Tonight is St. Patricks day and Grandpa Eddie came to meet Lucy. She doesn't usually like strangers and or especially let men touch or hold her but she felt an instant connection with her Grandpa! It has been a special day because he bought her a NY Yankee pink jersey straight from Spring training in Tampa Florida.
Lucy and her Grandpa played all day. They shared ice cream, cuddled on the couch with her baby dolls and ticked eachother silly! Lucy put barrettes in his hair and tried to speak Chinese to him.
Anyways it has been a great visit already! Over the next couple of days we hope to introduce the trains, Go to Chuckie Cheese & take him swimming. By Sunday night we hope to be wore out!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Swimming at the YMCA!
Well there is no pressure but we are hoping that by the time Lucy turns 3 (August 5th) she will make the swim team. Perfect timing for fall tryouts!LOL.
The Brown's have officially made the Saturday open swim (noon to 3pm) our family time. If anyone wants to join us be aware that Lucy will dunk you and wreck your hair do! She is a total wild women in the water and I feel at this stage she will surely take after her mother and kick total butt in the water. The only problem is that the Marlins don't know what is about to happen to the team next year.
In close, please don't be offended by her wedgie. Her bathing suit is a little small and we are waiting for the suits to come out in stores real soon or for someone in a Florida state to mail us one!
The Brown's have officially made the Saturday open swim (noon to 3pm) our family time. If anyone wants to join us be aware that Lucy will dunk you and wreck your hair do! She is a total wild women in the water and I feel at this stage she will surely take after her mother and kick total butt in the water. The only problem is that the Marlins don't know what is about to happen to the team next year.
In close, please don't be offended by her wedgie. Her bathing suit is a little small and we are waiting for the suits to come out in stores real soon or for someone in a Florida state to mail us one!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Mission Accomplished!
We've got Lucy!
Our trip was a success and to sum it all up in a nutshell it was a mixture of the "amazing race" and "Punked". Two weeks in China is a true test of your marriage, how tough your stomach is for funky food , a test of your patients, balance (squatty potty), sense of humor and a good old fashion spanking for all that we Americans take for granted.
The 30 plus hours of total door to door travel time, touring and sight seeing of the great wall, forbidden city,
tianaman square, summer palace, the olympics in Beijing, jade & and Pearl factories/museums, shopping, long bus rides, traveling in China by plane, bus, taxi and foot and the 3 and a half year wait it was all worth it when we finally got to meet Lucy!
She totally won our hearts on Monday January 25th at 12:21 pm when we looked into those almond shaped eyes and that capturing smile. This child was truly worth the wait. We now know that the lord perfectly made her for our family. She is full of joy, laughter and a splash of the terrible two's.
During our trip she was a total trooper. She was dragged by stroller threw the worst of worst in China. She endured long bus rides, turbulance and lots of appointments that caused her to miss meals, naps and go to bed 4-7 hours after her bed time. She got a peanut stuck in her nose, pee peed all over mommy during a visit to the squatty potty and took her dad to a full battle of war, which resulted in making friends with him on day 10.
Nobody could have possibly prepared us for this experience. I don't want to bore you to death with this post but our lives are changed forever. This Child is a true gift from God and we are so excited to have her in our life.
It was a true blessing from God to be traveling along with 8 brave families who were also adopting. They became extended family after thick and thin. It was so awesome to trade wet wipes for antibiotics and or have melt downs over several terrible meals. If it meant making a pit stop for McDonalds late night or delivering cough drops across the hall in pajamas we were all so perfectly matched. May the lord bless these families as they live the same story as us in Kansas, North Carolina, New York, Florida, Lousiana, Minnesota and New Mexico!
Upon arriving home in the USA a friend told John and I that what we did was very special and that she is lucky. Our reply to him was that no we are the lucy ones! If somehow the funds to adopt again would be provided we would do it again in a heartbeat.
Our trip was a success and to sum it all up in a nutshell it was a mixture of the "amazing race" and "Punked". Two weeks in China is a true test of your marriage, how tough your stomach is for funky food , a test of your patients, balance (squatty potty), sense of humor and a good old fashion spanking for all that we Americans take for granted.
The 30 plus hours of total door to door travel time, touring and sight seeing of the great wall, forbidden city,
tianaman square, summer palace, the olympics in Beijing, jade & and Pearl factories/museums, shopping, long bus rides, traveling in China by plane, bus, taxi and foot and the 3 and a half year wait it was all worth it when we finally got to meet Lucy!
She totally won our hearts on Monday January 25th at 12:21 pm when we looked into those almond shaped eyes and that capturing smile. This child was truly worth the wait. We now know that the lord perfectly made her for our family. She is full of joy, laughter and a splash of the terrible two's.
During our trip she was a total trooper. She was dragged by stroller threw the worst of worst in China. She endured long bus rides, turbulance and lots of appointments that caused her to miss meals, naps and go to bed 4-7 hours after her bed time. She got a peanut stuck in her nose, pee peed all over mommy during a visit to the squatty potty and took her dad to a full battle of war, which resulted in making friends with him on day 10.
Nobody could have possibly prepared us for this experience. I don't want to bore you to death with this post but our lives are changed forever. This Child is a true gift from God and we are so excited to have her in our life.
It was a true blessing from God to be traveling along with 8 brave families who were also adopting. They became extended family after thick and thin. It was so awesome to trade wet wipes for antibiotics and or have melt downs over several terrible meals. If it meant making a pit stop for McDonalds late night or delivering cough drops across the hall in pajamas we were all so perfectly matched. May the lord bless these families as they live the same story as us in Kansas, North Carolina, New York, Florida, Lousiana, Minnesota and New Mexico!
Upon arriving home in the USA a friend told John and I that what we did was very special and that she is lucky. Our reply to him was that no we are the lucy ones! If somehow the funds to adopt again would be provided we would do it again in a heartbeat.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
travel meeting!
Today was something else. John sat in on a telephone conference for our trip with our adoption agency. Since we are leaving in less than one week, we needed to know details about traveling to China and what to expect. He took notes like a true Airborne Ranger.
Our flight leaves Detroit Michigan at 12 noon on Thursday the 21st. We have a special friend bringing us and another picking us up. We arrive in Beijing on Friday night at Midnight. Please keep us in prayer as this is a very long trip for Jb's back, hip and knees and my patients!
then two days of sight seeing at the Great wall of China, the forbidden city, Church ( a goverment ran Chrisitian Church) dinner at the some famous Duck restaurant and then off to Guilin City China to pick up our daughter. Just a funny note about the great wall. When we first decided to adopt from China, I told Jb as serious as can be that I wanted to walk the entire Great wall. Well, that was until I heard it was thousands of miles long. LOL!
We were told that as of today we will not be able to visit the orphanage that she was found at because of the high risk level of the swine flu but that could change over the next week or so. We were informed that the first three days with her might not be that enjoyable and we might be in for a lot of crying. oh boy!
I can not begin to explain how we are feeling right now but before logging out I have to share this. In the mist of my darkest days of worry about finances on this trip and how we were going to come up with the money needed. My husband told me that I had such little faith. I really did. In fact I stopped right then and there in my tracks and begged the lord to provide. When searching for a bible verse to comfort me I found Proverbs 3 vs. 5-6. Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding , in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. Two months past and everytime I worried about the money I repeated this over and over.
last week Sunday I got to church. In the very back was a gift bag with a trinket in it. Sure enough it had this very verse on it. I don't know who left it for me (my secret sister) but it was just what I needed. Over the next few days the lord supplied every penny of what we needed for our trip. Talk about break down emotionally. God is good all the time!
As jb and I prepare to be parents with less than 6 days to go, we appreciate everyone who have encouraged us, prayed for us, bought Lucy little gifts, asked how things were going and loved this little girl well before they met her. I thank you from the bottom of our hearts and I truly can't wait to share her with you.
As jb went to bed tonight he told me that this little girl is going to be special in some way. He is not sure what it will be exactly but that she will be special!
We hope that you follow along with us on out trip and we will do our best to post photo's of Gotcha day and possibly a video of us getting her while we are in China!
Our flight leaves Detroit Michigan at 12 noon on Thursday the 21st. We have a special friend bringing us and another picking us up. We arrive in Beijing on Friday night at Midnight. Please keep us in prayer as this is a very long trip for Jb's back, hip and knees and my patients!
then two days of sight seeing at the Great wall of China, the forbidden city, Church ( a goverment ran Chrisitian Church) dinner at the some famous Duck restaurant and then off to Guilin City China to pick up our daughter. Just a funny note about the great wall. When we first decided to adopt from China, I told Jb as serious as can be that I wanted to walk the entire Great wall. Well, that was until I heard it was thousands of miles long. LOL!
We were told that as of today we will not be able to visit the orphanage that she was found at because of the high risk level of the swine flu but that could change over the next week or so. We were informed that the first three days with her might not be that enjoyable and we might be in for a lot of crying. oh boy!
I can not begin to explain how we are feeling right now but before logging out I have to share this. In the mist of my darkest days of worry about finances on this trip and how we were going to come up with the money needed. My husband told me that I had such little faith. I really did. In fact I stopped right then and there in my tracks and begged the lord to provide. When searching for a bible verse to comfort me I found Proverbs 3 vs. 5-6. Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding , in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. Two months past and everytime I worried about the money I repeated this over and over.
last week Sunday I got to church. In the very back was a gift bag with a trinket in it. Sure enough it had this very verse on it. I don't know who left it for me (my secret sister) but it was just what I needed. Over the next few days the lord supplied every penny of what we needed for our trip. Talk about break down emotionally. God is good all the time!
As jb and I prepare to be parents with less than 6 days to go, we appreciate everyone who have encouraged us, prayed for us, bought Lucy little gifts, asked how things were going and loved this little girl well before they met her. I thank you from the bottom of our hearts and I truly can't wait to share her with you.
As jb went to bed tonight he told me that this little girl is going to be special in some way. He is not sure what it will be exactly but that she will be special!
We hope that you follow along with us on out trip and we will do our best to post photo's of Gotcha day and possibly a video of us getting her while we are in China!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Referral and travel approval
The last couple of weeks have been very busy. We had to send many documents to the adoption agency, take another trip to cleveland for a visit to immigration and some more waiting. We received the preapproval from China on December 1st and then the official referral from China on December 2nd. When you receive this news after waiting three years it seems like a prank but then the famous Fed Ex package arrives and poof there is the official seal from China and You Meng Ke's photo on the cover of the package.
Jb did well and waited at home to accept the package and he even took a photo of the Fed Ex driver!
As of tonight our visa's have been sent and we are just waiting to book our tickets to China. We are waiting on the Chinese goverment to give us travel approval. We have been busy learning chinese and reading up on what to expect from a toddler. It is our prayer that she will bond with us very shortly after we meet. We realize that the first couple of months may be difficult for our little one even as though it will be a joyous time for us! I have been up late or waking in the middle of the night thinking of her foster mother and father and the feelings that they might be having at this time knowing that the next couple of weeks are their last with You Meng Ke. My heart breaks for them and I wish somehow they could know that we will do our best to care for her.
Anyways for now all we have to hold on to is three little photo's of our Little Lucy. We have started to pack, get our gifts together for the orphanage and once again just waiting to book our tickets. Tonight I close that Jb and I are trusting in the lord to provide the funds we need for this trip and the adoption.
Jb did well and waited at home to accept the package and he even took a photo of the Fed Ex driver!
As of tonight our visa's have been sent and we are just waiting to book our tickets to China. We are waiting on the Chinese goverment to give us travel approval. We have been busy learning chinese and reading up on what to expect from a toddler. It is our prayer that she will bond with us very shortly after we meet. We realize that the first couple of months may be difficult for our little one even as though it will be a joyous time for us! I have been up late or waking in the middle of the night thinking of her foster mother and father and the feelings that they might be having at this time knowing that the next couple of weeks are their last with You Meng Ke. My heart breaks for them and I wish somehow they could know that we will do our best to care for her.
Anyways for now all we have to hold on to is three little photo's of our Little Lucy. We have started to pack, get our gifts together for the orphanage and once again just waiting to book our tickets. Tonight I close that Jb and I are trusting in the lord to provide the funds we need for this trip and the adoption.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Lucy called!
it was 6:30 Thursday November 22nd. My cell phone rang and it was Leah from our adoption agency calling to let us know that this a two year old girl named "You Meng Ke" that might be a perfect match for our family. Before calling us Leah told me that she prayed that the lord would make it clear if You Meng Ke would be a match.
Immediately Jb and I rushed to the Pc and downloaded all the info and photo's of her. Instantly we knew this was the little face we have been waiting three years for. Leah informed us that we had until 3 pm Friday the 23rd (@ 20 hours) to decide. Well, well, well our life changed at that very moment.
Three whole years of waiting to see her almond shaped eyes and her captivating smile. After reading the referral information it was quite clear that we are already in love with her.
First thing Friday morning we called Leah and told her to hurry up and do what it takes to get us to China to pick up our daughter!
Immediately Jb and I rushed to the Pc and downloaded all the info and photo's of her. Instantly we knew this was the little face we have been waiting three years for. Leah informed us that we had until 3 pm Friday the 23rd (@ 20 hours) to decide. Well, well, well our life changed at that very moment.
Three whole years of waiting to see her almond shaped eyes and her captivating smile. After reading the referral information it was quite clear that we are already in love with her.
First thing Friday morning we called Leah and told her to hurry up and do what it takes to get us to China to pick up our daughter!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Our next step is the matching room!
Ok this is some very exciting stuff! our next step in our adoption process is the matching room. This is when the China Center of Adoption Affairs matches us with an orphanage then a little orphan girl, who we will call Lucy!
I attached the following update from our adoption agency:
CCAA Completes Review of Dossiers from April of 2007
The CCAA has finished the review of dossiers and paperwork registered with their office in April of 2007. The timeframe for the dossier review process varies as it is based upon the number of dossiers that are logged in during the particular month that is currently under review.
What Does it Mean when My Dossier Has Been Reviewed?
Families often ask what it means when a dossier has been reviewed. The review process is when the CCAA is checking all documents in a family’s dossier. If the CCAA requires any additional information or has any questions about the family, they will contact the agency to request this information and the family will then be contacted to follow up on anything that is needed or requested.
Though the dossier review stage is most often when any issues or questions about a family’s dossier are addressed, the CCAA can sometimes request additional information once a family’s dossier is in the matching room. Though it is more rare, families should be aware that they can still be asked to provide additional information at that stage as well.
So wait! Then wait some more... then just wait!!
John and I are doing well at this point. We know it is just time. We are prepared and really looking forward to the next chapter in our life. I will keep everyone posted as we are unsure of the time frame of the referral. When the phone call and then the famous Fed-Ex package comes we probably will think it is a prank call or something.
We would like to Thank everyone who has been praying for us and who continue to ask us how things are going. It is an encouragement to us both and we look forward to the day we bring her home!
I attached the following update from our adoption agency:
CCAA Completes Review of Dossiers from April of 2007
The CCAA has finished the review of dossiers and paperwork registered with their office in April of 2007. The timeframe for the dossier review process varies as it is based upon the number of dossiers that are logged in during the particular month that is currently under review.
What Does it Mean when My Dossier Has Been Reviewed?
Families often ask what it means when a dossier has been reviewed. The review process is when the CCAA is checking all documents in a family’s dossier. If the CCAA requires any additional information or has any questions about the family, they will contact the agency to request this information and the family will then be contacted to follow up on anything that is needed or requested.
Though the dossier review stage is most often when any issues or questions about a family’s dossier are addressed, the CCAA can sometimes request additional information once a family’s dossier is in the matching room. Though it is more rare, families should be aware that they can still be asked to provide additional information at that stage as well.
So wait! Then wait some more... then just wait!!
John and I are doing well at this point. We know it is just time. We are prepared and really looking forward to the next chapter in our life. I will keep everyone posted as we are unsure of the time frame of the referral. When the phone call and then the famous Fed-Ex package comes we probably will think it is a prank call or something.
We would like to Thank everyone who has been praying for us and who continue to ask us how things are going. It is an encouragement to us both and we look forward to the day we bring her home!
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