It's Here!!

Our Letter of Approval arrived today!!  It is so exciting to have the official adoption approval in hand.  It is already on it's way back to China... no wasting time on moving forward!

We are anticipating traveling to China in later February or early March.  Now we wait for immigration approvals from US*CIS and the Invitation to Travel from the CC*AA.  I'm glad we have lots of holidays to distract us from more waiting since March seems awfully far away!

Anna Kathryn is ready to go get her sister now.  We went out to dinner to celebrate (Cracker Barrel.  Sure hope Olivia develops a taste for biscuits and chicken and dumplings!)  and we told her at dinner.  She got SO excited- her eyes got real big, and her mouth made an "o" and she just said, "Ohhhhhh, Ting Ting, my sister!"

The best part is... we can finally start communicating with our girl!!!  And we believe the orphanage will tell her and begin to prepare her now, too.  Please be praying for her as she begins to learn about us, and faces so many changes to come.

Off to scope out Care Package options now... woo hoo!

Introducing Olivia Ruth YuTing!

We are THRILLED to announce (officially) that we are adopting again!  We are planning to adopt a nine-year-old girl from Hunan Province, China, to be called Olivia Ruth YuTing.  Yes, she's another Spicy Girl!! 


Olivia is active and restless (exactly what AK's referral said about her-- and boy was that true!), enjoys playing games and singing, and is a good student.  We cannot wait until we have our Referral Approval so we can finally begin communicating with her.  We are so excited to add another daughter to our family, and Anna Kathryn is really looking forward to having another big sister-- and traveling to China to meet her.  

It took about a year of adjustment for all three of us, but Mark and I began to seriously discuss adopting again last fall.  However, we had no idea how we could afford to adopt again, and we originally felt led to request to adopt a child younger than Anna Kathryn.  

Last January, I decided on a whim (so I thought) to look at our agency's waiting child list.  When I saw Olivia's picture I felt my heart just leap; I began to cry and told Mark that I felt very drawn to this photo of a young girl with sparkling eyes and a shy smile.  I wanted to know more about her.  We prayed and agreed to take things a step at a time, as we felt the Lord leading us.  The Lord kept opening the doors to proceed, including providing the first 1/3 of our adoption expenses so we could start gathering our documents and get our home study done.  Gathering our paperwork has taken longer than we anticipated (honestly, doesn't it always??), but even in our impatience we are confident that the Lord's timing is perfect. 

We sent our dossier to China on September 10 and were logged in on September 17, and now are waiting for all the remaining approvals.  We are hoping that we will travel by the end of the year (miracles can happen!).  

We are praying specifically that no matter when we do travel, we will be home before Olivia's 10th birthday in mid-February.  As well as being an older child, Olivia has a manageable but significant medical need, and she has been waiting a very long time for a family.  We feel a sense of urgency as we prepare to adopt her and bring her into the family.

Please join us in praying for Olivia as we prepare to bring her home, as she faces a huge number of changes and adjustments.  We are also praying for a kindred spirit between her and Anna Kathryn; that Mark and I would be wise and compassionate as we deal with the parenting challenges before us and we walk through this new territory together.   

We will keep you posted as we get closer to bringing Olivia home!

Two Years Ago...

... we rejoiced over Anna Kathryn. In our arms. At last.

And today-- two short years later--

Today, she is even more firmly embedded in our hearts. Our home is noisy with laughter, games, reading, singing (and because she is a hard-headed toddler, a good bit of wailing), filled with toys, and always time for snuggling. Life continues to be SO GOOD with our Snickerdoodle.

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

If you feel like a trip down memory lane, read about our first family day here.

Arrival

Last year at about this time we were sitting on the tarmac on Washington, D.C. on the last leg of our trip home from China, praying we would be home soon (we later found out our flight delay was due to the demo seat belt-- you know, the one they use during the safety info?  Was missing and had to be replaced.)  

Anna Kathryn had just become an American citizen upon crossing through customs, but I'm afraid the moment was kinda lost on all of us.  I was desperate for a real American Starbucks mocha, Mark was desperate to get us all on the last plane since time was tight, and AK was desperate for a chance to wiggle and not be confined to a plane seat or lap.  

After 30+ hours of travel, at the end of a two-week "trip of a lifetime" and having survived the transatlantic flight with a very mixed-up 11 month old baby-- we were so ready to be HOME.

We arrived at our home airport to a Welcome Home party like no other!

I'd joyfully welcomed Maggie home 2 years earlier, and of course had read plenty of blogs with accounts of other families' homecomings--- but ours was wonderful.   Family and friends galore. Especially considering our flight was late and it was midnight before we landed... that's when you KNOW that you are greatly loved, when folks will spend their whole Saturday night hanging out at the airport for you.  

Here's a bunch of homecoming photos I didn't post on my travel blog because I was too jet lagged to bother last year.  Thanks for tripping down memory lane with me and the Snickerdoodle.  

And then it was time to go home... to begin the next part, together.

Happy Forever Family Day!

It's our first anniversary of our Gotcha Day today!  That was such a whirlwind day...

... from waking up in our hotel in Nanchang and nervously waiting in the room all morning for fear of missing that knock on the door that meant that the babies were here.

The first moment I saw Anna Kathryn and our guide Sally said to me, which baby is yours?  Um, the pressure!  They had two Bo babies, and I knew which one was AK immediately, but was still afraid of picking the wrong baby!  Then, the sweetest moment:  the handover...

Mark delighting in his newest, long-awaited daughter.

The first chance to really look at her, hold her, begin to know her instead of just the idea of her.

 Mark and I got some more time to play with Anna Kathryn while we waited at the various government offices to complete the adoption and do her paperwork for her passport.

After a bottle for AK, lunch and a nap, we were whisked off for all the official paperwork.  Anna Kathryn seemed a bit curious about us, but not overly upset at suddenly being placed in the arms of total strangers.  She had traveled for nearly 4 hours and it had been a big day for her already:  her first trip out of the orphanage, new parents and an afternoon of errands, basically. She was most interested in the toys we showed her and her surroundings.  She loves to investigate and examine everything and that day was no exception!

Now I can look back and see that the look in her eyes was very detached.  She did not melt down or shut down as many babies do when introduced to their new families, but understandably was trying to make sense of this huge transition and change from the familiar to the completely unknown.  She came to us with only the clothes she was wearing.  I can't even imagine what was going through her head, although from the first she seemed to recognize that we belonged to her and she to us.    

On that day, we saw the plans we had made, and the plans the Lord had for us, come together in the most beautiful way.  Just as we come before God and are adopted by him to be his child, though we have nothing to give him but our love and trust-- it was the same for us with Anna Kathryn.  She was just herself.  And she was now our child.  While I loved her from the first day she was a hope in my heart, that was nothing compared to that moment she was placed in my arms.  And it's just grown each day of the last year.  

No surprise here-- Mark coaxed the first smile from our stoic little baby!

Unlike most families, our "harmonious period" was just a few hours instead of the usual 24 hours.  This is supposed to give the adoptive family a brief time in which to get to know your child a bit and note if there are any unexpected issues.  However, due to the holiday (we traveled during the Mid-Autumn Festival) we got AK a day later than planned, so the whole process was compressed into a few hours.  She arrived in our hotel room just after 11 am and we were done around 4 PM with all the paperwork. 

 I was so excited and emotions ran so high I remember few details of the afternoon, but we truly had no concerns and answered "yes" confidently when asked by the notary if we found our child to be "satisfactory".  The two things I remember distinctly is the feel of her gums as she chewed on my finger as we careened through the crazy Nanchang traffic in the van, and the elation and relief when Sally told us that the adoption was final and we were officially a family!

We didn't attempt a bath the first night but we did change her out of the sleeper she had worn all day and put her into clean jammies.  Before that we played a bit on the bed.  She seemed to love the freedom of no clothes-- and all the attention!  She was relaxed and reasonably content, and fell asleep in my arms soon after we took this picture. 

What a day!  Scary, exhilarating, hectic, joyful.  If you want to read more about it, my post from our travel journal is here.  

Today we had a fairly regular day.  I had a ridiculously crazy day at work, Mark had to work late, and AK and I met Allison for our weekly mochas and shopping at Target.  I spent several moment throughout the day remembering last Sept. 16 and wiping away a tear here and there. Every day I am so thankful and grateful for the gift and blessing of being Anna Kathryn's mommy.  

We plan to celebrate as a family tomorrow.  Tomorrow morning is our one-year post-placement visit and we took the day off, so we have a family outing and then dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant planned for the afternoon.  We bought gifts for future Gotcha Days in China, but AK is too young for them just yet, so this year she is getting the DVD "Big Bird in China" and the book "Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats.

And here is our Snickerdoodle, one year later:

Happy forever family day to all of our travel buddies today!  What an amazing year of blessings we have had!!

One Year Ago, Yesterday

China, here we come!

This time last year Mark and I were embarking on the greatest adventure of our married life... our journey to China to adopt Anna Kathryn.  We left our home on September 11 and arrived in Beijing on September 12, weary from travel, somewhat nervous about what lay ahead, but so excited to at last set foot in our daughter's homeland.   We were mindful of the sad anniversary of the attacks on America but not particularly anxious about flying on that date.  After 2 1/2 years of the tedious adoption process, and several additional years of trying to build our family, we didn't care when we left for China as long as it was sooner rather later!  We were SO ready to meet our girl! 

This year I find myself thinking daily of "what-we-were-doing-this-time-last-year" and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'd LOVE to make the trip again.  During all the years of waiting not only did I anticipate the joy of finally being a mom, and holding Anna Kathryn at last, but I really couldn't wait for The Trip itself.  I love to travel and getting to explore another country is so much fun.  Although the trip certainly had its stresses-- becoming a new mom in a foreign country is not for wimps!-- it was an amazing way to learn about China firsthand. 

 I feel so lucky to have had the chance to experience some of AK's birthplace and heritage, and to gain a greater appreciation of her homeland, during those few short weeks.  We are already praying that we will have the opportunity to return with AK someday so she can experience China for herself.  

I still sometimes have to give AK an extra squeeze, just to reassure myself that she's here with us at last.  The days of tears and barrenness are past.  The uncertainty of  The Wait is now a dim memory.   The past year has truly flown by-- can't think of a better (if hackneyed) way to put it. Being AK's mom is the joy of my life and raising her is a blessing and privilege I do not take for granted.   

September 13, 2008

Touring Beijing and the Great Wall was amazing (there is no other word to use, seriously) , but the best part of the trip was still ahead...

Isaiah 43:5

⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; 
       I will bring your children from the east 
       and gather you from the west.

Just One Year

...ago today we got The Call.  It was a hot and sticky July Sunday afternoon and Mark and I were napping after church. 

The house phone rang.  We ignored it. 

My cell phone rang.  I pretended I couldn't hear it.  

Mark's cell phone rang.  I began to wonder if there was some kind of emergency.  I dragged myself out of my comfy nest and went to see who wanted to talk to us so much.  

It was a family coordinator with our agency: "Mark and Kimberly, we think we have a baby for you..."  I almost didn't make it through the call I was crying so hard.  It almost didn't seem real, that we were finally getting the Call we had hoped and prayed for for so long.  

Within minutes we opened up an e-mailed file and saw the face of our daughter for the very first time.  We knew immediately. 

She was tiny. 

She was beautiful.  

She would be ours.

On the one year anniversary of the referral of our daughter-- and every day--we are so thankful for the blessing of her.  It's hard to remember the time before we saw her face, knew her Chinese name, held her in our arms.  I remember the pain of the wait, but now it's like this dull ache; I can recall it but the pain is no longer acute.  We have days of great joy and times of challenge, but always, always love life with our Snickerdoodle.  

Well I just heard the news today 

It seems my life is going to change 

I closed my eyes, begin to pray 

Then tears of joy stream down my face 

With arms wide open 

Under the sunlight 

Welcome to this place 

I'll show you everything 

With arms wide open 

With arms wide open 

- With Arms Wide Open by Creed

  Anna Kathryn BoDi 

July 11, 2009

If you want to read the whole story, click here!

Surfacing

Hello... hello... anyone out there??

((crickets chirping))

I'm jumping back into the bloggy world after a three-week break.  I posted over at Journey to Anna Kathryn tonight, but I'll be returning to this blog in the next week or two.  See you over there!

Showered with Love

Mark and I have been "showered with love" by so many friends and family over the past 2 months as we prepared to bring Anna Kathryn home.  My parents, grandparents, sister, and aunts and uncles have expressed love in so many ways and have helped us with all kinds of things we needed to travel!  

Mark's mom went shopping for Anna Kathryn before we came to Ohio for our visit and gave us a little shower of her own.  I was so surprised and delighted!

About a month ago, my college friends and I gathered to host a baby shower for Emily, who is due very soon!  Leslie, Reagan, and Allison helped paint the nursery pink -- a major transformation from the turquoise blue (my stepdaughter's color scheme when the room was hers).  

Mark posted some Scriptures and wishes for Anna Kathryn before painting-- writing it on the walls so she will always be surrounded by blessings.  

The painting crew:  hard at work...

The nursery is still a work in progress, but here is the best shot so far (Reagan, this is for you!)

We still have pictures to hang, and there is a bit more furniture in it now (dresser and changing table).  I am trying to get much of this done before we leave, since we will be preoccupied with Baby when we get home.

The staff at my school gave me a lovely, spur-of the moment baby shower last Thursday. The staff went in together and bought the car seat that I hoped for. It's so very cute and very, very safe! They also brought donations of baby clothing that we will give to the Poyang SWI, to help with the clothing shortage and as a way to give back to the place and people who have cared for Anna Kathryn for the first 10 months of her life. It was a wonderful afternoon and I felt so loved and encouraged!

Visiting with friends at the shower:  

As usual at times of high emotion, I cried when they led me over to the gifts and I saw all of the clothes, the diaper cake, and the adorable car seat.  

Jamie and Ashley made the diaper cake-- almost too cute to use!!
Some other friends are hosting "Meet Anna Kathryn" showers after we return from China.  I just can't wait!  It will be so much fun to introduce her to the people who have been anxiously awaiting her arrival along with us.