Our Journey to Abby Grace and Beyond

Wordless Wednesday (Before)

2011-01-26T21:25:00.002-05:00

SNOW DAYS 2011

2011-01-18T11:14:00.005-05:00

We rarely get snow but this year we got a good 3 inches early January. I must say it did snow here the day after Christmas but by the time we got home from Church it was gone. This recent snow stuck around for several days thanks to a nice layer of ice on top. So our weekend turned out to be 4 days!!! And since we live in the south our town pretty much shut down...which led to a lot of cooking and family bonding time :)

Yep, that is Jacob being pulled in a skim board behind a 4-wheeler. Fun from what I hear. All the kids tried it but Abby Grace, she was content eating the snow.

Crazy catch-up

2011-01-17T20:16:00.007-05:00

Wow, I am soooooo far behind in blogging. When we started this blog so many years ago it was to document our journey to get Abby Grace. When we came home we continued as a way to document for her and for ourselves all of the amazing things that she has overcome and learned to do. Now, well it has become kind of a "When I get a chance to get around to it" kind of place. So now that I have a moment I am going to try to do some catching up with a few pictures from the 2nd half of 2010.
Summer gave way to the cooler days of fall and the leaves turned beautiful shades of reds and pinks. Abby spent many afternoons outside playing in the leaves and even collected a few that she pressed in her books in her room.

Abby Grace worked on her skating skills with her 1st ever trip to the skating rink. Now she wants skates for her next birthday. Owen on the other hand just enjoyed watching everyone skate.

We celebrated her 5th birthday with a dress up party with some of her girlfriends and big brother Owen and she finally got a big girl bike!!!

Christmas arrived and we celebrated with family the birth of our Savior. Of course no Christmas would be complete with a trip to our local light display. I love how in and amongst the myriad if Kai Lan and Wonderpets there is always the nativity. The true symbol of the Christmas season.

Shouldn't have wasted money on Christmas gifts, Abby found hours of fun drumming on the paint cans we've been using to paint around the house.

Jacob tested for his yellow belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and once again Sean held the board for his impressive kick.

Unfortunately, Owen has inherited some poor vision and reluctantly got glasses in November. Hope the glasses improve his vision and that is helps him learn those popcorn words and letters quickly :)

So that's it a quick look at the last half of 2010. Hope your 2011 is blessed!!

"This Baby": Steven Curtis Chapman Christmas Video

2010-12-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

3 years

2010-10-10T17:20:00.005-04:00

It is hard to believe but yesterday was our 3 year anniversary or as Kristi calls it referral-a-versary of getting the call for Abby Grace. 3 years ago yesterday we saw the scared little face for the first time and immediately fell totally in love. It is amazing to look back on those pictures and look at pictures from recently and even recognize her as the same little scared girl living on the other side of the world without the love of a family.
Then: waiting on us to come bring her home

2010 thriving with the love of her family:

We LOVE you baby girl to the moon and back!! We are so thankful to HIM for blessing our lives by bringing us you as our daughter and little sister.

Sunday Snapshot

2010-10-10T13:44:00.003-04:00

Abby Grace and her daddy!!

Fabulous Friday!!

2010-07-30T18:57:00.005-04:00

We had a great first day home. Sean did not disturb us until 10 when it was time to head to pick V up from church camp with her friend Morgan. She was so excited and surprised when I met her at the church. She was expecting us to still be in Charleston, I think she underestimated her little sister. V and I ran to Wally World to do some fat free shopping so Abby could have something to eat. We were delighted to find some yummy things to eat: cheese slices, yogurt, sour cream (she loves to eat it by the spoonful) some cottage cheese and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I found myself looking a labels in a new way. I am one of those yep looks good let's get it shoppers. I never look at labels but WOW we really need to pay attention to the amount of fat we have been eating. I am looking at this 6 week no fat thing as a chance for us all to get a little more healthier. I was just cooking some dinner (tacos) and Jacob came in and said "Yuck...fat free tacos." We had a little discussion that aside from the cheese and sour cream everything was the same as "fat-in tacos." Boy was that a relief to him.
Abby has bounded back amazingly well. Today we stopped off at Nana and Papa's and she showed them her zipper.(code for incision)She was so proud of it. While I shopped on-line for V's textbooks she ate some of Papa's pickles. She may not be related to him by blood but the do share an amazing love of pickles. Once we got home she played outside in the yard with Owen and ran up and down the driveway a few times. I kept telling her to slow down but she had a freedom about her like never before. Not one did she say she was tired or appear out of breath. She just amazes me. My walking, talking miracle girl :)

Wheels!!!!

2010-07-29T18:54:00.004-04:00

Abby Grace slept until after 10 this morning just before rounds happened. She was still wiping the sleep from her eyes when the team came bouncing into our room. After a bit of listening and looking they announced that tubes were coming out and we were going home TODAY!! Woohoo :) :)
So tubes came out around 11, had our x-ray and echo and we were cleared to leave. We made our way over to the pharmacy where we waited for almost an hour for her meds which Bryna had tubed over 2 hours earlier.

Nurses Note: We had Bryna when we were here for Ab's first heart surgery and let me just say she is fantastic. She is so sweet and calming with Ab. She is having a baby boy in September and she is going to be an incredible mom :D She won't be here when we are back down here in December for a few days when we have dental surgery but we were so happy she was here this time. All of the nurses here are super. They truly have a heart for what they do. Caroline, Tara, Lindsey, Rachel, Ms. Sandra, Mrs. Mary and all the other nurses were just wonderful :) Funny story...the other day I ran down stairs to grab a sandwich and left Ab up in the room eating her noodles. I returned to hear her carrying on a conversation with one of the nurses at the station in the remote. I told her if you need anything just press the button, well apparently she just needed to talk :)

Anyway, we went to the playroom to return the menagerie is toys we had borrowed and for Ab to have one last date with the doll house. Then we returned to the room for one more meal of noodles, ketchup and hotdogs. Bet she won't touch another hotdog for weeks. Now we sit playing Cooties, watching Enchanted (for the 10th time) waiting for our wheels to arrive to take us home. It is going to be so great to sleep in our own beds tonight and just be back with our family.

We don't have many limitations right now just a few not so great ones:
No swimming for 2 weeks in the pool. (lake, ocean, stream 12 weeks)
No soaking in the tub for 2 weeks.
No bouncing on the trampoline for 6 weeks.
No school for 6 weeks.
* And the kicker and worst one of all.. No fat diet til September 9!!!
That last one will be the hardest one to deal with. Luckily we can do some pasta. She is actually allowed 10g of fat a day but I guess Chick-fil-a and McD's are out for a while :( I was looking at options and really it should not be too hard to do but just have to start reading labels on stuff.

I will post an update in a few days. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Abby Grace and offering encouragement and support!

Wordless Wednesday (Our humble abode)

2010-07-28T19:57:00.002-04:00

103.3

2010-07-27T19:54:00.005-04:00

Way to high for an ox sat and way to high for a fever too but that was the case last night!

Abby had a great Monday even walking to the elevators and playroom. She ate wonderfully, colored, painted, played doll house and then it hit. We got our vitals done around 10 or so and she was HOT!! Nurse Tara and Ms. Mary immediately called in the resident. They took her chest bandages off and looked at her chest. It was a bit red but nothing too alarming. They went ahead and drew blood and sent it off for a culture, ordered an x-ray and gave her some antibiotics. A little after midnight we finally drifted off to sleep.
This morning she woke up in a "Crabby Abby." Did not want to eat any breakfast at all. Unfortunately since we had a fever last night we could not leave the room to go to the playroom. So we spent the morning in here coloring and watching movies. After lunch Dr. Bradley and Mrs. Cathy signed off on getting her mid-line tube out and neck line out. That was rough but once they were out she was thrilled.

,

2 volunteers named Sam & Summer stopped by to pamper her a bit by painting her toe nails beautiful bright pink. She loved them so much they left her the bottle and I later painted her fingers, my fingers and my toes too. She was so excited and wanted to show everyone that we matched. Sam was a high school student here in SC that wanted to start a volunteer project here at MUSC last year she decided to start "Sam's Special Spa" she comes in once a week and paints the toes or fingers of little girls in the hospital. So sweet of her to volunteer a day to brighten the day of these little patients. Her mother is in charge of the happy cart here which is a cart that comes around on Thursdays and the kids get to pick a toy to keep. Last week when it came by Abby Grace was asleep so I picked a princess pillow for her, she loved it.

Dr Bradley stopped by before heading out on a much deserved vacation. I tell you what that man is a miracle worker here on Earth. He is so nice and gentle with children and has a great bedside manner. I will never forget our first meeting with him in April 2008 when he told us he'd have to operate on her ASAP. I just get tears in my eyes thinking about what might have been had we not come to MUSC. He is such a special man and will always hold a special place in our hearts. To think that he actually held her heart in his hands amazes me. He truly is using his God given talents to perform miracles here on Earth. Thanks Dr B!!!

Fluid levels have dropped a lot and we are still on track for going home by this weekend. We sure are ready to get back to the family especially since my sister and her family will be down from Toronto for a few weeks.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Sunday Snapshot

2010-07-25T13:12:00.004-04:00

Rainbows

2010-07-24T22:16:00.006-04:00

After every good summer storm I love to look for rainbows in the sky. Well today was our rainbow day. Abby Grace woke up in a fantastic mood. She did however once again throw up her morning meds because there was just too much going in to her little empty tummy. She we got her all cleaned up changed her bed and played barbies as we waited for the rest of the family to arrive. One great thing about being @ MUSC is that there is so much to see and do in Charleston. While we were playing Barbies Sean and the crew headed over to the Yorktown Battleship. The boys had a great time checking everything out. Unfortunately though I had the camera at the hospital so there are no pictures of their adventure.
They finally arrived at the hospital a bit after lunchtime but we had to wait until 2 to go to the Child-Life playroom. Let me tell you once we got there we did not want to leave. It is only opened from 10-12 and 2-4 on the weekends and we sooo wished it were opened longer. Everyone had a great time.

Abby talked V in to playing barbies and play house.

Sean and Jacob enjoyed some pool and then of course some video games.

I think Owen thought he was in toy Heaven. He played with dinosaurs, cars, castles, pirates and even tried his little hand a playing pool.

After our fun play date we decided to leave Abby at the hospital for a bit and go downtown for dinner. You know you can only enjoy hospital food for so long and then ugh. It was great to get out for a bit and I knew she was in great hands with our nurses B and L. We ended up going to T-B*nz and even ventured out on a carriage ride through historical Charleston. It was something I have always wanted to do but never have done before. Owen was very excited :)It was really interesting to hear about the history and see some beautiful sights. I was gone a bit longer than I had hoped and Abby let me know she was not at all happy with me when I returned. Huge tears filled her eyes and she started to cry. She refused to talk to me for almost an hour. I offered her the treat I brought her but she just nodded no. We finally got back on speaking terms when I offered to do a craft with her. Then things were fine. We have decorated her room with all sorts of pictures, paintings and projects. It looks so happy. In fact yesterday she said, "Momma I kinda like this place." That was something I never thought she'd say.
We are so lucky to be able to be this close to a great heart hospital for children. And we are so blessed to be the family HE chose for Abby Grace. She is our little miracle and we stand in awe of all that HE has done in her life over the past 4 years.

The storm finally passed

2010-07-23T17:59:00.009-04:00

Been working on this for 2 days:

Thursday: We are currently still in the eye of the storm thanks to a little drug called T*radol. Within minutes of getting it Abby was peaceful once more. After lunch we loaded her up with all her attachments and took a much needed trip to the playroom where she painted a beautiful picture of me and a rainbow and played with the dollhouse. She had a great time getting out of our room and could not wait to go back on Friday.

Friday:Today has been great with the exception of some vomiting brought on by all the meds she is on. We had some visitors as Tory, Emma and MeMa stopped by to visit. Abby was so excited to see them. They even brought her a little panda named Bamboo. The afternoon was spent coloring and watching TV in our room waiting for our other special visitors to arrive. Finally around 9 PM Daddy, V, Jacob and Owen arrived. She was happy to see them all. I answered a few questions that the boys had about her tubes and everything them they spent time talking to both of us before they made a quick exit around 10 when the second half of the hurricane arrived. The T*radol had finally run through and she was done as well. She cried in pain just as she had on Thursday morning and it was just as awful to watch. Lucky for us Nurse S got her all calmed down and we took a look. Her left tube was draining a lot so much that it was leaking around the incision. The Fellow and the Resident came in and checked her over. Prescribed something to help her rest and then Nurse S got her all bandaged up again and ready for bed. She was so good at calming her down and talking her through the pain. We were so lucky to have her. She slept pretty good throughout the night. She got her oxy and tylen*l as scheduled and woke up pretty happy this morning.

The calm before the storm

2010-07-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

Well we have enjoyed about 36 hours of calmness but early this morning a huge storm hit. Now I love a good storm: a little bit of thunder maybe some pretty lightening, maybe a little bit of rain too. However, this storm was like a huge hurricane, Hurricane Abby. She slept well til about 8 AM then the pain, tears and screaming started. Nothing we did could soothe her. Of course I just wanted to scoop her up and cuddle with her (not possible with all the tubes) So instead I just sat with her and rubbed her little legs (when she wasn't kicking me with them) and wiped away her big crocodile tears. It was really odd because it came in spells kind of like the bands of a hurricane. One minute the was screaming "My tummy hurts a lot" and the next her eyes were closed and she was just whimpering quietly. It almost brought me to tears to see her in so much excruciating pain. Thank goodness there is a calming eye in every hurricane because at the moment that is what we are in. She is resting and purring. I don't know how long this peaceful period will last but I'll just enjoy it while I can. I love watching her sleep :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T21:26:00.002-04:00

Quick update:

2010-07-20T13:16:00.002-04:00

This little monkey amazes me :) She is pretty alert this afternoon going as far as to ask to get out of bed to which we all quickly replied, not yet. She is eating and drinking a bit: grits, a boiled egg, some oranges and orange juice. Right now she is sitting up in the bed watching movies. Last night she told her nurse she wanted to watch princess movies so this morning that is what they found for her and her favorite, Arielle!!! She has melted the hearts of everyone who has been in her presence. MUSC is a teaching hospital so all of the students just smile and giggle as she waves at them and wants to know their names. Besides the 3 tubes, 2 IV's and various other things attached to her little body you'd never know she had surgery yesterday. I love how she explained it to a med student today, "The doctor unzipped me, fixed my heart and zipped it back up" isn't it amazing how her little mind works. Such a complex surgery but she put it so simply. Boy do I just love this little girl!!!

94%

2010-07-19T16:45:00.002-04:00

Surgery is over and little miss Abby Grace is resting comfortably in the PCICU here at MUSC. The surgeon was totally pleased with how everything went. She is satting at 94% right now and her little bitty toes and fingers are PINK for the first time in her life. She has been opening her eyes and responding by nodding her head and blinking her eyes. They have her arms restrained in case she wakes up more and tries to pull anything out. (which given half a chance she'd manage to do)
I will update either update tonight or tomorrow with a few pics:)
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and words of encouragement!!!

The longest pre-op in history

2010-07-18T16:33:00.004-04:00

We reported to MUSC for our pre-op at 9 AM sharp only to wait, and wait and wait. We did all the routine stuff: EKG, Echo, X-rays, lab work. That was all done by 1:00 the time we were supposed to be done with our appointment. Then we waited and waited and waited for all of the doctors to come by for their consult. We met everyone and anyone who may be working with Abby Grace during surgery. She was a trooper lifting her shirt to show everyone her zipper on her chest, breathing in and out like she was a pro and generally being a social butterfly with the entire day surgery team. The childlife specialist was there to entertain her while the doctors each explained to us their role in the surgery. Ms. Betsy was so sweet trying to find butterflies for Abby to color and found a cool sand art fish that we worked on. We had a good day but there were a few tears shed because Abby was just through with the whole thing, after 8 hours wouldn't you be too

Surgery is scheduled tomorrow morning. We have to be at MUSC at 5:30 AM. They plan to take her back at 6:30 and surgery should begin around 7:30. Dr. Bradley said to expect 6-8 hours of surgery and most likely a 2 week stay in the hospital.

We really appreciate all of your prayers for us in the coming days and weeks ahead. I will update tomorrow after surgery is complete.

A little bit of fun before surgery

2010-07-15T16:13:00.005-04:00

I think we were a bit crazy when we decided to take a day trip to Car*winds on the SC/NC border this week. We have not had a chance to take a vacation this summer so this was it. We had a great time despite the heat. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

MOOO!!!

2010-07-10T17:48:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed our free dinner for National Cow Appreciation Day at CFA. These were the only 2 who dressed up, along with me, so they got the benefit of free dinner and a little playtime in the playroom.

Surgery update

2010-06-10T21:56:00.002-04:00

Well let's just say that thanks to a very aggressive dental student we lost our surgery date scheduled for yesterday @ MUSC. We are now rescheduled for July 19th. We are on standby in case they have a cancellation, but how often does heart surgery get cancelled, really??? So the 19th it is. Of course if we do get an earlier date I will post it here.
Summer is going well around here. Trying to toughen up on this household and get some help from the kids. Gotta work on a chore chart of some kind so the kids can take some responsibility around here too. After all they can't just sit around all summer and expect me to do everything, right? I will say one thing the younger two seem to be more happy to help than the older two. They think it is fun when I say who wants to help me with the laundry, while to other two have to rock-paper-scissors it to see who has to unload the dishwasher. I have got to toughen up!!!
Hope you all are enjoying your summer. I will post some pics of the kiddos when I get a chance to get on the good computer.

Counting down to summer & Prayer Request

2010-05-13T16:59:00.003-04:00

Well the countdown is underway 12 days of school left til summer break!!!!
Can I get an AMEN :)

The kids are going stir crazy as he last few weeks of school roll in, slowly I might add. No big summer plans yet as our big plan has just hit a road block!!
AG is supposed to have her open heart surgery on June 9th but just this week I got a call for the dental team @ MUSC. They want us to wait to do her OHS until after they do her dental repairs. Ok....here is the roadblock, they can't do her dental surgery until October on the books or possibly July if they can move another patient. Are you kidding me??? We have been waiting 4 months to get her heart surgery done and now this??? I am just so frustrated. We set it up for the summer because I teach and obviously don't have 4-6 weeks of leave banked for her recovery. Plus with 3 other little people to worry about summer seemed like a good time. They could hang with nana and papa maybe go to day camp for a few weeks. Now this :( We were thinking late summer road trip....oh how the best laid plans often don't work. So we're just in wait mode. Our cardiologist and our surgeon are supposed to be talking this out to see of they can work something out. Please pray for this surgery to happen when it is supposed to happen. We know that God has that day already penned in her book, just hope it is a 6-9-10 date :)

Hope to be able to do a longer post this weekend to catch everyone up on all our family happenings including: V hugging Taylor Swift, Jacob's many fishing adventures, Owen finally riding without his training wheels and Abby Grace just being the silly little monkey that she is :)

Sunday Snapshot

2010-02-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

Bathroon reno done and these two were the lucky ones who got to try out the new jacuzi tub first!!!

Yes they will kill me for posting this later on but they were just so cute chanting, "We got the first bath...we got the first bath!" I have never seen children so excited to take a bath. Let's see how long this keeps up.

Together at last!

2009-07-12T15:55:00.004-04:00

The girls and I took a road trip last week to Tennessee. We finally met up with our friends L and S. You may remember them from some earlier posts. L and her family adopted S last year from China. She was born with a CL/CP and a severs heart defect like Abby Grace. L and I have been talking since she received S's referral. So finally we got a chance to meet. It was so exciting to see the girls playing together like the had been friends for years. Abby LOVED playing on the swing set and swimming in the pool with S. But I think her favorite part was S's tricycle. She rode it every chance she got. We also got a chance to visit the Nashville Zoo which I highly recommend if you are in the area.
L is such a great person so sweet and genuine. She is so fun to be around. We went shopping at a few little children's shops. We had a great time getting to know their family better. Can't wait til they can come visit us too. Since our boys did not make the trip they were all a bit bummed. But I told them all that they get a chance to visit in October when our agency has it's reunion. They are all really looking forward to it.

Good News

2009-07-01T14:23:00.003-04:00

Abby Grace received a great report yesterday. Her heart looks great and her pressure levels were wonderful. She was Satting 80-84% without oxygen! The doctor decided to talk with the surgeon and call us with a date sometime in the future. They said with her next surgery she'd be in the hospital for 2-4 weeks so we are hoping to have it done at a time where I don't have to take a lot of time off of work. We'd hoped to have it done this summer but with such a late cath appointment that does not look likely.
Thanks for the prayers for her yesterday. I felt so at peace sending her back with the team. When we went back to see her she was sleeping and had already been weaned from the oxygen. She slept so peacefully until around 3. To our surprise they discharged her at 4 and we stayed the night in Charleston just to give her a break before coming home to this crazy house. She is now happily playing with her brothers down the hall and shows no signs of even having the cath yesterday except for the blue iodine all over her neck and groin area. I'll be scrubbing that off for a few days:)

Cath Day

2009-06-30T11:18:00.003-04:00

Today is cath day. As I type Abby Grace is back in the OR with the team having her heart cath done. We have gotten a few updates: They did an echo, put the caths in, were getting pressure readings and are currently taking lots of pictures. Once she comes out and wakes up a bit they'll call us back to recovery and we'll meet with the doctor. I will post later and let you all know what the doctors found and when they schedule her next surgery.
Thanks for your continued prayers!

We're getting a new daughter:)

2009-06-09T16:13:00.002-04:00

OK, we're not technically getting a daughter but we are getting to host an exchange student from China for the upcoming school year. She will be like a daughter but unfortunately at the end of the school year we'll have to let her go back to her family.
I can't tell you a lot about her because I want to protect her privacy but this is what I can say
*She will be 17 when she arrives here.
*She is from Chongqing province.
*She is an excellent student with fantastic grades!
*she comes from a wonderful family with both of her parents working.
*She has been to the US once before on a summer camp program.
*She is beautiful:)

We are so excited to be hosting her. V is thrilled and can't wait to have a big sister. They'll be sharing a room so a small room makeover will have to happen this summer when we find out more about her. The boys...well they aren't too thrilled to have another girl in the house but they'll get over it, right? I think they'll love her once she arrives here. Not sure about AG, she still looks at Asian people very oddly but eventually warms up to them. Hopefully having a big sister around will help us hold on to some of her heritage and customs. We hope to be able to share a lot about our culture and in turn learn a lot about her culture as well.

June 30th

2009-05-25T09:15:00.002-04:00

So Abby Grace has now been home long enough to grow 5 inches and 9 pounds. I guess all she needed was some good food and lots of loving. Actually all she needed was her little heart, CL/CP fixed. She has been doing so great. My mom took her in for her check-up a few weeks back and her cardiologist was amazed at how well she was doing. He was so amazed he decided to schedule her second heart repair for this summer! WHAT??? Yep this summer. So June 30th we head down to MUSC for her cath and then surgery should be scheduled sometime after that. By sometime I am guessing a few weeks, but I they won;t schedule it until they have the cath done. Hopefully it will not be like last time when they did emergency OHS the following morning. Talk about stressful. We had only been home with her for one week and I was placing my daughter's life into the hands of some doctors I had only known a few hours. They are a great team at MUSC but I was just overcome with emotions then. Now having gone through 4 surgeries there in the past year I feel more at peace this time around. I just have to keep reminding myself that she is in the hands of God and he is the one who will guiding the hands of the team as they perform the operation.

On to other family happenings...
V broke her wrist at Camp Thunderbird a few weeks back. She was stepping onto a mattress on the floor and it slid. She put her hand down to catch her fall and snapped it. I was at home with the crew but luckily Sean was chaperoning the trip. So he and a counselor took her to the ER in Charlotte and they x-ray'd. It was a green fracture so they wrapped it up and sent her back to camp til the next morning. Luckily another dad at camp called in a favor and she got right in as soon as she and Sean made it back to town. So now she is sporting a bright pink cast. We also found a wrap/bag like thing that she can put on so she can swim and bathe. It is great. She is supposed to get it off next week.
J and O are almost done with school. 8 days and counting. O's leg healed from his run in with the trampoline and he is back to his rotten little self again. J has done great this school year. A/B or All A's each quarter this year. He is doing so well although he still lacks confidence in reading.
S is working like crazy and is looking forward to heading to the lake once the water warms up a bit for some late afternoon jet-skiing. He doesn't get a chance to do it very often but really enjoys zooming around when he gets a chance.
Me, I'm staying at my same school next year but changing grades. Going down to kindergarten. Something I am really excited about. I student taught K in college and have always wanted to teach it. I spoke with my principal mid year and asked for a transfer so she was happy to offer me the position when she restructured faculty.

We are hoping to host an exchange student from China this upcoming school year. She is 17 and is from the same region but not the same province as Abby Grace. We went through our interview last week. Now we just wait. The good thing is this wait won't take nearly as long as our wait did when we were adopting:) We are very excited to offer this opportunity to Lu. She'll be attending V's school. According to her paperwork she has a little sister in China which I found rather odd since most families are only afforded one child. My guess and the guess of the coordinator is the little one is most likely a cousin or a child her family took in. But anyway hopefully we'll get to host her. Nothing is in stone yet.

A very happy heart indeed

2009-04-22T19:40:00.004-04:00

Well April 18th marked one year since Abby Grace's open heart surgery. (OHS) Things are looking wonderful. She has days where she still gets breathy and bluish but nothing like before OHS. Her SATs have been in the upper 70s to mid 80s...pretty good for a girl working off of a rigged up heart. She reached 29.2 at her last check up so we still have 6 pounds to gain before her next OHS. You'd think with the way she eats she'd be as big as Owen but I guess her metabolism is so good it just doesn't stick on her. I sure do wish I had that problem:) She still has purplish fingertips and toetips but hey I wouldn't care if they were green with blue spots or stripes, she is alive and living everyday to the fullest and that is all that we can ask for.

One Year!!

2009-03-29T15:29:00.012-04:00

It was one year ago today that we met our sweet little Abby Grace face to face in a smokey hotel in Gansu China. One year that seems to have flown by. I still remember the moment we first saw her sitting in her nanny's lap...

As we walked into the smoky room we saw Andrew sleeping peacefully in his nanny's lap but Abby Grace was no where to be seen. We got our paperwork in order and started going over it with Steed. Then we heard a commotion and saw her as her nanny carried her into the room. Tears filled my eyes, she looked so small and so lost. Her cheeks were rosy and she was bundled up in a creme colored jacket. The nanny sat down with her at a large round table and when the director realized we were her family she called V over to sit by Abby Grace and the nanny. V almost lost it she was crying so much and she was amazed that the moment had finally arrrived where she could touch her little sister. She sat at the table with her and the nanny pulled her hand over to Abby Grace's hand. They touched briefly and then Abby Grace began to cry...did she know her world was about to be turned upside down? Our paperwork was looked over and then the "ceremonial" passing occurred. She screamed like I have never heard a child scream before then began quiet sobs. Sobs that just about broke my heart. All I could do was hold her tight and keep whispering in her ear "Boo Koo" meaning don't cry. We paused for a few pics and then we wisked her upstairs to our room. She was still sobbing as we began to undress her from the 3 layers of clothes she had on and tried to offer her a bottle. She wanted no part of the bottle or of the comfort I was attempting to give her. I think she only wanted to go back to her nanny. We sat with her in our room that night just amazed that we finally had her in our arms. She laid in her little crib and sobbed as she fell asleep that first night.

Day 2 was much better. She woke up in a great mood, ate like crazy at the breakfast bar and even smiled in our family photo for her adoption decree. She still clung to me and followed me everywhere, if I got out of her sight she cried but as the days in China progressed she warmed up to Sean and V and everyone else around her.

Since coming home a lot has happened in Abby Grace's young life. A life that we are so thankful to be a part of. Here are a few of her highlights of the past year:

OHS 4/18/08

Smiling and finally wearing pig-tails

popsicles in the summertime

4th of July 2008

Palate surgery day

Praying for S.

Helping mommy cook.

Picking out pumpkins for Halloween.

AG was a beautiful butterfly for Halloween.

Lip surgery post-op

AG's new smile.

Blowing bubbles!!

Ice-cream for Thanksgiving day dessert.

Guess who turned 3 on Dec.11th?

Posing for our Christmas card.

Decorating the Christmas tree.

A playdate with her little friend Paige.

Celebrating the CNY

Walking in the AHA heart walk. Our team raised over $1000.

It is so hard that our first year with Abby Grace in our family is over. There were so many times during that year that I just stared at her and cried. I am so honored that God chose us to be her family and me to be her mommy. She is an amazing little girl whose smile lights up our lives everyday. Thank you Father for this wonderful gift you have bestowed upon us. We truly are blessed beyond words.

Prayer request!!!

2009-03-08T21:37:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember my dear friend Leslie who traveled to China last year to bring home her little one with a heart defect and cleft lip and palate. Through many countless prayers they made it home safely and her daughter, S. underwent OHS and has been doing great. Tomorrow is the beginning of the next chapter in S.'s life. Tomorrow she'll be having surgery to repair her cleft lip. If you feel led to pray for them tomorrow please do so and visit their blog www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com
in my list of blogs to offer support. I remember how nervous I was leading up to Abby Grace's surgery. Knowing that the little face I'd fallen in love with was about to be forever changed. Leslie is feeling the same way. You, the parent, accept your child (adopted or not) for whom they are on the inside. What is on the outside really does not matter. Please pray for them tomorrow. I'll update in the coming days to let you know how she is doing or just check her blog. Leslie is a much better manager of blogging time than I am :)

Boy meets trampoline......

2009-01-26T20:30:00.005-05:00

enough said.

We've been MIA

2009-01-26T19:24:00.006-05:00

Wow time sure has flown by in the past 6 weeks since my last post. Yes...6 weeks....I am such a slacker. I sat down to post numerous times but just got off track and never did update during the holiday season. Anyway, we celebrated Abby Grace's first Christmas with our family and this past weekend celebrated her first Chinese New Year in the US. She is just so amazing to watch. She takes everything in. She doesn't know a stranger. That could be a good or bad thing depending on the situation. She started speech with the school district after Christmas break and seems to be doing great. She loves going to see "Miss Kelly" at big school. She walks her out and meets Jacob at the end of school. Last week she said "Well hey there Miss Abby Grace." Abby Grace just lit up and went running to her. I think she is really enjoying that 30 minutes of 1:1 time twice a week.

She is really enjoying our new found tradition of S'mores on Friday nights. No, not every Friday night, just the one's when Daddy is home to help corral the crew:) She loves to sit with me and watch the fire and eat her chocolate minus the cracker and marshmallow. Just the chocolate, she's my kind of girl. She is still eating very well. Veggies and fruits are her favorites, but we are trying to get some meat in her too.

Her Ox Sats are doing great, holding in the low 80's. She is very active but still get's winded from time to time. I am thinking about enrolling her in some gynastics classes this spring. She just loves to tumble all over the floor.

Well that is about all of the time I have for an update now. Enjoy the pics:)

Yes it snowed and V had school. Actually Jacob had school too but he skipped.

<

CNY Party with the FCC group

Our little sweet-pea is 3!!!

2008-12-11T21:58:00.003-05:00

3 years ago (or so they say:) In the small town if PingLiang a woman gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. A little girl, not perfect in the eyes of man but perfect in the eyes of her God. 4 months later she abandoned that sweet little girl on the steps of PingLiang SWI. 2 years later to the day of her abandonment we brought that sweet little girl home to her forever family! Happy 3rd Birthday Abby Grace. We love you more than you will ever know and we feel so blessed to have you in our lives.

To her Chinese Mama...I think of you often and I thank you for making the best decision possible for our daughter. She has touched so many lives over the past 3 years. I pray that as you look up at the stars and wonder about your child you feel the hand of God touching you and giving you peace. Thank you for this wonderful little girl.

Catching up

2008-11-30T18:03:00.005-05:00

Wow, life gets so busy this time of year. This is the first chance I've had to update in weeks. We have had a lot going on...

The doctor is so pleased with how nice Abby Grace is healing. She once again has a precious little smile that just lights up the room. She is such a little trooper. She only occasionally cries when we have had to clean her nose area but mostly just grins and bears it. It is looking great. Don't you think?

Abby Grace's first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated twice. We spent Thursday at Nana's house and she chowed down on mac and cheese and some cherry ice-cream. Then on Saturday we went to Sean's sister's house and spent the day enjoying time with the kids. Once again mac and cheese was her favorite and she ate a lot of her Uncle Bob's delicious pot roast and rice. After dinner we spent a few hours playing rock band and she really enjoyed dancing and watching us grown ups act all silly.

Today we had a play date with a little friend from China. The girls had a great time getting to know one another. Paige is 14 months younger than AG and a lot smaller. She really reminds me of how small AG was when we first got her. They had a lot of fun playing in the floor together. Thanks Hope, we'll have to do it again real soon.

We are starting to prepare for Christmas. Mom and I spent 12 hours shopping on black Friday. We started the day and the infamous W*lmart and ended up back there for one more thing at the end of our marathon day. We found a few bargains but did a lot of just looking too. It is so fun to shop with my mom. She always finds the neatest little things. Sean was a trooper and had the kids all day long. He called a few times but really did not complain. I sure hope he likes the gifts we picked up for him. I cannot wait to celebrate Christmas this year with our family complete. I cannot wait to see Christmas through Abby Grace's eyes. I cannot believe that this time last year we did not have her in our arms yet. It just seems as though she has been ours forever.

How are WE going to make a difference in the world this Christmas season?

2008-11-16T13:33:00.001-05:00

We received the World Vision Christmas Gift Catalog in the mail this past week and had each one of our children choose a gift to give to someone in need in the world. I had to explain it a bit to Owen, he wanted to get the Walm*rt Christmas book out and send toys to kids:) But then we talked about it a bit and about sacrifice and need and then they decided on the following:
*Abby Grace is giving a sheep to someone in need cost $105
*Owen is giving a goat and 2 chickens to someone in need cost $100
*Jacob is giving a goat and 2 chickens to someone in need cost $100
*Victoria is giving 10 ducks to someone in need cost $60
Total cost $365.
A sacrifice of a quarter a day per child.
But believe me the cost was priceless when they realized what they were doing. In fact they wanted to buy more, like the dairy cow and the fish pond. Not this year, but that may be in our plans for next year.

If you'd like to find a gift to give someone in need you can log on to
www.worldvisiongifts.org

Watch this...

2008-11-16T13:29:00.001-05:00

...then reflect.
What can you do this Christmas season to make a difference in this world?

Hudson's MeeMaw needs your prayers

2008-11-11T17:26:00.005-05:00

AG's best pal Hudson's MeeMaw needs your prayers. This past week she was diagnosed with cancer and is currently at the Mayo clinic undergoing testing to see if treatment is an option. We had the privilege to get to know Judy and Doug in China. She is a wonderful woman whom we care a lot about. Please visit Sharon's blog for updates once they learn anything new. Also pray for Sharon and her family. Sharon is very close to her mom and it is very hard for her to be so far away from her at this time. S-If you read this know that we are continually praying for MeeMaw and for you.
www.teagues6.blogspot.com

PRAYER REQUEST and AG update

2008-11-11T16:25:00.003-05:00

Prayer Request:
There is a family from our agency in China right now that needs your prayers. Naomi and Jeff Cuzzo received their daughter Lydia yesterday only to find out that her medical problems were MUCH more than expected. They in turn had to give her back to China. So now they sit on the other side of the world, away from their family and friends desperately in need of prayer. Please visit their blog and offer them some words of encouragement as they await what lies ahead.
www.lydiahope.blogspot.com

A few months back the same thing happened to a single mother adopting from China and the CCAA offered her another child. If it is the Lord's will for Naomi and Jeff to receive another daughter from China then pray that his will be done.

AG Update:
Our post-op appointment went well. Actually we spent more time in the waiting room than we did with the doctor but in hos brief visit he said thing looked great. He did give us a new prescription for bactrob*n because there was still some redness on her lip area.
I asked him about the little nose job and he said he'd most likely do it when she is 4 and do her bone-graft for her jaw and palate when she is 7 or 8. We love her little nose just the way it is but he said it would be too flat to be a fully functioning nose.
Oh...she has developed the cutest little snore when she sleeps:) I'll try to get a video of it. It is so cute, but I already said that.
One more thing, our sweet girl has also developed quite a little attitude. We are praying it is just a phase from the recovery of surgery but who knows. That may be a little something she has in common with her big sister.

Smiles and laughter

2008-11-10T21:40:00.003-05:00

This was my welcome home today. My sweet girl smiling at me and signing I Love You. She just makes my heart melt. I am soooooo lucky to have been chosen by him to be her mother.

V and "Lizzie"

2008-11-09T16:49:00.003-05:00

She LOVES animals!! All types of animals:)

She's smiling and sucking!!!

2008-11-09T16:42:00.002-05:00

Well it has almost been a week since AG had her surgery and this weekend we got a great smile:) Of course I did not get a picture of it but I did get some great pics of our weekend "camping" in the backyard and making s'mores. She is also sucking coke form a straw and was so proud of herself when she did it the first time. I'll post more later this week after our post-op.

Before and After

2008-11-06T14:45:00.003-05:00

Miss AG as a butterfly on Halloween. She got to go trick-or-treating unlike 2 of her older siblings who were grounded for bad attitudes and fighting.

Surgery Day-11/4/08
We had to be @ MUSC at 6:30 AM so we headed down the night before and stayed at a friend of a friend's house on the battery. I felt sick so I managed to go to bed a bit early only to wake through the night with IT the tummy bug:) Lucky me.
Sean took AG to the hospital for her 6:30 check-in and I stayed behind and rested a bit until he returned to get me shortly after 8. We sat in the waiting area until a little after 11 and then they took us back to see her. We really though we had prepared ourselves but oh what a shock. Now remember we've already been through 2 surgeries in the last 7 months but this time it was so different, she looked SO different. Her little swollen face and her little bitty mouth. The big open smile was gone. I quietly cried as I held her mourning the loss of that face remembering how it looked. For over a year it had been the face I saw and kissed every day and her smile had been so big and bright it just filled the room. It was gone. She just looks so different, but different in a good way. I can't wait until those little lips are healed up enough for a smooch:)

2008-10-30T22:06:00.002-04:00

Thanks Les for tagging me. So I am supposed to list 7 random or weird facts about myself...that's hard because I really feel that I am just an average girl. Here goes...
1. I met my DH almost 18 years ago on a blind date. No dinner involved, just a date to see Kindergarten Cop. It is so funny now looking back at that night because years later he became and cop and I finished college and taught elementary school. We dated for 6 years before tying the knot. Here we are 18 years later happily married for 12 with 4 wonderful kids.
2. I love to eat cottage cheese and pringles mixed together. Well actually not mixed...I love to scoop up a big pile of cottage cheese and put it on the pringle then eat it. As a kid I used to roll cottage cheese up in bologna and eat it, yep sounds really yummy as an adult.
3. I hate going in the ocean. Maybe I watched too many Jaws movies growing up. I love to sit in the surf and just let the water wash over me. I'm not going out where I can't see what is swimming around me.
4. I have a terrible habit of picking up a large un-sweet tea and chicken biscuits from McD's almost every morning on the way to work. And here is the kicker I like it with grape jelly on it. It is the best $3.22 I spend a day.
5. I don't drink any alcohol at all. I had a brother killed by a drunk driver when I was 8 so in honor of him I just don't do it.
6. I love bugs!!! Yep, bugs. I loved science as a child and to this day I love watching bugs do their thing in their own environment of course. The kids and I spent many an afternoon last month feeding some huge silk spiders in our yard. They were so beautiful. The kids named them Charlotte and Scarlett, yea how original but the kids named them, I didn't. A few years back we had a Praying Mantis for a pet for a few weeks and we even caught crickets to feed her.
7. Like most women I hated my freckles growing up too. I used to spend so much time putting on cover-up to hide them, but today I embrace them. I don't wear much make-up at all. And I love the fact that 2 of my kids also have freckles for me to kiss just as my mom used to kiss mine.

So there you have it. & random facts about me. I told you I was just an average girl. So who am I going to tag...
*Sharon of course @ teagues6.blogspot.com
*Carla L @ lewterfamily4.blogspot.com
*Angie @ ourchinagirladoption.blogspot.com
*Pam @ the4sanzas.blogspot.com

Yep only 4 but everyone else I thought about has already been tagged:0)

Fall is finally here...

2008-10-25T18:35:00.003-04:00

at least it was for a few days this week. I love the fall but what I hate is the back and forth weeks of temperatures while fall decides if it is coming or not. It never fails the temps go down and up like a see-saw and then we get IT. Yep, we get sick. Right now the leaves are falling and the temp is in the low 70s. Earlier this week it was in the 50s and 60s and yesterday it rained all day long. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid to upper 70s. Then back down again as the week progresses. We all have some sort of cold thing including AG. Runny noses, chapped lips and all. Oh the joy of the changing seasons. V actually had to have a breathing treatment last night before her GS campover. I am so ready for fall to BE here and stay.

On a happier note... I took the monkeys to the pumpkin patch last weekend. We ended up with 5 little pumpkins and 4 rather large ones for less than $30. Pretty good, a lot better than getting the from Walm*rt. Plus the pumpkin patch was sponsored by a local church with all of he proceeds going to missions trips:) So here are a few pics.

11/4/08

2008-10-18T14:20:00.003-04:00

No, I am not posting a reminder to vote in the upcoming election:) But I am posting some exciting news...we have a surgery date! Yep, AG will have her lip surgery on Election day which means Sean and I get to vote early. He takes her in for her pre-op this Monday and they'll give him more deatils then. In the meantime I've got to take a lot more pictures of that sweet little face:) We're heading to the pumpkin patch this weekend so hopefully I'll get some cute shots then. I am so excited that she'll have her surgery completed before her 3rd birthday in December!!! Can anyone say studio photo session:)
We're planning a trip this December or January to visit a very special friend. I'll post more info when we get some more concrete plans. All I can say is that I am so excited and so looking forward to our little visit:)

Say Cheese!

2008-10-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

October 9th

2008-10-09T16:09:00.004-04:00

It has been a whole year since we first saw sweet Abby Grace's beautiful face. It was a normal day, a day like any other but I had a feeling that it was our turn. I went to work knowing that referrals had been received and some calls had already been made. But I knew in my heart and soul that our daughter was in this batch. We'd waited through 3 prior batches and I just knew his was our time. Now, usually I had my phone with me at work and checked it all of the time. This day just seemed different. I sat with my students all day long doing the normal things and not checking my phone as much. We watched a video about bears and I wrote a note to AG on the back of it. (Yes I know I am the teacher and I wasn't paying attention but I had seen the video before.) I had recess duty and out of the blue or boredom I wrote the word "Hope" on the back of my ID badge. The school day ended and I had car rider duty. I went to check my box after the last student was picked up and I had a message to call AWAA. I knew this was it! I called Sean and asked him if he wanted me to wait to call until he could make it to school, he told me to call immediately. I walked rather slowly not to mention shaking and already teary-eyed to the teacher's lounge and dialed the number. I'll never forget the words, "We have a file of a little girl almost 2 with a VSD and bi-lateral CL/CP we'd like to offer to you for review." Offer me, are you kidding?? I knew before making the call that this was our daughter, we had left it all in God's hands. We knew what ever child we were referred we'd take. He had already pre-destined her to be our and would give us the child he had already chosen. I got a bit more about her and struggled to write down as much as I could through sobby tears. My friend Beverly walked by and peeked into the lounge. She saw me crying and was afraid something was wrong. Through tears I told her about our daughter. She sat there with me while I got more info and then walked with me back to my room. Along the way several teachers asked if I was ok, OK??? I was great I had just found out we got a daughter!!! So there I waited for what seems like an eternity for a first glimpse of that sweet little face and for Sean to show up. Beverly left my room once Sean got there and together he and I opened the e-mail. We both cried as we studied every detail of her sweet little face and expressive eyes. My mom picked V up for me and brought her to school. She walked in and asked what I was doing and I said, "I'm looking at your sister!" She instantly got it and began to sob. She finally got to see her little sister, the little girl she had prayed so hard for. As I think back on that day I am so amazed that God chose us to be Liang Wan Jian's family. I remember being bummed when we did not get a call in the previous batches but now I know why. Abby Grace is perfect for our family. I cannot imagine any other child being our daughter.

She made it!!

2008-09-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

Irwin Update:
Susannah made it through surgery with flying colors. The doctors were able to repair her heart and her sats are get this...in the 90's!!! From 50something to 90something. She is no longer blue, she is pink!! Please visit their blog for full updates and some very encouraging posts from Leslie.

Thanks be to God for yet another miracle in this young child's life!

Praying for tomorrow

2008-09-29T20:33:00.002-04:00

Irwin Update:
Tomorrow is Susannah's heart surgery day. Leslie said the surgery is expected to last 12+hours. Please pray for them throughout the day tomorrow and in the days ahead. AG had her surgery and it lasted only half of that time, of course she only had the first procedure done and Susannah is having them both done.
Leslie got a kiss today! Susannah is taking small steps towards bonding with her mommy. It is amazing to think that this time last week doctors will still unsure if she'd even survive the flight home.

AG continues to do well. She is once again eating everything she can get in her mouth. We still are not allowing her to eat hard things like chips etc...but she seems to be just happy to be able to eat again. She is back on her pasts kick, had if for lunch and dinner yesterday and dinner again tonight. Yummy...she should have been an Italian baby:)

The tummy bug hit our house this weekend. Jacob and I Friday and Sean yesterday and today. I am praying that nobody else gets it, I cannot imagine how Ag would react if she got it. Poor thing really would not be able to tell me if she felt sick or anything.

Not a whole lot happening around here at the moment. We have AG's post op next week and then we'll get her lip surgery scheduled. So, until that happens there really won't be a lot to post about. I will however keep posting an updating about Leslie and Susannah so please keep them in your prayers.

She is home!

2008-09-24T19:34:00.002-04:00

After 24+ hours of travel Leslie, Charlie and Susannah made it safely home. Leslie said Susannah did well on the flights and will be seeing the cardiologist ASAP. Please keep them in your prayers and visit their blog for updates on this miracle child.

Meet Susannah Irwin

2008-09-21T14:05:00.001-04:00

Here she is! Miss Susannah Irwin, out of the hospital and one step closer to coming home.

Meet the Irwins!

2008-09-21T13:54:00.003-04:00

Prayers have been answered and she will be coming home soon!

When Leslie and Charlie met Susannah last week it was uncertain if she would make it. Through the miracle of 1000s of prayers we know she WILL make it. She was discharged from the hospital and took her first plane trip to Guangzhou, she did wonderfully. The plan is for them to leave China a bit early so that Susannah can get home and get to Vandy ASAP. The weeks ahead will include surgery and hospitilization for her but she will be able to receive the best care available.

I am so thankful to God for answering the countless prayers for this sweet child and for giving her the opportuinty to feel the true unconditional love of a family.

PRAY, PRAY PRAY!

2008-09-16T18:35:00.003-04:00

Leslie and Charlie made it safely to China and had some wonderful time sightseeing and taking in the culture of Susannah's birth country. They finally got the opportunity to meet their sweet girl but it was not as they had planned. Susannah has fallen very ill and is hospitalized at this time. For complete details please visit her blog. Leslie and Charlie were able to visit with her at the hospital but due to China's strict government they have been unable to legally complete her adoption. They are hoping to have her discharged from the hospital and have her pictures taken which would be one step in having her adoption complete. The government still has custody of her until the paperwork is complete. These are a few things we need to be praying about:
* Pray for Susannah's health. May her heart be strong enough!
* Pray for the paperwork to be expedited so that Susannah can come home quickly and get the medical attention she needs.
* Pray for the Chinese officials- May they understand just how much this child is loved. May they grant the needed documents so that Susannah can become Leslie and Charlie's legal daughter so that they may bring her home.
* Pray for flights to be available on a moments notice so that Susannah can get home and get the necessary surgery at Vandy.
* Pray for Leslie- She is quite a woman of faith, she has not once said "Why me?" how many of us could say that in her situation.
* Pray for Charlie- He is Susannah's father and I know he is hurting too.
* Pray for their boys- O don;t know how much of what is going on they truly understand. And even though they have not met Susannah yet they love her very much.

Please visit Susannah's site and leave some encouraging words for Leslie and Charlie!

5 MONTHS!

2008-09-12T20:40:00.003-04:00

Our first picture with Abby Grace.
Our pre-surgery picture with Abby Grace.
Wow it has been 5 months since we landed in the good ol' USA with sweet Abby Grace. 5 months! Sometimes it seems like we've had her forever in our family, and yet other times it seems like just yesterday we met her. I am just so blessed to be given the opportunity to be her mother:)
She has grown so much in the past 5 months. She finally grew our of her 18 months and most of her 24 months cloths. Her shoe size has gone up a half size and her appetite is getting pickier. Yes, our little one who would eat just about anything has learned to be a picky eater from her big sis and brothers. She can't really be picky at this particular point because all she can eat for the next week and a half is liquids. Today she managed to each 3 things of yogurt, drink some milk and a milkshake. Tonight I blended up a can of chicken-noodle soup and she ate a little bit of it. I feel so bad about eating I won't do it around her. This morning I snuck a few little donuts in while Owen occupied her with the Lego's. I even let him eat in his room so she wouldn't see him eating. I cannot wait until this liquid diet thing is over. But then again, we've got to do it again when her lip is repaired next month.
Back to the reason for the post. She just amazes us! She does not know a stranger, she waves and greets everyone. The man at Lowe's, the mailman, people walking their dogs by our house, she says hey to them all. She loves to dance and tries to sing along to familiar songs. Wow...I can't get over how much she has developed in the last 5 months. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for our sweet little one. She truly is a blessing!

Surgery and Abby Grace

2008-09-11T21:09:00.005-04:00

OK...so CL/CP surgery #1 is over but not completed as planned. Last month when Sean met with our doctor he stated he was going to do AG's lip and palate in the same surgery. So I've spent the last month crying and mourning the loss of her sweet little smile. Fast forward to Tuesday around 11:15 am. We're sitting in the pre-op room and AG, Sean and I are in the play area passing the time. In walks our doctor. He greets us with the usual hello and then says, "So tell me what are we doing today?" What??? You're the doctor and your asking me what we're doing today! I then said CL/CP. He gives us an odd look and then tells AG to open her mouth. (Sidenote: I did not go to the pre-op with Sean but I would have thought at that appointment he would have really taken a good close look at her mouth, wouldn't you?) Anyway, he then says, "Hummm.... We'll have to see about the lip once we get in there to do the palate. It looks like it might be a little more complicated than I thought." I about fell off of the little chair I was sitting in. He then walked off to do the doctor thing. We both looked at one another dumbfounded. Why would he tell us one thing then tell us another?
At 12:05 she was wheeled back in the little red wagon, happy on the drug concoction they gave her to settle her nerves. Sean and I grabbed a quick bite in the cafeteria and then headed up to the waiting room. So there we sat playing games on our phones, checking e-mail on our phones and making a few phone calls. A little after 3 out walks our doctor. He happily walked over and told us that her palate is closed:) But her lip would have to wait until next time. He said her palate was more than he thought it would be. Was I upset, in a way. I hate the thought of her having to endure surgery again in October, but God had blessed me with that adorable little smile for a bit longer. Maybe he knew that I was not ready, maybe he decided that I needed more time. Maybe he realized that she missed her school pictures on Tuesday and that they are having make-ups tomorrow:) Whatever the reason we now have 6-8 more weeks of that sweet smile...oh how we love that smile.

Leslie update:
Leslie and Charlie left this morning to get Susannah. I did not have a chance to talk with her yesterday because I did not have our laptop at the hospital. I did read her post from yesterday on her blog and according to an update she received on Susannah things are not looking good. Susannah has a complex heart condition and they are not even sure she will be able to survive flying home. They have gotten an oxygen request approved from the airline so that is a plus. Please lift them up in prayer throughout their journey. The Lord works miracles everyday and I know he can work a miracle and allow Susannah to come home to Tennessee to be with her family. Please visit their blog and offer support to Leslie and Charlie. I know they would love to know how even complete strangers are praying for them.
www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com

Changes!

2008-09-07T21:10:00.002-04:00

Well the time has come for a sobby post. In a few short days the face we have grown to love will be forever changed. I have cried and cried as I have thought of this finally happening. Her face is so perfect in our eyes and in the eyes of her maker. My heart is just aching for the pain she will endure after her surgery. I have been busy getting tips from BTDT parents on what to feed her after surgery and how to care for her mouth. I had planned on only taking off the day of surgery and the 2 days following. Today I made the decision to take off Friday as well to really give her some time with me as she recovers. Not that Dads and Nanas aren't good caretakers, but mothers are always better. Please lift Abby Grace and her team of physicians up in prayer this Tuesday. Pray for her little body to heal quickly, pray for her spirit to be as bubbly then as it is now. Pray for the physicians hands, that they be steady and skilled in what they do. Pray for our family as we care for Abby Grace after surgery. For patience and gentleness.

:) Update
Leslie will be leaving this Thursday to get Susannah or "Zanna" as Abby Grace says. She has waited a very long time to bring Susannah home. Please lift them up in prayer as well. They are leaving their 2 boys home with grandparents. Pray for safety for the entire family and pray for the grandparents caring for the boys. Susannah as you know has a complex heart condition and CL/CP. I know the fear Leslie is experiencing at this time. Please pray for peace in her heart. Let her trip to China to get Susannah be one filled with only times of joy and happiness.
Please follow her on her journey by visiting her blog. And if you have time to leave her a little encouraging message that would be great. It was so great to know that we were being prayed for when we were in China:)

Finally!

2008-08-29T20:42:00.003-04:00

We finally have a surgery date! September 9th. A bit nervous would be an understatement of how I am feeling. I am so mixed up inside with the whole idea of changing my beautiful daughter's face. She has them most amazing smile, the cutest little nose and the sweetest little voice. Both will be changed on September 9th. I know that this surgery is medically necessary but changing her beautiful face just makes me so sad. I have talked with many other adoptive parents who have felt the same way, so I know this is a normal feeling. I do need to do one thing before surgery. I need to make an appointment at Sears or Wal-mart and have some pictures taken of our sweet girl. Hopefully she won't hate me when she is older but I need these pictures so that I can capture the sweet little face that we have fallen so in love with.
On another note, Abby Grace started pre-school this week. She loves it. She is having a great time and has won the hearts of everyone. She will be in school next week but will be out for several weeks after surgery. We are so blessed to have her at a Christian day school where she is learning about her Lord and savior. They have agreed to hold her slot until her return and not charge us for the time out. That is great because we'll be paying our sitter to watch her at home while she recovers.

Other kiddo updates:
V just entered the 5th grade and is playing JV tennis for her school team. She is having a great time. She'll be 10 in just a few weeks. I still can't believe that we are about to have a kid in the double digits!
Jacob just turned 7 and started public school this year. He has an awesome teacher. He really seems to be enjoying school and being able to eat in the cafeteria. He taught himself how to swim last month and even flips off of the diving board. He has become quite a little fish.
Owen moved up to the almost 4 year old class at pre-school this year. He, of course, has quickly made new friends and is having a great time. Sean and I were talking the other night about how well mannered he is. I sure hope AG picks up on manners too.

Leslie update:
My friend Leslie, whom I mentioned many posts ago, will be leaving in 2 weeks to bring her daughter Susannah home. I cannot believe the time has finally arrived. She has been waiting so long for her TA. If you would like to follow her journey click on Susannah on the left of my blog.

Prayer request:
A fellow AWAA family who returned home this summer with their daughter suffered her tragic loss this week. Their daughter Anna also had a heart defect and was actually in for a heart cath when she coded. Doctors worked on her and stabilized her but things did not improve. She went to her heavenly home Wednesday evening. Please pray for the Gooden family from Tennessee. You can find a link to their blog on Leslie's blog.

Home 3 months...where has the time gone?

2008-07-11T21:56:00.004-04:00

It is so hard to believe that we have been home for 3 months today. This time 3 months ago we were sitting on a runway in Chicago about to begin the last leg of our journey to Abby Grace. It is amazing how much she has changed from the small little girl we met in China. She is amazingly intelligent and such a joy to be around. She is really coming into her own. She says no when she doesn't want to do something and then cries the biggest crocodile tears when you make her do it. She loves to give hugs, kisses and high 5s. She is such a great kid. Today she was doing somersaults in the living room with Owen and would clap when we said yeah. Just the cutest little thing. Tonight at dinner when we said grace she folded her little hands and closed her little eyes and tried to sing along, it was so cute:) We had a blast at Mrs. Martha's pool on the 4th of July and she loved riding the jet ski at the lake on the 5th. She was not supposed to get her head in the water because of her tubes but that did happen a few times. I need to see about swimming lessons for her and Owen this winter. Neither one of them is afraid of water. We'll really have to watch them closely at the new house.

We went to MUSC and got fitted for her appliance this past Thursday. They have not cemented it in yet but will this Thursday. They sent it home with us and told us to let her get used to it being in her mouth. Yeah right:) She hates it of course. We've tried making it a game and she manages to leave it in for about 20 seconds and then spits it out. I guess when they stick it in with fixadent next week she'll just have to learn to deal with it. I was a bit concerned when we left the doctor. She had told us earlier that Abby Grace is the oldest child they have tried this NAM procedure on. It is usually performed on infants while their bones are still soft enough to mold. She said she'll know in about 3 weeks if it is even going to work. If not they'll just do surgery the way her lip and palate are now. That came as a bit of a surprise. Why are we even putting her through all of this if there is a high chance that it won't work? I don't know, it was almost as if the doctor really did not want to do it at all. Maybe I was reading her wrong but that was my interpretation. I'll let you know how it is going later.

PRAYER REQUEST:
A few weeks back I posted a prayer request for a friend here is an update. My friend Leslie and her husband are adopting a little girl 2 months older that AG. She has a cleft lip and palate and a heart condition that is complex. They are currently awaiting their RA, the document in which China OKs you to adopt a particular child. Well this past week they received an update with some scary info. Susannah was taken to a hospital in China for heart surgery! This was a big shock and there was not a lot of info available to Leslie and her family. Our agency thinks the surgery was already scheduled before they sent their LOI so they were just proceeding as planned. Our agency does not know if this surgery was an emergency or not. But no matter why the surgery is being done now it is just important for us all to pray for them. Pray for Leslie and Charlie as they await info on Susannah. Pray for their paperwork in China to get approved and their RA to be processed quickly. Pray for the team of physicians who are caring for Susannah right now. Pray for Leslie's heart that she feel peace knowing that God is taking care of all of Susannah's needs. If you would like to offer them prayers of support you can visit their sight at www.youbelong.net/theirwins

Lazy Summer Days and Ice cream

2008-06-25T14:36:00.003-04:00

Boy are we having a lazy summer. V, J and O have been attending day camp at the YMCA every other week. They seem to be having fun but hate the early morning wake-up to get there on time. If only camp started at noon:) On the weeks they don't go to camp they are rarely out of the bed before 9 and V usually sleep in til 10 or later. I remember those days. Staying up late and sleeping in late. Oh the memories:)

Abby Grace is doing fantastic. She had her tubes put in her ears two weeks ago and has had no problems at all. We head back to MUSC for her appliance on the 10th of July and then the wait begins for surgery. Depending on how long it takes for her mouth to mold surgery could be anytime after August. I pray for quick but painless movement. I know the appliance will take a lot of getting used to. Kind of like having braces in a way. The days of adjustment will be the hardest. Lots if soft food and ice-cream. Speaking of ice-cream...the ice-cream truck is back. Abby hears the music and her face lights up, V has taught her so well. She loved her push-up and the bath that follows.

It is so hard to remember life with out this little miracle. Everyday she brings enormous joy to our lives. She has changed so much in the last 2 and a half months. She knows we are her family and she knows that we all love her dearly. She and O have a thing they do every night. I tell her it is time for night night and we go around the house kissing and hugging everyone. Then we go to her room where she turns off the light, winds up her music box and then I put her in her crib. Then every night she yells for Owen to give her kisses. She yells his name until he comes in. Then he climbs up on the chest at the foot of her crib and repeatedly kisses her. She keeps going back for kisses with her cute little puckered grin until I shoo him out of the room. It is so sweet. He loves her so much and always calls her Abbigail, not Abby or Abby Grace. He is such a good brother.

I have a prayer request I'd like to share with you all. Another family in our agency, whom I will not name until I have her permission, has accepted a referral for a daughter with a heart defect similar to Abby Grace's only a bit more severe. Right now they are awaiting their approval and hope to travel this fall to bring their daughter home. They will have to take oxygen with them on the plane for their journey home to ensure their daughters safety. Please pray for them as they wait to bring their daughter home, pray for their peace and pray for their daughter's health as she awaits their arrival. As a mother I know what this woman is feeling. I know how she longs to be able to hold her daughter. I know how she worries about her daughters health. Again, please pray for her and her family.

2008-05-30T11:14:00.001-04:00

No Orphans of God

2008-05-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

I found this amazing video on another blog and just had to share it. God used Sean and I in a way we never even imagined when he placed adoption in our hearts. Many people have told me how they would love to adopt but aren't sure they could do it. We had those same thoughts when we started this process but when the Lord tells you what to do you do it and just rest knowing that he will see it through.

Wow

2008-05-28T14:00:00.005-04:00

Wow, It is hard to believe that in 2 short days we will have Abby Grace in our family for 2 whole months. The time has flown by so quickly. It feels like we have had her forever. As I think back over the last 2 months I am amazed at how well she has adjusted. Going in to this adoption I was so scared that she'd not bond well with us or that she would miss her past. No problems there, she fits in perfectly with our family. She loves her brothers and sister and adores her daddy. She likes to place her hand in Nana's hand but still does not want Nana to pick her up. The other night she even gave her Papa a kiss. It melted my heart. He was the only person in our family who was unsure about the adoption thing. I knew once he met her she'd melt his heart and she has.

We got a wonderful surprise for Mother's Day, yes I know that was several weeks ago but I have not had time to post about it yet. Anyway, my sister Elizabeth flew in from Toronto to spend the weekend with us. She had originally planned on coming down to surprise us when we got back from China but things did not work out. So she decided that she'd give up Mother's Day with her own 2 kids to spend it with us. I had no idea she was coming but it was a great surprise. Abby Grace liked her a lot as did the rest of the kids. Owen wanted to know why she did not bring Mary Ruth and Duncan with her but he loved spending time with her uninterrupted. It was great to see her and to introduce Abby Grace to her special aunt.

We have a few appointments scheduled in the next few weeks. Abby grace is having a hearing test this Thursday just to make sure everything is working in that area. Then she has another follow-up with her cardiologist. He was very impressed with how well she was doing at her last appointment. In fact she has gained a pound since her surgery! We met with the cleft team at MUSC and they are making a mouthpiece for her to wear for a few months before they will perform her surgery. The piece is designed to move her bones to the proper position to give her the best results from the surgery. That means instead of surgery getting done this summer like we had hoped it will be done this fall. She'll have to wear the piece all of the time, I'm sure she'll like that. The doctors actually said it will help with her speech because it fits into the space and gives her a fake palate. Speaking of speech, she is jibber-jabbering a lot.

Round and round

2008-05-04T14:21:00.008-04:00

YUM!!Japanese food

Jacob getting ready for base-ball.
Pushing my baby in her stroller

Abby Grace having Chop-Suey for breakfast...yummy!
V and Emma ready for the Young Miss General pageant.

V's program: From Acorns to Oaks.

It is so amazing how busy life gets just from adding one more to the bunch. Seems like I am always doing laundry or on the go. I feel as though I am on a merry-go-round. Once I think I'm done something new begins. I guess that explains why I haven't posted in a week and a half.

Abby is doing great. She has turned out to be quite a little spit-fire. She loves to get her way and will cry if she hears the word no. She has thrown a few fits, not as many as her big brother Jacob but still quite a few. She spent two evenings at home with the boys and Sean while V and I went to her class musical on Tuesday night and the school pageant on Friday night. Both nights she did great. Sean occupied her by playing outside and feeding her. He even got her in the tub one night. She is finally loving her daddy and warming up to the boys.

We went to church this morning and she did pretty good. We had to go to the atrium for the last 15 minutes or so but she lasted 45 minutes in the service. She met a lot of church members today who had been praying for her surgery and recovery. It was no nice and comforting to hear them say "I've been praying for her, how is she doing?" I know that prayer got us over this hurdle.

**Abbyisms**
*She still loves to eat noodles.
*She loves pushing her baby in her stroller all over the house and down the road.
*She likes a bath now, but only wants a few toys in the tub with her.
*She says no a lot.
*She says uh-oh a lot too.
*She loves her big sister.
*She loves to eat cole-slaw. (go figure, I hate cole-slaw)
*She likes to eat her cheerios dry but likes to eats her sisters with milk.
*She loves watermelon and apples.
*She can put on her own pants and shoes.
*She likes the music at church but does not like it when I sing along to it.
*She is a southern girl who likes her iced-tea and Pepsi.
*She likes to cook and stir with her play food and dishes.
*She sleeps like a log, all night...yippee!

She is a perfect fit for our family. Thank you Lord for giving us this wonderful child.

We're Home!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-24T21:18:00.002-04:00

Yep you read that right, we're home. The doctors are still amazed at our little blessing and at her ability to recover so quickly. They took her last chest tube out yesterday afternoon and sent us home last night. Abby had a great nights sleep, in our bed of course, and was back to her sweet little self today. I am just amazed at her ability to recover and rebound. We are truly blessed beyond words with this special gift from above.

Thank you all for your prayers and offers of support. We feel that by prayer and God guided hands Abby Grace was able to make a quick recovery. She'll have another surgery when she is a bit older and 13 pounds heavier. Until then she should have no complications or limitations. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. A big thanks to the pediatric cardiology team at MUSC, you guys are miracle workers here on earth. We'll never forget what you have done for Abby Grace.

A quick update:)

2008-04-22T13:34:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update. Abby Grace continues to amaze us. She had one chest tude removed yesterday. The other tube will be removed once her drainage decreases. She has been eating well and visited the playroom once again. She loves to play with the kitchen in the playroom and loves to stir the food. I wonder if she watched her nannies prepare food in the orphanage.

The doctors feel that we may be going home as early as Thursday or Friday. They just have to be sure that she is stable enough and that we feel comfortable handeling things. Besides the chest tube you'd never know she had open heart surgery just a few days ago.

Thanks you all so much for your prayers and offers of support. God is an awsome God and he is working miracles everyday in this sweet girls life.

The Power of Prayer

2008-04-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

We are so thankful for all of the prayers being sent up on Abby Grace's behalf. She went through surgery very well. There were no unexpected findings and Dr Bradley was able to complete the surgery just as he planned. He said she was a great case. Last night Abby Grace was weaned off of her ventilator and was awake at brief times and responding this morning. She is on some pain medication and lasex (sp?) for now. The doctors say she may be moved to a 7C later today which would be great. She managed to pull all of the tape off of her IV site so the nurse had to wrap her hand up like a boxing glove. he is such a curious little thing. Dr Bradley came in and spoke with us a few hours ago and said she may, depending on how she is over the next few days, get to go home late next week. I am amazed at her ability to spring back. She is so resilliant and so strong. I know God chose Abby Grace to be our daughter and he placed her where she needed to be.
We know we have a long road ahead of us but we also know that God guides our days. He has been navigating Abby Grace's life perfectly since the moment she was conceived in her mother's womb.

We wish to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. Please continue to pray for Abby Grace. Please also pray for this hospital and the wonderful team of physicians and nurses who work here. I'll update periodically to let you all know how Abby Grace is doing. Again, thanks for your prayers and may God richly bless your life.

Update & Prayer Request

2008-04-18T13:17:00.004-04:00

We have had an eventful first week home. Abby Grace has settled nicely into her role as the princess and the boys are loving her to death. We went to our pediatrician, Dr Buschor, on Monday and she was very surprised at how well AG was doing. Still a bit small on the US chart but doing well. We went to our cardiologist, Dr Shuler, on Tuesday and he too was surprised but concerned when he listened to her chest and did a echo of her heart. He referred us to MUSC and Dr Bradley. We spent a normal day at home and Wednesday trying to get on a good schedule. On Thursday we had an appointment scheduled at MUSC for a heart cath and sedated echo. After a long wait the doctors told us the extent of AG's heart condition. She has 2 holes in her heart. One small, that leads to a very small right ventricle and one large between the two chambers of her left side. The small hole we knew about but the larger one surprised us. The doctor, Dr Bradley, stated that we would need to have corrective surgery. OK...so initially we were told within a few weeks. Then as AG began to come out of sedation her oxygen level dropped and they decided that the surgery needed to be performed today. So now we are at MUSC in Charleston and Abby Grace just went back for surgery. Surgery is supposed to last anywhere from 3-6 hours.

The next step, once surgery is complete AG will go to PICU for 48 hours. Once she wakes up and they evaluate her condition she will be moved to a regular room for the duration of our stay. (10-14 days)

Not exactly the first week home we though we'd have but we know it was orchestrated by God to work out this way. He chose Abby Grace to be our daughter and he chose this to be the time to fix her little heart. Please pray for Abby Grace and for the team of physicians and nurses working to fix her heart. Please pray for V, Jacob and Owen. I know they are very scared and somewhat lost. They knew we were going to the doctor but had no idea that the doctors would have to fix their little sisters heart. Please pray for my parents, they have been very supportive and helpful throughout this entire process.

We're finally home!!!

2008-04-12T10:07:00.002-04:00

After a long day of flying and a 50 minute delay in Chicago we are finally back home in SC. Abby Grace did great on the flights, she slept most of the time and I didn't even have to give her any Benedryl. She finally met her big brothers last night and was a little shy, but this morning they all played together nicely in her room. She has already been outside with V to pick some flowers, aka weeds. What a blessing it is to see her finally home with her forever family.

* To my gabby girls you have made this journey so amazing. It was wonderful to finally meet you all and see you all united with your children. Sorry for the no-goodbye in Chicago. I was being a bit rushed to our gate only to sit after the delay. But don't worry I know we'll all meet again soon, we've got to plan a reunion sometime next year.

Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift of adoption. You have given us something indescribable in this little girl. May she grow and bring honor and glory to your name.

What an amazing journey it has been

2008-04-10T07:28:00.005-04:00

Wow...in just a few short hours our time in China will be over and Abby Grace's new life in America will begin. It has been an amazing journey. Abby Grace has gone from a frightened introverted little girl to a giggly, smiling and silly little girl. She has really blossomed this week. She has learned to trust us and love us, and learned to ride in her stroller. She is still a bit clingy at times so I know some part of her is still grieving the loss of her home. She has brought us such great joy, I cannot wait to see how much more she blossoms once we are at home and once she meets the rest of her family. V is anxious to see her reaction to Max the dog, I hope she is not too frightened of him.

We are set to leave Beijing tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 (4:30 AM SC time) and arrive in SC at 9:12 PM on Friday night via a brief layover in Chicago. In Chicago Abby Grace will become a US citizen. We went to the swearing in ceremony at the US consulate today and they handed us the famous "Brown Envelope" which we will give to immigration in Chicago. A Chinese citizen today...a US citizen tomorrow!! Please pray for our flights tomorrow, no delays, happy or sleeping children and for the dads some roomy seating. Abby Grace is still unsure of Sean so I imagine that the majority of her trip will be in my lap.

For those of you who know us well, our last dinner in China...Pizza Hut:)

We not only received a daughter on this trip, we also made many new friends. To all of you, thanks for being on this journey with us. We hope to keep in touch and see how your families are doing in the years to come.

Can't wait to post from SC!!!

Still Here

2008-04-08T09:26:00.005-04:00

I know...I know... I took a break from blogging to enjoy time in China and time with Abby Grace. She has really blossomed in the last few days. She talks a bit, although we really have no idea what she is saying. She has used the potty twice and is no longer screaming during her bath time. She is still eating everything and anything we give her. She is exactly the child we prayed for.

What have we been up to?? We had the famous medical examination yesterday. That was not as bad as I have heard of it being. Luckily our agency appointment was right after lunch so it was not very crowded. Abby grace did great, just a few tears. There were several stations: ENT- this was a joke, the guy looked at her eyes and in her mouth then used a squeaky duck and a bell the check her hearing. I loved the weight and measurement station- Abby Grace is 24.5 lbs and 31 inches tall. The medical and surgical station was interesting- I don't know if the doctor (?) was surprised that we were adopting a CL/CP, VSD child but he made sure that I was aware of her special needs. I was kind of like "Yes I know, you don't have to point it out." He made a copy of her heart scan and attached it to her consulate paperwork.

Today we went to the largest flower garden in China. It was very nice but the humidity was awful. We all cooled off with some ice-cream, which Abby Grace loved. I can't wait to introduce her to Marble Slab. The garden was very beautiful.
We walked around for a while and then fed the goldfish in the pond. We had a nice time.

What a sweetheart!!

2008-04-04T00:18:00.002-04:00

Abby Grace is coming out of her shell a little more everyday. On Thursday Sean actually held her while she slept as we toured the museum. Once she woke up she allowed him to hold her a bit longer. She also gave V lots of kisses today. I am waiting for the moment when she'll give kisses to her "Baba". She is talking a bot more, no real words just babble to us. She and Hudson seem to talk to one another a bit. They both say something like "here" when they share things. She also makes sounds for up and down and points at things she wants. She has been sleeping in bed with me at night although she is currently napping in her crib. This morning she ate another bowl of noodles at breakfast. She loves them, along with anything else you give her. I was talking to one parent this morning who said he was surprised that she would eat them. He had heard that there was not alot of "food" at the orphanage, mostly formula and congee. Well this girl is not eating congee or drinking formula. she wants food. Last night we ordered pizza and she downed a whole piece all be herself, again. I can already tell she is putting some weight on. Hopefully she'll grow in to some of the warm weather stuff I already have for her. Again, she is just much smaller than I thougt she'd be.

Please continue to pray for Abby Grace and for all of us. Also, Andrew went to the doctor last night and he has strep throat. Not fun:( Poor little guy. Please pray for his recovery back to his happy little self again and also for his parents.

GanSu Provincial Museum

2008-04-04T00:08:00.003-04:00

We spent 2 hours yesterday venturing through the GanSu Provincial Museum and saw and learned some interesting things. We walked the Silk Road and learned about the history of the people who live in this region. Most of the people were Buddhist so that was a large part of the museum. We also saw artifacts made from copper from long ago. Also there were some large dinosaurs skeletons unearthed in this region. It was an interesting but long tour. One thing very interesting is the Flying Horse. It is a symbol of the province. Not sure about the history of it I'll have to google it and write about it for Abby Grace's Life book.

Ever rode a camel before?

2008-04-02T09:43:00.002-04:00

*Abby Grace in her new stroller
*A house just off of one of the paths in the zoo.
*The Chinese National Treasure: The Panda
*V on a camel!!!

Lanzhou Happenings

2008-04-02T09:05:00.002-04:00

Abby Grace is doing wonderful. She is such a happy little girl. She hasn't been talking a lot but her eyes express so much. When we are out places and she sees something that excites her eyes light up and she says "ooya" which according to our guide is "wow". She sees buses and cars and gets all excited. Today we went to a park and watched kite flying and she was so amazed and kept pointing to the kites in the sky. She has been eating everything, she has an appetite like I have never seen. Last night our group went for pizza, yes I know we are in China, not Italy but we are all getting a little tired of real Chinese food. Anyway, she loved it, she ate a whole big piece all by herself and then ate more once we got back to the room. This morning she ate a whole fried egg and a big bowl of noodles for breakfast. I'm guessing that in the orphanage they limited their food so she is eating just to eat. This is something I've heard about from other adoptive parents also and they have all said the children adjust once they get home. She finally drank from a sippy cup today. The last two days I've been giving her milk and juice using a medicine dropper, but today she finally figured it out. She also walked around more today holding my hand as opposed to wanting to be carried everywhere. Yesterday the dads finally broke down and bought strollers prior to our trip to the zoo. She loved riding in it. It was very hilly and there were lots of step ups so I cannot imagine carrying her throughout the zoo. A little note about the zoo...it is very old and outdated. The animals are kept in very sad condition, except of course for the Panda who had a great enclosure. Most of the cages were concrete floors and iron bars. It was very depressing. One funny thing we found is that they keep house cats in the enclosures with the large birds to eat the mice. It was very odd to see the cats lying around in the enclosures meowing.

We are having some issues with attachment. I am the only one who she will let hold her. Last night Sean was able to feed her some milk before bedtime and I snuck off of the bed. She cried for a while wen she noticed I was gone and he eventually got her to sleep. Well today she wanted noting to do with him or V for the most part. She looks and them and smiles sometimes but she will not let them hold her. Sometimes she dosn't even want them to touch her. We've got to work on that. I think V is getting her feelings hurt. Please pray for her attachment and trust in them to improve.

Prayer Request:
Andrew is not feeling well. He is usually a little clown and always smiling. Today he was not himself and this evening when Lisa and Kevin checked his temp he was 102+. They have started giving him some tylenol/motrin and amoxicillan. Please pray for his healing. It is so hard as a new parent to know your child is sick and be so far from home and your own doctors.

We've got Abby Grace

2008-03-31T02:16:00.003-04:00

GOTCHA DAY RECAP:
Last night the moment we have been waiting so long for finally happened, Abbby Grace Liang Mitchell was finally placed in our arms. After a not so long flight from Beijing we took an hour ride to the city of Lanzhou, the capital of GanSu province. We had about 30 minutes from the time we got to the hotel until the time we met Abby Grace. We immediately spotted her from across the room. The director told V to come sit by them, which she happily did. They touched hands and I lost it. Finally my 2 girls were together. We signed some paperwork and showed our passports to Mrs. Yang and then she was passed on to me. She screamed!!! She was not a very happy little girl at all. She was also much smaller than we had been told. We said goodbye to her nanny and V and I took her back to our room while Sean worked on some more paperwork. V and I undressed her from her 3 layers of clothing and she eventually settled down after I gave her some water to drink. I tried a sippy cup and a bottle but ended up pouring it into her mouth from a water bottle. She was so small once we undressed her. Her coat she had on was a 9-12 months and her outer shirt was a 18 months. Luckily I packed 2 18 months outfits but I may have to buy a few things to make it through until we get home. She ended up falling asleep around 10 PM and slept pretty good until 6:30 AM.

TODAY:
Today Abby Grace woke up a different little girl. She has been so happy all day even smiling and giggling. She and Hudson are so cute together. While we were at the civil affairs office, along with about 25 other families, they played happily together. The director of the SWI told us that their cribs were right next to one another and they were always together. She gave us a book with lots of pictures of her and in most of them she is with Hudson. They have such a tight bond. They will share things with one another but not with any other children. Hudson even put puffs in Abby race's mouth for her. It was so sweet. Luckily we'll be with the Teagues until Chicago.
Abby Grace has really warned up to both Sean and I. She like V but is a little leary of her sometimes. I am sure as she grown more comfortable with us she'll grow closer to V. It is so wonderful to see the two of them together!!!

Pictures:
I am attaching a few so enjoy!! I'll post more later.

We made it!!!

2008-03-29T08:30:00.002-04:00

Ok...to make a long story short after leaving SC on Thur 3/27 @ 12:10, we finally arrived in Beijing on Saturday morning 3/29 @ 5:00 AM. It was a long trip but the Lord finally delivered us safely. We did a lot of touring today including a visit to the Great Wall where it had snowed the day before. Yes, snowed. It was freezing cold but very interesting. I'll post again when I can. We meet Abby Grace tomorrow evening!!!

Another Delay

2008-03-28T00:18:00.002-04:00

The Mitchell's, Jennifer, Sean and Victoria were taken to the Columbia, SC airport this morning at 7:30, two hours prior to departure time as required by Airport and Homeland Security. At 11:30 Jennifer called to say they were still in Columbia, their 9:30 flight had been cancelled because of the American Airlines problems in Chicago. They were being rerouted and were about to board a flight to Dulles (Wash DC), from there to LA, connecting with a flight which would get them to Beijing early Saturday morning instead of Friday night. She said she would call or email at the first available opportunity. At midnight here in SC we have still not had any contact, so we can only assume things are going according to the new schedule. Their two little boys are sleeping peacefully, her Dad is getting ready for bed and I am sending this message on for her. Please remember them in your prayers.
Jennifer's Mom

Signing off from SC

2008-03-26T21:03:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow we begin our final journey to Abby Grace. We leave SC at 9:30 in the morning and arrive in Beijing at 3:05PM on Friday March 28th. We thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. We cannot wait to post from China especially when we can post that we have Abby Grace. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Please also pray for my parents and the boys. I am sure that they will have a wonderful time being spoiled by their Nana and Papa. We will miss them dearly but know they will be in good hands.

Almost ready

2008-03-24T15:31:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it but in less than 72 hours we'll be on our way to China. It is hard to believe that after almost 2 years of waiting we'll soon get to hold our daughter for the first time. We originally thought we'd be getting Abby Grace in Monday the 31st but when we opened our itinerary today we were delighted to find that we actually get her on Sunday afternoon! I can hardly wait to see her cute little face and her big beautiful smile. This is our itinerary:

Mitchell's Adoption Itinerary

March 27th – April 11th

* Thursday, March 27th Depart for Beijing
Flight: UA7229

* Friday, March 28th Arrive in Beijing
Flight: UA851

* Saturday, March 29th Beijing Tour (Lunch and Dinner included)

Gotcha Day!
* Sunday, March 30th Summer Palace (Lunch included)
Afternoon flight to Gansu
Meet Abbigail Grace-Liang Mitchell

* Monday, March 31st Civil Affairs Appointment

* April 1st -3rd Paperwork, Sight-seeing, & Shopping

* Friday, April 4th Flight to Guangzhou

* Saturday, April 5th Medical Exam and Paperwork Party

* Sunday, April 6th Church service and Shopping

* April 7th-8th Sightseeing and Shopping

* Wednesday, April 9th Consulate Appointment

* Thursday, April 10th Pick up Child’s Visa

* Friday, April 11th Depart from Guangzhou Depart from Beijing
Flight: UA850
We'll actually be leaving Columbia for Chicago at 9:30 AM Thursday. Then on the return we'll be coming home to Columbia on the 11th at 9:30 PM. I can't wait to see the boys reaction when they finally meet their sister and reunite with us after 2 weeks. My poor mom...I'll have to think of something real special to do for her once we get back home. She has been so supportive throughout this entire process..Thanks Mom for all you have done and continue to do:) You are the best!

Dates

2008-03-17T18:11:00.002-04:00

We finally have our dates set, our tickets purchased and even our seats reserved. We will be leaving from Columbia on the 27th of March, flying to Chicago then it is a long 13 hour flight to Beijing. We will tour for the first 2-3 days and meet Abby Grace in Lanzhou on the 31st. On the return we leave Beijing on the 11th, fly to Chicago and return to Columbia 11 minutes after we left Beijing. Well not really 11 minutes later but thanks to the 13 hour time difference that if what it looks like on paper. Boy will our internal clocks be confused:) That day is so significant in Abby's life. It will be 2 years ago on the 11th of April that her birth-mother left her on the steps of the SWI. This April 11th she'll be welcomed home into her forever family. I cannot wait to see her reaction as she feels the love from everyone, especially the boys. How we wish they could go to China too but a 6 year old with asthma, a rambunctious 3 year old and a new 2 year old just didn't seem like a good idea.
Abby Grace should have her first appointment with our pediatrician Monday after we get back and then be seen by the pediatric cardiologist in Columbia that same week. Then and only then will Shriner's accept her. Please pray for quick acceptance and surgery.

TA!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-13T21:42:00.002-04:00

Kristen called today and after 38 days of waiting we can finally say WE GOT OUR TA!!!
We are going to be traveling with all of my gabby girlfriends I've gotten to know on the 27th to bring our children home. I am so excited. This weekend will involve lots of washing clothes, packing and getting organized. I can't believe it in 2 short weeks we'll be on our way, Yippeeeeee!!!!

Just a few more weeks Abby Grace and your Mama, Baba and Sissy will be there.

2008-03-12T16:49:00.002-04:00

The gabby girls (my on-line waiting for TA's girl friends) and I got together last night for some prayer time. It was really refreshing and helped each of us refocus on the Lord and not so much on our illusive TAs' Anyway this is something I shared with them:

As I was reading my devotion tonight preparing for our prayer time I came across this:

"God answered their prayers because they trusted him,"
1 Chronicles 5:20
God answers our prayers. What God does not do is this: He does not always answer our prayer as soon as we might like, and he does not always answer our prayers by saying, "Yes." God isn't an order-taker and he is not some sort of cosmic vending machine. Sometimes--even when we want something very badly our Heavenly Father responds to our request by saying, "No," and we must accept his answer even if we don't understand it.
God answers prayers not only according to our wishes but also according to His master plan. We cannot know that plan, but we can know the Planner...and we must trust His wisdom, His righteousness and His love. Always.

Then, on the very next page was this scripture verse:

Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And, everyone who knocks will have a door opened.
Matthew7:7-8

We have all been searching on our own and as we come together tonight and the Lord hears our prayers the doors will be opened. He has watched as we have all walked this path. He has guided all of us to this specific place and time together. He has worked miracles in the lives of our sons and daughters and he is working harder than ever to unite us with our children soon. As we go about our daily grind let us remember that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. He will fix the paperwork and unite Sharon and Mark with Hudson, He will give us all peace in our hearts when the hustle and bustle of packing and traveling finally comes. He will provide the remaining money necessary to unite us with Abby Grace and He will guide us all safely to China and to our final destinations.

Girls I am so excited to be with you all on this journey, You all are a great source of inspiration and support. I thank God everyday for bringing each one of you into my life. I will pray for you all and I can't wait to meet you all in a few weeks.

<>< Jenn

Today many prayers have been answered. No, we did not get our TA yet but we did receive a nice donation from our church. It will be wonderful to be able to present this donation to Ms. Yang and Ping Liang SWI. For those of you that don't know a lot about Ping Liang, it is in one of the poorest provinces in China. The average worker makes the equivalent of $200 US dollars per year. PER YEAR! We easily blow that at the mall or at Wal-Mart. The children in PL SWI are mostly special needs. Most of those SN are CL/CP. The water is Ping Liang is not very clean yet the residents of PL have to use it for drinking, cooking and bathing. The water could be to blame for the majority of the SNs that effect these children. We are taking with us medical supplies to donate to the SWI as well. The air quality of PL is awful. Very hazy. Many of the children have respiratory problems so we have nebulizer tubing and masks to donate. An adoptive mother from PL, Ann, organized the donations, we are merely the transportation to get them there.

Til next time, thanks be to God for all he has done. To him we give the glory!!!

And the waiting continues

2008-03-09T18:36:00.002-04:00

Well it is time for my now weekly post. As you can see by the title the waiting for a TA continues. We thought for sure we'd get it this past week but it did not arrive. In fact AWAA did not get TA's this week. Don't know why but is sure does have me on edge about the week ahead. I feel 99% certain that we'll be traveling on March 27th. So certain that I already had my VP schedule my sub for my leave. So certain that I am sending a note to V's teacher and principal that week letting them know when she'll be out of school so they can get her missed assignments ready for her. I know in my heart that we will be leaving on March 27th and I can hardly wait to be able to finally post it. I even got on-line this weekend and checked out flight costs. The cheapest I found was just under $1000 per person. I know the closer we get to the date the more expensive it will be so we have got to get that TA soon!

On another note. Our church pastor declined my request to make a presentation on adoption prior to our trip. I had so hoped to be able to share our story with others in the church. I had really wanted to be able to take a sizable donation to our daughters orphanage. They are in need of so many things that I know they cannot afford. Our required donation is a great start but I just wish we could do more. When I think of all of the children we will be leaving behind my heart aches. If more people opened their hearts to these children we as Christians could if not find homes for them we could at least help the home that they do have.

We added a few new members to our little group of Gabby Girls. So far we have Sharon, Denise, Amy and now we have Jill and Lisa. We are all waiting moms to be. All waiting on our TA's that is. I'll link every one's blog or site to ours once I get all of their addresses.

Please continue to pray for Abby Grace. In a few short weeks her world as she knows it will be turned upside down. She'll no longer be familiar with her surroundings and she'll no longer have the comfort of her nannies whom I am sure she is very close to. Please pray for them too. They love these children as if they are their own. I cannot imagine taking care of these children for years and then having to let them go. Also please pry for Abby's birth mom. On April 11th it will be 2 years since she made the painful decision to place Abby Grace on the steps of the SWI. I cannot imagine the anguish and grief she experiences as she thinks back to that day. Lastly pray for us for the remainder of our process. Pray for God's hand to guide us along his desired path to Abby Grace.

From pink to green

2008-03-02T17:39:00.005-05:00

Well no TA this week, but strangely I feel very at peace about it. At least I know that sometime this month we'll finally have Abby Grace in our arms. Whether it is the 17th or 30th I feel confident it will be this month. The Lord has timed everything perfectly throughout this adoption process and I know that he has our meeting time with Abby Grace already perfectly planned out.

We painted today, well at least 3 of us did. I rolled, Sean trimmed and V tried to roll. She wanted to help out so we let her do a little. Of course the boys wanted to help too but I found other things to occupy them. We went from a bright bubble-gum pink that V had us paint the room last year to a nice soft green room for Miss Abby Grace. It looks great. I'll post pictures when we have her room done.

I approached our pastor about doing an adoption presentation at church to raise donations prior to our trip. I sent him a presentation done by another AWAA family. He said he'd speak with the elders and get back with me soon, so hopefully I'll hear something this week. I really want others in our Church to be enlightened about adoption. I had a friend at church this morning jokingly tell me to bring a little girl home for her too. I told her I'd try to sneak one for her in my suitcase. But then I thought, maybe if we do this presentation she'll truly feel led to adopt. As every adoptive mom knows once the adoption seed gets planted in your heart you realize that it is something you just have to do. Maybe that is the case with others in our congregation who think about it but think they can't do it. My mom has a friend who says she'd do it tomorrow but she doesn't think she could afford it. I told her about all of the grant opportunities out there and the tax credit, etc... but so far she is just thinking about it. Maybe if she were to listen to the presentation she would adopt. Please pray for our pastor and elders. Please pray for them to allow this presentation to be made. And if it is ok'd please pray for me. I can talk all day in front of my first graders but the idea of speaking in front of our congregation really makes me nervous, but I know I'll get through it with the Lord by my side.

New look!

2008-02-24T17:35:00.004-05:00

Thanks Carla L. for my amazing blog makeover!!! Carla is an adoptive mom of a beautiful little girl from China. She and her husband are already talking about returning to China to adopt again. Being a planner she is doing blog makeovers, among other things, to start her adoption fund. She makes amazing hairbows that you can see and order at www.ladybugbowtique.blogspot.com
Thanks Carla! We love the new look.

TAs....Hopefully this week we'll get our TA and concrete travel dates. Still praying for a SN group to be able to leave mid-March instead of having to wait until the 27th. God has had perfect timing throughout this entire process and we know he has the perfect travel time planned out for us as well. Just wish I knew when it was.

We have an amazing park in Sumter called Swan Lake. It is beautiful and houses swans from all over the world. Today after Church we decided to go to Swan Lake. It was a little chilly, but we had some quality time together as a family. We cannot wait until we are able to take Abby Grace to see and feed the swans. V was saying today that maybe this will be our last trip to Swan Lake without Abby Grace, I sure hope so.

Look how our sweet girl grown!

2008-02-22T17:36:00.003-05:00

We sent Abby Grace a care package earlier this month through Adele at blessed kids. To our surprise and delight she received 3 updated pictures of Abby Grace taken when she received her bear and clothes. She is getting so big! I hope the clothes we bought fit. If not we'll donate them to the orphanage and do some shopping. It looks as though she is still sleeping in a crib. So hopefully this weekend or next we'll put our crib up. It is kind of comforting to know that all 4 of our children will have slept in that crib. My grandmother bought us the crib when we found out we were pregnant with V.

Some families in our agency received their TAs today. They were told to expect travel on the 27th of March. However, AWAA is expecting more TA's next week (hopefully ours) and if that happens they will get together a SN group and travel earlier than the 27th. I can't wait to go to China!!!

Clothes and hair bows! It is so fun shopping for a girl again.

2008-02-17T18:22:00.004-05:00

Well I must admit I did a bit of shopping this weekend for Abby Grace. It will still be cold in China when we travel in March. But when we get back to SC it will be spring weather. So I found some fantastic sales on winter stuff and even a few bargins on some spring/summer stuff. I bought mostly 2Ts but I did pick up a few 24months outfits as well. Since we really don't know what size she needs I figured better be safe and take both. If the 24 months are too small we will donate them to the orphanage.
We also found some cute hair bows for her to wear in her beautiful black hair. V would have bought more but I told her we'd get more when we got home. She insisted on pink of course, so I guess no matter what color her clothes are she'll be wearing pink bows or barrettes.

Guess who??????

2008-02-15T20:58:00.004-05:00

It's Abby Grace and Hudson Teague!!!!!!!!!!A priceless snap shot and link to her past from the orphanage Christmas party care of another Ping Liang mom. This makes the 8th picture we have of her. Boy has she changed from her first picture when she was so small to this most recent one. It is so great to see Abby Grace and Hudson together since we'll be traveling with his family March. And V thinks it is great to see her sister with some hair! When we got Abby's first pictures she was very concerned because her hair was so short. I guess since they orphanage knows she is being adopted they are letting her hair grow out a bit. I sure do hope they don't cut it back again before we get her, I just went and bought her some barretts and a cute hairbrush today.

RA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

I have been waiting 104 days to finally get to post that. Stephanie called today and said they received our RA and it is being Fed-exd to us to sign and return by Wednesday. It was so funny. Sean had brought my z-pack to me at school this morning because I have a killer sinus infection. Then right after recess he showed back up at my classroom and said, "It came." I felt like screaming with joy but with 16 6-7 year olds I did not think that was a great idea. I think he was happy he was the one who got to take the call this time. He has to be at our house at 10 in the morning to get the package. Then he'll bring it to me to sign and return ASAP. From what Stephanie said we're looking at 4-6 weeks. March travel!!!!! I am so excited. I did a little shopping this weekend for Abby Grace. I found some great deals at JC Penney and Belks. Now I have to finalize my packing list and get busy packing. Boy that should be fun:)

I did get a special message from Cindi. She and her husbad had received Abby's referral last summer when the CCAA sent it to their agency. They prayed over it and decided that she was not their daughter and returned her file. Then a few short months later we received her referral and knew she was our daughter. Cindi shared with me that she and her family and church friends had been praying for Abby (Ava to them) and they were all excited to learn that we indeed were her family. She sent me a few pictures of Abby that I did not receive with her referral. She is a few months younger in the pictures that Cindi had. It is so amazing that someone has been praying for our daughter. I am so thankful to her and her family.

Thanks for all of your continued prayers. In just a few short weeks we should be heading out on our trip from SC to China to bring home Abby Grace. So stay tuned for an amazing journey.

100 days and counting

2008-02-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

I sat and watched (and cried a little) as our waiting counter reached 100 days this past Thursday. 100 days of praying and waiting. 100 days of worrying. 100 days of thinking when will the phone ring and when will it be our RA? 100 days may not seem like a long time but when you are waiting to bring your child home it often times feels like an eternity. I can only imagine how much Abby Grace has changed in these 100 days. I wish I could play 20 questions with her SWI director. Here are a few of the many questions I'd ask. How much has she grown? How is her heart doing? Is she staying warm in the -17* temperatures? What size clothes should I bring for her? Bottle or cup? Crib or bed? I she scared of dogs? Is she close to a particular friend? The list could go on and on...... I just wish I could know what is taking so long. I wonder if they have even pulled our dossier from the room and begun to review it or is it still sitting on the shelf with the original DTC group. If we don't hear something by Wednesday of next week I have a feeling it will be at the end of Feb or early March before we get our RA. The CCAA is closing for a week for the CNY on Wednesday and won't reopen unitl 2/12.

Great news!!!!!!!!!
All of our families who were in China getting their children have arrived home safely. It was wonderful to be able to follow them as they were united with their children. Welcome home everyone:)

Prayer requests:
Please pray for the weather in China. They are experiencing the coldest temperatures in 50+ years. Many airports have shut down as well as the trains.
Please pray for Abby and the other children in the orphanages. Many orphanages are not heated at all and are packed with children needing warmth and love.
Please plary for all of the waiting parents who are longing to travel to China and bring their children home. Grant us peace knowing the God is in control of the timing.
Please pray for the December DTC/LID Peppermint Pearls group. Many of these families are feeling depressed at the long wait for their children. Many of them have mentioned considering special needs children. Pray for them as they think about bringing a special needs child into their families.
Pray for our family as we await word on our RA. May the Lord grant us patience and ease our anxiousness.

We've got mail

2008-01-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

I know what your thinking, the RA!!! Nope, but we did get our Chinese Visa's. That means when we do get out RA and our TA (travel approval) then we'll already have permission for the Chinese government to travel to China. Still waiting on the illusive RA though. A few families who got referrals with us have already gotten their RA's and will be traveling the first week of March. Their dossiers were sent to China months before our was so that is why they are already approved. I was excited to hear that those children would soon meet their families but my heart aches as I wait for Abby Grace. I know it is very cold where she is and I know that she is not getting the comfort from her nannies that I as her mother could give her. It is so hard being so far away from her.
So many people have asked about our adoption lately. I know that there are lots of people praying for us and for Abby Grace. I know that in God's time we will finally get to travel and bring her home.

Quilt update: I sent all 108 squares to a friend of mines mom. She and a friend of hers are going to be busily working on making 2 quilts. A small lap quilt for Abby Grace and a larger quilt to save for later. I am so excited to see what she does. 108fabrics is a lot to try to get together into a pattern, but she assured me she can do it.

A whole lot of waiting going on

2008-01-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

There have not been any updates to post for our adoption since our LOI was sent and we received our PA. Right now there is just a whole lot of waiting going on. We just sent off our Chinese Visa applications and hope to receive those back in the next week or so. Until that happens and we receive our RA we'll just be waiting.

We received a wonderful gift from a client of Sean's this past week. He had heard, I'm not sure if it was from Sean or not, about our adoption and Abby. When he paid his statement for the month of December he included a note and a check to help cover some of our expenses. It is so amazing how people who you don't really know on a close personal relationship are moved by the prospect of our adoption. People always say how they are so "proud" of us for doing this and how they think we are doing a great thing. The truth is we are just doing what we felt led to do. Did we know where all of the finances were going to come from? No. Has the Lord provided all that we have needed so far? Yes! He has provided things at the moment of need. Had our house sold a few weeks later than it did we probably would have had to turn down Abby's referral. Just thinking about that let's me know that God planned and orchestrated this entire adoption process. He is the author and director of this journey to Abby Grace. He knows just what we need and when we need it. What an amazing God we serve!! How lucky are we to live in a country where we are free to worship our one true maker. Though this journey is not complete I thank the Lord daily for choosing us to be the one's to adopt Abby Grace and introduce her to the amazing love of Jesus Christ.

On another note a great friend of mine will be traveling this Thursday to China to bring her daughter home. Be sure to click on Miranda Hendren on the links and follow Angie's journey to Miranda Joy. They'll be traveling 1/17-1/31/08.

2007-12-11T22:02:00.001-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Abby Grace

2007-12-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Well today has been a very emotional day. I've smiled, I've celebrated and I've cried. Two years ago today a beautiful baby girl was born in Gan Su Province China to a very special woman. Four months later that woman made a very difficult and heart breaking decision to place her baby girl on the steps of the Ping Liang SWI. I cannot imagine the pain she must have felt that day but I know that deep in her heart she knew she was doing the best thing for her daughter. That sweet baby girl once known as Liang Wan Jian is now Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell, our little Jian Jian as she is called in her orphanage. My heart breaks as I think of the pain her birthmother must be feeling today as she thinks back and remembers the birth of her daughter. I just pray that the Lord lays his healing hand on her and gives her peace with her decision. I thank her with all of my heart for taking care of her and nurturing her the best she could until she could no longer. I can only hope that she knows how much we already love this little blessing even though we have yet to meet her face to face. We know Abby Grace in our hearts and look forward to celebrating her third birthday with her next year.

PA!!!

2007-11-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

Well today I got an exciting message from Amy our FC:

Dear Sean & Jennifer,
The CCAA has processed the Pre-Approval (PA) for your family’s request to adopt Liang Wan Jian. The PA is issued once the information from the electronic acceptance has been reviewed and approved. Once the CCAA has fully reviewed your Dossier and application to adopt a specific child, they will issue the Referral Acceptance (RA). As a reminder, this step is currently taking anywhere from 2-5 months from the date of your electronic acceptance. There is no guaranteed timeframe from the CCAA on when your RA will arrive.

I have printed the PA from the CCAA’s website and have attached it to this email. Be sure to print one off for your records. Please let me know if you have any trouble printing the PA.

Please contact me if you have any questions and congratulations on this step!

Blessings,
Amy Pearson

Asia Family Coordinator

Isn't that cool. Now the next thing we have to wait for is our RA. That is the final approval from China for us to adopt Liang Wan Jian aka Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell. One more small step towards ringing our daughter home. Oh...The Teagues got there PA for Hudson as well, we are still hoping and praying to be able to travel together in Feb or March.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-03T09:12:00.001-04:00

October Update

2007-10-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

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 !!!!!

2007-10-23T17:44:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

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.