to be a planner and not be able to be in control of all of this.

I'll end with a quote I've had plastered on the refrigerator and on my computer screen at work,

"Every minute you're waiting, God is working." -Oswald Chambers

Meet Abby Grace

Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell

20 months old

Ping Liang SWI, Gan Su Province, PRC

Here she is, Miss Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell. This was a picture provided to us in her most recent update 10/12/07. This is what she looks like right now. I can't believe it! We finally have a beautiful face to put with our daughter we have been praying for for so long. We think she is absolutely beautiful.

Her update stated that the doctors did not perform her CL/CP surgery in August as had been planned. After talking with our Pediatrician she said that was for the best. Therefore we requested that they not perform it in China. We will take care of it when we get home. Speaking of getting home. We are praying that we will travel in February or March to China. February would be great since V already has a week off from school for winter break, so she would only miss one week. March would be ok too, but you know me, the sooner the better. Her update also stated that she has 17 teeth and weighs a whopping 22.9 pounds. I guess all of those egg noodles she has been eating are catching up with her. I can hardly wait to finally hold our sweet little girl, come on China get her paperwork done ASAP and give us travel dates soon. I sure don't want to join the 100 day club. That is the club of people who have been waiting for 100+ days to get there approval from China. Our family coordinator is guessing anywhere from 3-6 months depending on how many other dossiers are being reviewed at the time ours comes to that point.

I have become cyber friends with a family whose son is also in Abby's SWI. they are almost the same age and he too had a CL/CP. he recently had surgery and looks great. We joke that they are playing together and having a great time, unaware of the connections they have given us. we are praying to be able to travel together. They have daughters around V's age which would make the trip for her a little more fun. I cannot wait to see Abby and Hudson playing together!

Please continue to pray for Abby Grace and for her care givers. Pray for the CCAA, that they quickly process our paperwork. Pray for us as we continue to wait. Pray for all of the orphans in the world. Pray for others to come forward and start the wonderful process of adoption. It is such an amazing journey.

Abby Grace Liang Mitchell!!!!!!

The call we have been waiting so long for finally came. At 3:10 on Tuesday 10/9/07 we became the proud expectant parents of a beautiful 22 month old. We will be able to post her photos and more information about her on our site next week after we complete our LOI (letter of Intent) letting China know that we will be pursuing her adoption. She is absolutely beautiful!!! We praise and thank our Lord and Savior for this wonderful gift he has blessed us with.

August and September 2007

Well as you can tell by my delay in posting not a whole lot happened on the adoption front in August and September, but on the home front a lot did happen. We had heard and hoped that a new batch of SN referrals would arrive in mid September, but that did not happen. In fact they did not arrive until last week. You heard it right...last week. So Victoria did not get a sister for her birthday in September like she had hoped. We did finally sell our house which had been on the market since last December. So, now here we sit renting my childhood home from my parents sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out if our Abby Grace is in this latest batch. Waiting, I am beginning to hate that word. It is so hard for those not in the adoption community to understand just how hard and tiring waiting can be. I compare it to being a child on Christmas morning at the top of the stairs. You can see the presents under the tree but you have to wait for your parents to wake up before you can go downstairs and tear them open. We know that one day we will have our Abby Grace but the waiting is just getting so hard. Our agency sent an e-mail out earlier this week that said they would start making calls today, but so far we haven't heard anything. I checked my e-mail at work and kept my cell phone handy but nothing. I just felt that this was our time. Maybe it is, maybe we'll get a call today, I doubt it since it is a Friday afternoon and it's almost 5 o'clock. But maybe, just maybe that call will come.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray for the SN team as they match the children, pray for us as we continue to wait. Pray for Abby no matter where she is, for her safety and security, for someone to comfort her in her times of need.