Baby Shower!

What a blessing! A group of wonderful friends gave me a baby shower today. I am so touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity. I could not believe all the gifts and well wishes that Hannah received. God is SO GOOD to us!!

Just so you know, Hannah is definitely a princess...and she now has the clothes to prove it! Blessed baby girl, you and Mommy are going to have some major dress up times ahead!

Over and over God amazes me with His love and His way of providing for us. Thank you, God for blessing us with a wonderful church family here and back home to help us bring baby Hannah home!

Nine months old today

Hannah is nine months old today. While we hate to miss this milestone in her life, we are thankful that there are not many more milestones that we will miss. We received our I-171H on Saturday (permission from US immigration to bring an orphaned child back to the United States). We are so glad to have it! We still have to get our Chinese visas, which we will hopefully get to do tomorrow. Keith and I will get to take a road trip to the Chinese Consulate in Frankfurt! Next week, we will get to go pick up our visas, then the only thing we will have left to wait on is the invitation to travel from the People's Republic of China. After that, it is plane tickets and travel!

I have some lovely friends who are giving me a baby shower on Saturday. It will be a fun celebration of Hannah's impending arrival. I am so thankful for good friends and good times!

An update!

We received an update yesterday. Hannah has 2 teeth, weighs a whopping 10 kg (22 pounds), is 73 cm (28 3/4 inches) long, and has a 10 cm (4 inch) foot. She can sit alone, crawl foward and is beginning to pull herself up. We were hoping for updated pictures, too, but we are happy that we have received anything.

Just so you know, we have been warned to take these measurements with a grain of salt since they do not usually undress the babies for their exams and the babies are usually dressed in SEVERAL layers of clothes, so she may be a fair amount smaller than this.

I believe that by being sent this information, that China has received our letter of intent to adopt. That is great news for us. Maybe they can start processing our travel approval before the Chinese New Year celebrations start next week. We are ready to go to China and get our Hannah!!

Pictures!!!

Here is Hannah Elizabeth FuLan Ross.

Looking mighty cute, I might say!

Keith and I fell in LOVE the moment we saw her!

Looks like she may have a serious side, too!
We'll just have to hug all the seriousness right out of her!

We have signed and mailed our acceptance letter back to our adoption agancy. Now, can we go get her?Praise God for His abundant blessings. We are just so excited, He provides more for us than we could have ever imagine. What an absolutely beautiful daughter (and sister) that He has given to our family!

More...

Here's that map again, but now we know where Hannah is! Now we just wait to bring her home.

Referral day was exhausting! We didn't sleep much, and I would like to say that it is because we were up calling all of our friends and family, but our phone went out of order yesterday and it is still not fixed!

We found out the meaning of her name. Xiu, which is actually her last name and the name given to all the babies at the orphange means "grace". Fu is her first name, which is given to many of the babies at the same orphanage and means "fortunate". Lan is most likely the name that she goes by and means "orchid". We are most likely going to name her Hannah Elizabeth FuLan Ross. We are over the top with excitement!

Referral

We are so blessed to announce the referral of our baby, Hannah Elizabeth.
Chinese name: Xiu Fu Lan
DOB: May 20, 2006
Location: Xiushan Social Welfare Institute, Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province

Right now that is all the information that we have. Hopefully, we will have the English translations and a picture tomorrow. If not, then it will be Monday.

Wait...

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Isiah 40:31

Today we are waiting for word from our agency. I pray that God is glorified today in all that we do. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Delivery on the way!!!

I hope DHL can fly and drive FAST! News from our agency says that there is a DHL package on the way, due to arrive either Thursday or Friday. They cannot confirm what is in the package, but we are hoping and praying that it is referrals!

Hannah, baby girl, God is protecting that package to ensure delivery in His time. We cannot wait to hear more about you. You are already so precious to us!

Once we get "the call" from our agency, we will still have to wait a few days for the English translation. At that point, we will actually get to see pictures of Hannah. Since we are living overseas, the logistics of getting the paperwork back and forth is a little complicated. We will get the package from our agancy on either Saturday, Monday or Tuesday. Boy, we are in for another LONG weekend!

How Many Times Can We Update the Nursery?

I know, I know...we already said that we were done with the nursery. Well...Keith decided that the blue carpet just really didn't match, and I had to agree. So out it went, to be replaced by a nice cream color. Much better!

And we found this cute as can be bunny blanket! Had to get one of those. I was hoping to get more than one because I am hoping that Hannah will love it as much as I do, but one was all that they had.


Finally, here is an upclose picture of the detail on her blanket to match her room. I just love those butterflies!!

Now we are just waiting until next week...only a few more days! Hopefully then, you will be able to see her picture instead of just her room! Praise God!

Where is Hannah?

Where is Hannah? We'd all like to know...but God knows already. He has been watching over her since before the world was created. His plan, His baby, His adoption...

Well rest assured, baby girl, we are coming to get you...as soon as we can.

Homestudy update completed...again and again

Our second homestudy update is competed. Yes, second update, which means our third homestudy in all. We are keeping social workers around the world gainfully employed!

One of the many tasks that have to be fulfilled when internationally adopting a baby is getting clearance from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Sevices. This entails a fair amount of paperwork proving our citizenship, our marriage, and our both financial and emotional ability to care for another child. We obtained this clearance first in July of 2005, which was required when we submitted our dossier to China. However, this paperwork expires after 18 months, so we get to do it again. Since it takes a while to get all the paperwork together, homestudy updates, fingerprint clearance, we started the process back in September of 2006. Here it is January, and we are still trying to get it all together and in the same place. We received word from our SW, Jane Santos, that our homestudy is complete and in the hads of our adoption agency for clearance before going to the USCIS. Hopefully sometime next week, we will have the letter of recommendation from Dillon (a letter stating that yes, they agree that we are fit to adopt, and that they are the agency representing us) and our official homestudy update. Once all of this gets to USCIS, we should have our I-171H in a couple of weeks.

It used to be that the US consulate did not question your I-171H when the adoption agency requested your appointment, however, since the wait in China has increased, they are now requesting that you have this new I-171H in hand prior to making your appointment. Nothing like adding just a little stress to the timing for many parents. But we know that God has it all in control, so we are not worried. Whether it be that we have it done in time, or our travel is delayed, there is nothing we can do to change the outcome by worrying...so we don't.

Now we just wait, eagerly of course, for our referral in just a few weeks. Followed, by...you guessed it! More paperwork.

Ringing in the New Year

Ah, new beginnings...

2006 is laid to rest, and 2007 has begun. A New Year with new happenings. What do we expect in form 2007? A baby girl, for one (no we haven't heard anything, yet), Keith starting his Master's, a trip to China, an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for David, a trip home this summer, Jeremiah turning 12 and starting 7th grade, David starting his JUNIOR year of high school (how in the world did he grow up so fast?), college aptitude tests, college applications...a year of growth and praising God!

Sadly, we know that 2007 will go by as fast if not faster than 2006. When I was young, I remember feeling that it took FOREVER for my birthday to come, and even longer for Christmas to come. I spent my teenage years waiting for spring break, or even better, summer break. My mom, in her wisdom, told me that time would fly by when I got to be her age. Of course she had not idea what she was talking about (since, I , the ever smart teen, knew everything). Yet here I am, her age...and wishing that I could go back and relive those moments that I wished away. Oh how life just speeds by.

OK, enough of the nostalgia...now for a baby update. Referrals for December have not been received by the agencies yet. Yes, I know that in a few moments it will be January. No, I am sure that they are not skipping a month. Occassionally, referrals get sent out late enough that they arrive early in the next month. There is still a VERY SLIM chance that we will be inccludedin the December referral batch. Most likely, we are still looking at the late January batch to see Hannah for the first time. As usual, we will know more once they actually send out the referrals.

Good news, we finished the nursery (except for the screws for the dresser knobs, which are, of course, not available in Germany).

Keith and I made these shelves. Most of the dolls are ones that I had growing up.

A crib fit for a princess!

See the knobs on the dresser? They are not really attached...we need longer screws!!

Her name, painted, varnished and hung!!

The finished product...of course Brutus is keeping the window seat nice and warm.

Now for our baby girl to come home and put this room to use!!

Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How wonderful that we have a God who loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son to earth, to be born as a babe, grow to a man, then take on the sin of the world, be crucified and then raised from the dead! Our God is so gracious!

We know that God is watching over Hannah today. It is hard to think of her lying in a crib, thousands of miles away while we are celebrating here at home. It would have been so nice to have her here, where we could care for her, provide for her needs, and share this time of joy with her. But we know that she is not alone. We pray for her, the other children of the orphanage, and their caregivers today that they will all feel the love of Christ.

We have saved her presents...they are still under the tree. We still have the ones that we bought her last year, too, when we thought that she would be home in early summer of 2006. Her ornament (a family tradition) is not hung on the tree, but is also waiting for her. What a celebration there will be when she finally makes it home...many celebrations!!


Hannah, know that Daddy, Mommy, big brothers, David and Jeremiah, grandparents, family and friends are all praying for you today. We wish you a Merry Christmas and promise that the next one will be even merrier. Stay warm, know that you are loved, and that we'll be there soon!

Referrals still have not come in for December, but we have resigned ourselves that we will be in the late January batch anyways. At least then, if we get it in December we will be thrilled, but if it is January, we will not be disappointed.

Soon...I hope

December or January? That is the question. We will see Hannah's face soon, though...real soon. Referrals (picture, birth information, health history, etc.) usually come at the end of the month, so Hannah's face will either be a Christmas present, or a late Christmas present :) I'll take either one knowing that my God is in charge of her arrival.

We received our travel packet from our agency last week on Sunday, the 3rd of December. I did not even know that our post office had special holiday hours that included Sunday, until we went in to check our mail box. What a surprise! We know a little more about what to expect once we get our referral, and have a stack of forms about an inch thick to fill out between now and travel time. We have even more forms to fill out if Keith cannot travel with us. :( But we are hoping and praying that he will be able to go. If he doesn't, I still have to take an adult travel companion...any volunteers? (Valid passport, Chinese visa, and endless patience and energy required.)

Keith will be home soon, and in time to celebrate Christmas with us. He's been playing in Denmark of all places (His location is no longer classified). We are all going to be so happy to be back together.

I praise God for each of you and your support for us through this adoption. We cannot wait to share our good news with you.

Oh yeah, and leave a comment or 2...I know you come to visit this site, so let us know that you have been here. Someday we will be able to share our wait with Hannah, once she is old enough to understand, and we would love to share with her your thoughts and prayers, too. You can either click on "comments" at the end of the post time stamp, or over on the right, under "links", you can click on the "guestbook". Either way...just do it!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, it's not just a day to eat turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie until you are so full that you cannot breathe (although that is good, too). This Thanksgiving is a day of reflection on how God has so truly blessed our family.

God has given Keith and I a wonderful marriage. I am so thankful for Keith and everything that he is to our family: a follower of God, a great husband, an awesome dad, a hero to our boys, and a father-to-be for our precious Hannah. I am so thankful that God has brought Keith and I together in this way.

God has given us two handsome sons. It is incredible to watch David grow to become a man. He is a faithful Christian and is not afraid to stand up for what he believes. He is a friend to everyone. He is so intelligent and aspires to be just like his dad. He has grown so much this year physically, emotionally and spiritually. I am thankful for him.

Jeremiah is such a blessing to our lives. He is kind, caring, and compassionate. He loves nothing more than to serve others and to gloify God in doing so. He, too, is a wonderful young man, and I am thankful for him.

Although we have not yet met Hannah, we are also blessed by even konwing that she exists. This adoption, and watching God be so faithful in it, has brought our family closer. Hannah, as we wait for you, God has given us patience, understanding, and an unbelievable peace. Yes, the wait has been so much longer than we ever anticipated, but we have seen God's hand throughout each day.

So this Thanksgiving, we find our family all over the world...our parents, brothers, and sisters in the states, Keith away from home at an undisclosed location, the boys and I here in Germany, and Hannah in China, but we know that no matter how far apart we all are, God's arm is not too short to keep us all together.

I am thankful for an awesome God who is always faithful. His love for us is beyond measure, and we see it every day.

David Speaks

Wow! I really do talk. I thought that I might tell all of Mom's friends about what I think about the adoption. First of all, I would like to verify that the window seat was REALLY my idea. I would also lke you to know that Mom spent hours (no joke) doing trigonometry to figure out what angle to cut the wood in. She probobably wore holes in graph paper redrawing this toybox/windowseat.

Anyways...
My thoughts on the adoption at first were that it was kinda like a phase or fad. They would talk about nonstop for about a week or so, then drop it completely, wonder were the money was going to come from, and cancel the adoption. (makes no sense, I know. I tried.) Then, when I realized that they were serious, I had to think about whether or not I really wanted a baby sister. Eventually after much thought (and a couple of grounding threats (just kidding)) I decided that getting a baby sister from China would be kinda cool. I mean, how many other 15 year old guys get to go to China to get a baby sister? My only concerns right now are noise control (wailing baby, screaming mom, etc), damage control (peanut butter in the keyoard, memory card over here and over there at the same time, broken nose, etc), and college money. I am clearing out my savings to go to China, so hopefully mom can pay me back (with a 200% interest rate, compounded daily) in a few years. I start college in 2 1/2 years, so I'll just have to trust that God will provide. And with FoxMarkt, I can start saving money on everything! At FoxMarkt, I was able to get a suit for homecoming for only 20 Euro! The only thing that they do not have there is shoes for guys in high school. I know, I digress.

I hope that Hannah is nice to mom after I am gone, or I will have to make her live with me and that would not be much fun for both of us. But, deep down I really do want a baby sister. I have prayed about God helping me to live with a new sister. It will be challenging, but I will get over it.

That's all I have to say about that.

Big Brother David
who has a myspace, so if you are really bored, you can hit the link to myspace, then the link to mom's blog from myspace and go in circles all day!

OK, blogger is having difficulty with the links so if you want to go to myspace, just copy and paste this url into the browser.
www.myspace.com/davidsawesomespace

So when it works you can do the circle thingy.

We expect to see her face in December!

Can it be true? Is it possible? We might actually get to see Hannah's face in the late December/early January set of referrals from China! Our baby girl should get to come home in February or March! Since it looks like we will be receiving our referral in late December, we will receive our travel approval (TA) approximately a month later. The TA is China's official invitation to travel. Once we have received that, we have to ask for an appointment at the US consulate, called the CA. Usually, you get approval of the CA within 24-48 hours after receiving the TA. The CA determines when you travel to China to pick up your new daughter.

Our only possible problem lies in the fact that the Chinese New Year is in February this year. It starts on the 18th of February and lasts for 15 days, so there is no traveling to China during this period. Well, we could travel, but nothing would be open and hotels would be booked...

However, God has carried us this far and will not leave us without a plan. From the beginning, we can see how God has orchestrated this entire adoption, and have NO DOUBT that He will see it through to completion!

Eager for news?

Eager for news? Me too! I am waiting to hear how far many dates the CCAA has matched this month. Each month, we draw a little closer to seeing our baby Hannah's face. Right now, December is looking good, but we won't know much more until then. Well, we could know that the wait is getting longer, but we won't be able to tell that the wait is getting shorter, unless of course we receive a call in November!

For now, we will just have to settle for no news...

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, China officially received our paperwork requesting a baby. What a long year that has been...

1 Thess 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Wishing Away My Life

OK, so I am not really wishing away my life, but sometimes it seems that way. Each month, when referrals come out, the wait just gets longer. Sometimes the wait just increases by a month, sometimes more. When we submitted our dossier to China in September, we expected to receive an LID (log in date, the date that China officially receives your paperwork) in mid to late September. At that time the wait was 6-7 months, so we expected a referral in March or April 2006. In October, the wait was still 6-7 months, and since we did not get a log in date of September like we thought, our official wait began in October, moving our expected referral date to April or May. Then the slowdown started.

Here is a visual:
In September we expected a referral in March
In October we expected a referral in April
In November we expected a referral in May
In December we expected a referral in May
In January we expected a referral in June
In February we expected a referral in July
In March we expected a referral in July
In April we expected a referral in August
In May we expected a referral in September
In June we expected a referral in September
In July we expected a referral in October
In August we expected a referral in October
In September we expected a referral in November
Now we expect a referral in December or January, most likely January.

So, as you can see, for those of you who are wondering if this will really happen, it is not that we have been trying to deceive. We don't even know from one month to the next what to expect. In reality, I am not wishing away my life, just in a hurry to get from one month to the next to see if referrals will come sooner or later. Will the wait increase (say NO!!!!), stay the same (UGH!), or decrease (YEAH!!!!!)? Will we get to hold our precious Hannah this winter, or will it be spring?

Now on to the more fun stuff. We finally finished the toy box that we started for the room. It was a lot of work ,but well worth it. It turned out even better than I ever thought.



Now if we could just keep the cat off of it!


I am almost finished with the letters that we did for her name. I still have to varnish those and hang them up.


I have finished 2 cross stitch bibs, and am working on a third one.


We still have to sand, stain, varnish and hang 2 more shelves for her room and put the knobs on the dresser...


THEN THE ROOM WILL BE DONE!! Do you think that is why the wait is taking so long, because we still have more to do? Say it isn't so, because if we had the referral today, we'd have that room ready!! Keith and I both have experience at pulling all-nighters. (See, Mom, college taught us something!)