6 Month Anniversary

Today is the Six month anniversary of our "Gotcha Day".  We met Shelby on May 30 - Memorial Day and what a memorable day it was, frankly alot of that day was scary for us (and for my Mom, whom I called in tears from Manila).  We thought we had dealt with our own expectations and were ready for a special needs child, but God still had some growing work to do on us (which, of course, is not nearly finished).  Then we actually got to take her with us on June 1st, so that is the day we really celebrate as our "Gotcha Day".  The home where she lived tries to have most families do that with their new child.  We spent a day or two as her guests, just interacting with her and taking her out on little adventures to help her feel more comfortable with us (and us with her for that matter).  We went to the International Adoption Board with her on June 1st, and she officially was signed over to us.  It was happy and scary all at the same time.

It's hard to believe now.  What an adventure!  Our little girl is so much different today than she was just six short months ago.  I am so much different today from having her in my life.  This child that was not born of my body is growing to be such a part of my heart.  The process has been slow and sometimes seemed agonizing for both her parents and for her, yet we are finding love blossoming and joy in the little victories we walk through together.  Every so often when I see Hunter and her playing or giggling together or see her in Scott's lap, I sit amazed that God brought this pint-sized bundle of energy from half-way around the world into our family.

The first picture we ever saw of Shelby (She was about 9 months old).

At ICAB, I guess this is our first "official" family picture.

Outside at their nice sign, she was sooo done with pictures!

This pic is already a couple of months old but I haven't shared it yet. 

Great News!

Playing trains, which really involves a lot of trying to get Shelby to drive them on the track instead of throwing them around.

Becoming Buddies!

I threw the pictures on first since I know that's what you all really want to see.  We had our first post placement visit this week (yes, it's been six weeks already), and these are the two pictures I turned in to be sent to the Philippines.  Hunter and Shelby's relationship has seen some big improvements over the last two weeks.  He still tries to parent her too much (yes, Amy, I hear you chuckling and thinking "Just like his mother did"), but they have started to play and laugh like siblings quite a bit more.  As a matter of fact, when our social worker asked him how being a big brother was, he quickly spouted his typical "Bad" but then he quickly added "actually sometimes good now too".  That pleased his mother's heart because I knew it had been a rough transition for him. 

The really great news comes from another set of meetings we've had this week.  Shelby had her First Steps evaluation this week.  First Steps is a state program to help children who are developmentally behind.  They come to your house, do a free evaluation and interview, and based on the childs needs and your family income, therapists come to your home weekly and you pay on a sliding scale.  We knew before we even brought her home that we would be contacting them and that she should qualify for at least occupational therapy, maybe even more.  Yesterday,  we had our follow-up meeting.  We found out that Shelby is behind in most areas (which did not surprise us) which means she qualifies for a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and developmental therapist to each come for an hour every week.  Besides overwhelming my weekly schedule, I was already seeing big dollar signs in my head as she told us this.  Then she went on to say, our income qualified us to have these services provided at no charge!  Oh yay, to be living on one not-so-large income!!  I really questioned her though only to find out that they have to go by my husband's base pay because production bonuses are economy driven and could be a nice amount or could be nothing.  So his last four paystubs put us in the paying $0 category.  So starting as soon as our doctor signs all the paperwork, we will be having a speech therapist and occupational therapist come weekly.  We are having the developmental therapist come 1-2 times a month.  I figured this was enough to start.  Actually this much may overwhelm her a little but since she was getting therapy 1-2 times a week already in the Phillippines, I think it will be alright.  I'm excited to see what kinds of things they do with her and ways we can be working with her too.  The evaluators even told us a couple of things that we are now beginning to try with her.  I just feel like the more help we can get her early on, the more she can blossom and develop into the person God wants her to be.   

Day Two or Three Home (I Can't Keep Track)

It's good to be home, even though we are still adjusting.  My email inbox is so full, I can't even keep up with all the responding, so please forgive me if you don't get a response for a few days.  Thanks for all the support, emails, cards, texts, and phone calls.  It helps keep me keep going despite the grogginess and mountains of laundry and dishes.

Sleep is a precious thing right now.  Last night was much better, only up once for an hour or so.  However the night before she woke up before I went to sleep, around 10:00, I think, and was just awake until 5:00am.  Then we both slept from 5:00 until 7:30am when Hunter woke us up.  His schedule is still just fine ;).  Everything is so new to her, which I realized it would be, but just not how much until you watch her.  She likes the carpet, the grass, the swing, and especially the mirrors. She is not really liking all the new foods, yet.  Last night I "hid" everything in applesauce to get her to eat.  At this point, it's whatever works!

Hunter pretty much just hovers.  He is still trying to figure out how to interact with her.  He wants to play with her so much, but she often just doesn't understand.  We keep telling him to give it time.  Any time he is not hovering near her which is only usually during her nap time, he is shadowing Scott and I needing a little extra attention.  He has been such a good helper though, and so quick to please.  Last night we tried a bath together.  It was Shelby's first bath ever, and they both had a great time.

Gotcha Day!

We have been without internet access for the last two days, so I apologize for the lack of news coming from us.  It has been a very full few days since meeting Shelby.  Honestly, Scott and I were a little overwhelmed, especially Monday, by a number of things - the main three being lack of sleep, heat (oh SO hot), and Shelby herself.  Tuesday went much better, and we moved back to our apartment that evening.  We got our first full nights sleep since being here.  Shelby continued to stay at the home that day, but we took her for outings, fed her, bathed her, and played with her.  The missionaries took us to see the area where Shelby was from.  We drove up and down "her" streets and even explored a market in her town.  It was a very cultural experience that we will share more about when we get home.

Wednesday was the BIG day for us.  We took Shelby in to her doctor's appointment.  This is the doctor that is in charge of all her physical and occupational therapy.  The therapists and doctor here have seen Shelby every week over the past year.  It was good to hear of her progress and the hope the doctor has for her.  Then we took her out to McDonalds for the first time.  She really liked the french fries!  After that it was on to ICAB (adoption board) for the official entrusting of her to us.  We were given her visa, passport, and other official papers as well as some gifts for her.  After some pictures we brought her home with us, and all conked out for a nap.  Now it is 7:00am Thursday morning, and she is still asleep which totally surprises us because she has been getting up between 4:30 and 5am at the home. 

She has totally taken to Scott.  She literally follows him from room to room and constantly wants to be held by him.  He thinks it very humorous that one of my big prayers and worries was that she might be afraid of him for awhile.  Even when she stirred during the night, she would settle pretty quickly when she reached out and felt his face close by.  We are thrilled with how she is starting to respond and interact with us, and realizing that some of the behaviors and mannerisms that really startled us at first are more "institutional" behaviors, we think.  In other words they are ways and habits that she has developed to soothe herself since there is often not enough loving grown up hands to do that for every child.  It's a wonderful children's home, please don't misunderstand.  The staff is wonderfully committed and loving.  However even they will tell you that each and everyone of those children needs his/her own loving family. 

I'm going to post this quickly and hope that we will have some internet access tonight or tomorrow to post some more.  If not, we love you all and will see many of you Saturday.  I will try to respond to emails as I can, but this was the fastest way to reassure everyone that your prayers are working. 

We made it.

Well, we made it.  Let me tell you, that is one lllllooooonnnnggggg trip!  We had to really move to make our connection in Detroit.  They were doing their final boarding call as we huffed up to the gate, but we made it.  That flight was almost 13 hours long, and it was light the whole way.  Eventually, the flight attendants ask everyone to shut the windows shades and turn down the lights, so people can rest.  Ha,ha, that was not happening very well for me.  I only slept from about 12:30 until 2:30 when they woke everyone up to serve us breakfast.  Then we get off the plane an hour later, and it's 4:30 in the afternoon in Tokyo.  We got on our flight to Manila an hour later, and they immediately serve us supper.  It was wierd!!!  The flight to Manila was better because I managed another hour and a half of sleep.

We met Darren, the missionary from the home, with no problem.  Traffic was really crazy for midnight, but he got us to our accomodations safely.  By the time we got to sleep it was about 2:00am, and the neighborhood rooster woke us up about 6:30. 

This morning was a rough start with no phone, no internet, not tv.  Oh, how spoiled we have become!!!!  At least we had a hot shower.  Our manager has helped us with the internet, but it still seems a little sketchy to me.  At least I can post and contact our driver who is supposed to pick us up in the morning.

At lunch time we took a taxi to the closest mall, Santa Lucia.  It's a VERY westernized mall, not really where we wanted to shop. However we were able to pick up a few things.  It was packed, and let me tell you, we stuck out like crazy!  At least we could have some McDonalds.  I've never thought of McDonalds as comfort food, but oh how good that tasted.  We spent most of the afternoon there and took another taxi back. 

Now we are crashing again.  We have to be up early in the morning, so we are planning to hit the sack soon.  As a matter of fact, it's not quite 6pm, and Scott is snoozing on the couch while I type.  Tomorrow is the big day.  We get to meet our daughter.  Darren has already warned us to not have high expectations for a couple of reasons.  First, he said she is really shy, around everyone but especially around strangers and men.  He said she doesn't even warm up to him very quickly, and he is there all the time.  Second, the social worker is insisting on bringing us out right before morning nap time.  Meaning, she has been up and busy already for 3 hours or so and will really be starting to wear down, needing her nap.  Not the most opportune time to have new people thrown at her. 

So keep praying for us.  Tomorrow will really be our introduction day only.  Hopefully as the day goes on, we can get her to warm up to us a little. Then Tuesday we will again spend a day with her.  Will that be our "gotcha day" when we get to take her.  We will just have to wait and see because, starting tomorrow, our world will once again be ruled by an almost 2 year old. ;)

We're Off!

Well, the suitcases are packed; hopefully we remembered everything.  Our flight leaves at 1:30pm today, and we will arrive in Manila tomorrow night.  The details seem to have come together although we were sweatin' a few of them even until yesterday morning.  Praise the Lord that He knows the big picture and all the small details! There is so much wondering and so much unknown in this whole process that I don't think I could have gotten through this without relying on His bigger wisdom and peace.

Now we've come to the beginning.  Of raising a daughter. Of having a little sister.  Of being a transracial family of 4.  Stay tuned to see how this season unfolds.  I'm sure there will be highs and lows, but through it all, God is faithful to see us through to the finale and beyond to eternity.  Shelby, here we come!!

...When a plan comes together!

It's almost together anyway.  We are leaving on Friday.  This week.  JUST A FEW MORE DAYS!  The flights are booked, and the accomodations are reserved.  I have one big suitcase on my bed right now working on filling it with my things, one duffel bag in the middle of the dining room floor with about two-thirds of the things Hunter will need, and another suitcase on the bedroom floor with way too much stuff for Shelby (which I will be sorting and repacking over the next 48 hours).  I also have a banana box full of gifts and supplies to go to the home,  haven't figured out where those will fit yet.   I'm filling out medical consent forms on the dining room table for the grandparents should they need them for Hunter.  He is not going with us, and will be staying with both sets of grandparents.  I did not want to subject him to a 19 hour plane ride with various layovers in between (nor did I want to subject myself to that with him along ;)). 

I will try to squeak in a few short blogs, well at least a picture or two while we are there.  They are supposed to have good internet service where we are staying, although there is no guarantee.  For a couple nights, we will stay with a missionary teacher out by the children's home.  She has good internet, so hopefully I'll get one good post out. 

Please keep the prayers going strong.  I feel sure that this is God's will for our family, but that doesn't mean that I won't be one big bundle of emotions.  Pray for Shelby to feel comfortable with us very quickly and that we will be polite, respectful travellers while in our daughter's birth country.  Pray for our health and safety as well as for Hunter's as he stays here with the grandparents.  And don't forget to leave a comment or send and email to let us know your praying, even half a world away!

We got the Call!!!!

Ok well actually the email.  This morning our agency forwarded us an email from ICAB telling us everything is ready, and we can make our travel plans.  Yippeeeeeeee!!!!!!!  I've been on the phone and email for the last two hours trying to figure out flights, accomodations, etc.  The hard part is it is 2am in the Philippines, so we won't hear back on some things until late tonight or early tomorrow morning.  We are hoping to be able to get Shelby even before the end of May.  OH... MY... WORD!!!  My heart is racing, and I'm just about in a panic because there are so many things to do in such a little time.   We'll keep you posted as we get the details ironed out in the next few days.  Pray even harder now because I'm really gonna need it over the next few weeks.  Woohoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!  

Nesting

Ok, I think I have started nesting this week, or at least as close as I'm going to get to it.  I decided to clean the ceiling fan in the dining room the other day.  It was really gross and needed it (our woodstove tends to produce a lot of dust during the winter). Then the next day I was dusting and for some odd reason started dusting off all the door and window trim and wiping down walls.  I thought, "What is wrong with me?" cuz if you know me, you know that I am not one of those gals that thoroughly scours the house weekly or even monthly for that matter.  I decide it just must be my homage to spring cleaning, but then the next day, I became obsessed with reorganizing Hunter's bedroom and putting the crib together.  Since we probably won't have Shelby and Hunter's new bedrooms quite finished by the time she comes home, we've decided to have them share Hunter's old room for the first month or so, at least until we can get the baseboard finished and the carpet installed in the new rooms.  She is probably used to having other kids sleeping with her in the same room, and hopefully it will also help them bond as siblings, although Hunter is worried about her crying a lot during the night. 

Anyway, Hunter got excited to help me, so we hauled all the crib pieces upstairs in "a teamwork" as he calls it.  Then we layed out all the bolts and screws and tried to figure out what went where.  We've borrowed the crib from friends, and they forgot to bring the instructions when they brought the crib a week and a half ago.  Of course, I told them we wouldn't be setting it up for awhile.  But I just kept thinking that if we got the call to travel, the poor girl doesn't even have a place to sleep.  So Hunter and I put the whole thing together by ourselves.  (Scott was elbow-deep in an electrical box that was not wired correctly for the type of chandelier we bought and he was trying to hang. Frustrating work!) Hunter really loved the allen wrench, and it only took us a couple of hours.  An added bonus was that I had a wonderful place for a little guy to take his nap when I babysat for a friend on Friday!

April Adoption Update

  It's April, and I'm getting questions almost every day.  The silence has been deafening especially since I had really hoped to travel this month.  Yesterday we finally got an email from ICAB (the adoption board) in the Philippines but it was not the email we wanted.  It told us that Shelby did have her medical appointment at the clinice for her visa.  We knew she would need this and thought it would be her last step in getting her visa approved to come home with us to the U.S.  However that doctor wanted her to have another developmental assessment which was scheduled and did take place on April 1st.  I don't know why I didn't expect this; I really should have.  We have known from the beginning that she was diagnosed with global development delay.  In every day language, she was behind in sitting up, crawling, walking, speech, etc.  We've known this, and we've also gotten positive reports of the progress she has been making with therapy.  So now, in my mind, it only makes sense that this doctor would want her reassessed to show where she has progressed and where she is still behind.  By the way, we will probably do the same thing with an organization called First Steps as soon as we get her home. 

The hold-up now is that the paperwork takes one to two weeks to be made into a report which will then be sent back to the first doctor at the clinic.  That doctor will see her again and (hopefully) sign the papers for her visa.  Then it could take another week or so for her visa to be issued.  Therefore we were informed kindly to not make travel plans yet (ha,ha).   All that being said, I hope that report and second doctor's appointment is being done later this week or early next week.  It's still my prayer.  I am still hoping to get our travel approval by the end of April.  We will definitely not be flying until May, and realistically it may not be until the second or third week.

There is a silver lining in this delay.  You know me: the glass is usually half full.  It gives us a few more weeks to get things settled at Scott's job, where there has been quite a bit of job-shifting and contract negotiations going on.  Hopefully that will resolve within the next week or so.  It will make my husband less stressed and more able to focus on our family.   It also gives us a couple more weeks to work on our house.  We've been pushing hard and a couple more weeks may let us be almost ready to have Shelby in her own room instead of cramming a crib in Hunter's room, although which situation works better for her will end up being the deciding factor, I'm sure.  Also it gives our daughter one more special holiday time with the family that has sponsored her for the past 18 months.  She will hopefully get to spend time with them at Easter like she has every Christmas and Easter of her life.  They are a neat family that is stationed there with the US Army and have really invested in her little life.  It puts my mind at ease to know that she will enjoy family time with them and blossom under their care while she is waiting another few weeks for us.  By the way, they have five children to get her used to the loudness and high activity level of our son. (Oh, did I say that out loud?  Shame on me!)

So that is where things stand.  I'm still busy with preparations.  I've contacted a couple of different places to stay in Manila that both look promising.   I've started packing a suitcase full of little clothes, toys, diapers, and meds to take with us.  I even found an Asian dolly at a resale recently.  It is sooooo cute and it's small.  So I can take it with us.  Most importantly, I still have the most incredible sense of peace that God is in control of this whole crazy wonderful thing, and His timing will be and is perfect.

Time Passing...slowly

Well, time is passing in some respects not quickly enough, at least when it comes to not yet having my daughter in my arms.  We (mostly Scott, really) are working nightly to get the upstairs part of the addition done.  Our goal is to try to have everything done by the time we fly to the Philippines, but realistically we probably will have to wait to have the carpet installed until after we get home.  It really just depends on how quickly we get our travel approval.  We thought that might come in the beginning of April, but then our agency told us that the embassy in Manila closed for the last week of February and the first week of March to move their offices.  We are not sure how this affected our timeline, but in all reality, it probably slowed it down.  Plus Holy week is really big in Manila.  From what we've heard just about everything shuts down that week.  So even if we get our travel approval the first week or two of April, we probably won't travel until after Easter.  That being said,  I'm still praying that we can have Shelby home by Easter.  Pray for God's timing for us (and my patience) won't you? 

We have heard some updates from various sources.  We got a few more recent pictures.  They are darling, but you'll have to take my word on it for now.  Until it is official and we have her in our arms, I can't and won't be posting any online.  I've also just heard that she has recently started walking by herself and clapping when she does because she's so happy with herself.  How cute is that?!  And how jealous and sad am I that I am missing out on that!  This too I must drop in my heavenly Father's lap and trust that He will redeem the losses with greater good.  It's a hard life lesson and one, I fear, that I am still learning. 

We have our final meeting with our agency before travelling this coming Friday.  I asked for it to be scheduled a little early.  I want to get going on lists.  For those of you who are list people you will understand how important that is to my mental well-being.  Plus, I think we have to take some little gifts for social workers, nannies, etc.  I want to get all that information and have time to find stuff.  We also want some time to price flights, hotels, guesthouses, drivers, etc.  All those details that take time for planners like my husband and myself.  It will make the time go faster and help us feel more prepared to be working on those kinds of things. 

On a sidenote, I just found out this morning that our church directory will be redone this May and June.  I was so happy to think that our new addition will be included in our next family picture.  Yay...it's the little things in life that keep me smiling.  Also smiled today while doing laundry because on Saturday, I went to a children's resale and came home with 8 or 10 adorable outfits.  Also picked up some formula and our first pack of diapers.  I told Scott that just those simple things makes me feel so much more ready to go. 

To Manila, With Love

Sorry to get your hopes up from the title, we are not off to Manila yet.  However good news came in the mail today.  The National Visa Center informed us that as of February 10th, they have sent our visa approval on to the US Embassy in Manila.  From what I understand, the US Embassy will log this approval in to their database and schedule a medical appointment and interview for Shelby.  This takes about six to eight weeks.  The visa is issued about 10 days following those appointments.  Then we will given our invitation to travel.  So the good news is that we could travel in as little as two months.  That being said, I looked at the calendar to find that falls very close to Easter.  I've been doing some reading on the Philippines and have found that being a predominantly Catholic country, the celebration of Holy Week is huge.  I mean REALLY BIG!  Everything shuts down and there are festivals, parades, and goings on every day.  Therefore realistically, our travel will probably be pushed off until May. 

In some ways we are so ready, and in others we are not nearly ready.  We have a lot physically to get done to the house in that amount of time.  I know my husband is already feeling that pressure.  I also know that my life, schedule, and independence will drastically change as well.  You easily forget how demanding little ones can be once they are big enough to be on the go with you.  And honestly, we don't know how drastically her needs may change our lives.  We are still excited but just coveting your prayers... for God's timing, for physical and emotional strength, and for a good transition for our little girl and our whole family.  Thank you for all the praying you have already been doing; we've seen God move clearly in this whole process.  We can't wait to see what He will continue to do.

Snow Fun And Updates

Went outside the other day to shovel off sidewalks, really a waste of time since we get another inch of snow every other day. However, Hunter really wanted to go out to play, and I needed to fill bird feeders.  While out, Hunter asked if I would help him build a snowman.  For the life of me, I could not get the snow to pack into a good ball and get the ball to grow bigger and bigger.  I don't know if it is our snow consistency, or if I have just lost the knack since I haven't built snowmen frequently in a few ok many years.  Well, I had to think quickly or face the disappointment a my four year old, so instead we made Gus the snow seal (with the help of some mulch and leftover stalks from my flowerbed).

Hunter likes him and checks on him out the window every day.  Whew!  I'm glad we could save the day.  This creation probably is a little more like a walrus with his buck teeth, but I'm not about to argue that point since the boy is happy.

Adoption update:

We have heard from our agency that Shelby is still progressing with physical and occupational therapy.  The home where she is at is getting a second opinion.  Apparently they didn't really agree with the latest diagnosis either.  We have requested a video.  However our agency was not very encouraging on really getting one.  It doesn't really matter if we do, although we would LOVE to have one.  Kids come with uncertainties, and no two are alike.  She is ours, and with God's strength, we'll deal with her needs as best as we can.  We feel the love, support, and interaction of a family will go a long way to improving whatever conditions she comes to us with!

Care Package and clothes

Well, this weekend didn't go as planned, so I don't have pictures of a painted bedroom to share yet.  Also I'm not sure I like the two colors together so I really don't know if I'll be posting anything on that front yet. 
However, we did have quite a week of ups and downs.  First we got to send a care package to our little girl.  We met a couple in our adoption classes who left on Friday to go pick up their son.  We are excited for them and were also happy to be able to send a few things for Shelby.  As you can see, we sent an outfit, a camera, a photo album, and a little lovey which I actually slept with for over a month so it smells like us.  We've read and heard from other sources that this can help with her transition to us because little children, especially, will recognize smell and find it comforting.

We let Hunter pick out some of the pictures we sent, the lovey, and hair bows that we also included.  He was excited to send her some things so she could get to know our family. 

Then on Thursday, I stopped at a children's resale store to check out what was on clearance.  I figured maybe they would have some inexpensive spring and summer things since it is the wrong season here now.  I'm suddenly realizing that we really have NOTHING for a little girl who we could be getting in a few months.  We got spoiled with Hunter because of all the baby showers you have for a first child.  So I found a couple of pairs of jeans, shorts, and dressier outfits, and some shoes.  Ok, I'm really guessing on shoe size because the size they told us we think was a Euro size.  I bought a size 2 and a size 3.  Don't think Hunter ever wore shoes that small! She is such a tiny thing!

Size 3 but still think they may be too big.

We also got another medical report from the Philippines on Friday with yet another new diagnosis.  However there were no reasons, symptoms, or tests listed to tell us what this really meant.  Also we are pretty sure it is a different doctor than she has seen before.  So we are trusting God that she is still where we thought she is developmentally and are hoping to receive some further clarifications in the next week or two, like maybe a video or a second opinion.   This journey is certainly stretching us and growing our faith and trust in God. 

Of Remodeling and New Recipes

Well, I thought things would slow down once the new year came in.  Ha, ha, I should have known better.  New Year's eve on through Monday, Scott and I worked almost constantly on Hunter's new bedroom in the addition we put on this summer.  I know borders aren't really "in" right now, but I found this border at a resale and it is just so Hunter that I had to use it.  This was kind of a good thing because, Mom could use the excuse of matching the border to tone down the John Deere green and yellow colors that Dad and Hunter wanted to paint.  As you can see, it is still green and yellow but hopefully a little more muted and tasteful.  Hunter absolutely loves it.  He kept running in as I got each section of border done to look at it and even touch it.  I do really like how it turned out and most of all I like that the room is done except for trim molding and carpet (both of which are not my job, yeah!).  Since Scott went back to work this week, I have started tackling closets, cleaning the drywall, priming, and painting.  It keeps us moving ahead, and I figure I can't mess those up to badly despite frequent interruptions from a little person.

Looking in from the doorway

I also decided to use one of my Christmas gifts this week.  Scott got me two books that I wanted as shown below.

I figured that there was no time like the present to try preparing a Filipino meal.  I saw with my own eyes how much it meant to my nephews, especially at the beginning, when my sister would cook them an Ethiopian meal.  Familiar food can be so comforting.  So this children's book is about a little girl who helps her mom cook pancit and the recipe is at the back of the book.  I also picked a recipe for chicken lumpia from my new recipe book.  Pancit is a rice stick noodle dish with vegetables and either chicken or pork, and lumpia is chopped chicken and vegetable eggrolls.  I forgot to take a picture when I dished it up, but I did remember just as I was putting the leftovers away.  This is how it looked:

Hunter really liked the lumpia (eggroll), but he kept calling the pancit snake noodles.  He did eat one whole lumpia and about half of the pancit on his plate, so I felt that was pretty good for a new experience.  Not sure if it was at all authentic, but at least it was a start.

I've also been spending hours this week filling out paperwork.  We had three forms to fill out for Immigration Services, one of which was 12 pages long.  We also had a couple of forms to fill out for the US Embassy in Manila and had to send copies of the last 3 years taxes.  It was a crazy big bundle.  Last night, I just kept shoving pages in front of Scott saying, "Sign here and here; now sign again here."  I went over them all one more time today; found a BIG envelope and took it to the Post Office.  It gave me a good sense of accomplishment, and it takes us one step closer to bringing our girl home.

It's A Girl!!!!!

We are sooooo excited to announce that we have been approved to adopt a little girl, Finally!  We found her on a list of waiting children on Labor Day and requested more information on her.  It took two weeks to get information on her but only about two days for us to decide we wanted to adopt her.  We waited two months for the ICAB in the Philippines to approve us.  It took so long I was beginning to question if this is what God really wanted for us, fearing that I had once again pushed ahead of His timing.  I prayed and prayed that we would be approved by Thanksgiving if this little girl was really supposed to be a part of our family.  When Thanksgiving came and went, I thought "Well, that's my answer."  Then we got the call the Monday after Thanksgiving that we had been approved.  When I got the paperwork, it was dated November 25, 2010.  Do you know what day that was?  You guessed it....Thanksgiving Day!  Do we serve an awesome God or what?!!!!  Now you are asking why has it taken me so long to post since we've been approved for two weeks.  Well,  Satan's last scare tactic for us was to throw some new things on her medical updates that were not diagnosed before.  It took us a couple of days of praying, crying, and seeking  advice from medical professionals to be sure that we had peace and were understanding the needs of this little girl.  It's quite a different process than just waiting and being matched with a "healthy" child.  (I put healthy in quotes because you never really know for sure with adoption anyway.)  I want to give a big thank you to my sister, Amy, for letting me cry and ask questions and cry some more =)

  So here is the scoop:  She is 17 months old (which is at least a year younger than we thought we would be getting).  We are naming her Shelby Rebecca.  I won't posted pictures until she is ours after we go get her.  Sorry but some countries get a little funny about blogs and posting pics before things are official.  She is developmentally behind due to chronic malnutrition.  She also has a lazy eye so will probably need glasses when she comes home, at least for awhile.  She has a heart shaped face, light skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes.  She is cute and oh so TINY.  She only weighs 17.6 lbs and is about 28 inches tall.  That will be quite different for us since Hunter was really only small the first six weeks of his life. Right now we think she is about at the 10-12 month mark in meeting her developmental milestones.  She is sitting up, crawling, and standing with assistance.  She also can walk sidesteps holding onto things.  As far as we know she is not saying any recognizable words yet but is babbling quite a bit like "ba,ba,ba".  Language is probably the area that is furthest behind for her (also quite different for us since Hunter is and always has been very verbal).  She is getting physical therapy now and will also start occupational therapy after the first of the year while waiting for us to come get her.  We are really hopeful that with a loving family, good nutrition, and early intervention programs like First Steps once she's here, she will "catch up" quickly, but we know that that too is in God's hands.

As far as time frame goes, we have been told by our agency that it will take 4 to 6 months until we can go get her.  Some of that depends on how quickly we can get paperwork completed for immigration visas.  We are hoping that we can go as early as late April but understand that it will probably be more like May.  Actually that is not a bad thing because it may take us until then to get Hunter's and her bedrooms finished in our new addition =).

We really feel grateful that God has moved so quickly in bringing us a daughter.  Wait times for adopting children from the Philippines just seem to get longer and longer.  The Philippine adoption yahoo group I am part of has families that have been waiting since fall of 2008.  Our agency has told us that the time from when you are approved until you are matched is now 18-24 months, but realistically families are waiting more like 30-36 months to get matched with a child and then another six months to travel.  I know mentally it is always worth the wait, but emotionally I just don't know if I could have done it.  I didn't think it would happen this fast for us, but I am very thankful just the same.

Good News!

Finally received an email tha we have been awaiting for a few months. We have received our ICAB approval. That means that the adoption board in the Philippines has approved us to adopt and added us to the file of prospective families that the social workers use to match children to. Yeah! Yippee! Wahoo!!!

I know the logical next question you all have is how long will it take to be matched to a child. The best answer I can give you is only God knows so pray, pray, PRAY! I am finding I have an impatient streak in me, can you tell? All joking aside, we have been told to expect a year, but one thing I'm learning about developing countries is that their timeline never matches what we are told. A couple of things give me hope for our journey. We are open to a sibling group, some special needs, and children up to four years old. That said, I am also trying to learn to depend on God's timing and claim his promises for the children we so desire. As a matter of fact, I'm claiming a new verse this morning. I saw a segment of it in Mary Beth Chapman's new book Choosing To See and had to find it for myself.

It's Isaiah 43:5, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west."

Now I know that you theologians are going to tell me that this verse is all about Israel being brought back from bondage, and I won't argue with you. However, although, I may be using it a bit out of context, it fits our journey PERFECTLY considering that Americans are considered westerners and the Philippines is part of Asia considered to be the east. So, even though I am not joining some name it and claim it form of religion, I firmly believe that God is letting me use this piece of His spoken Word for my family as we try to follow His Will for our lives.

How about you? What verse is God giving you for this time of your life? Dig in and find one and then share it with me by leaving a comment.

Adoption prayer request

I just received an email from our agency giving me another two questions to give more information about to the Intercountry Adoption Board in the Philippines. This is very frustrating because one of the questions again asks for more clarification on my abnormal PAI-1 levels which is why I have repeatedly miscarried and really why we decided to try to adopt. We have already sent a letter from my doctor yet they keep questioning.

This also means that we have not even been approved yet to adopt by the Philippines board. Honestly this had me in tears because I was expecting to hear that we had been approved a couple of months ago and just not informed in a timely manner. They have had our dossier since March, and we figured that no news was good news.

Please pray that my answers will reassure them and that we will be approved to adopt quickly. We were told that once we were approved, we would probably have a year to wait until we are matched with a child. These delays in our application approval are only adding more time on to that year. We are trying to wait patiently on God's timing, so please pray that delays like this don't bog us down emotionally and spiritually.

Thanks, everybody!

Filipino Fun Facts, Part 1

The process of international adoption is full of times of waiting. We are currently in one of those times. All of our paperwork is in the Philippines. We received an email on Friday saying that our case file had been given to one of the board members to review and then present to the full Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB). We also went to have our fingerprints done last Wednesday as part of our process of applying to US Immigration to bring a child from another country into the United States. So while we are in this time of waiting, we have been doing some reading and researching about the history and culture of the Philippines. Here are some of the interesting things we are learning:

The Filipino flag is shown above. The three stars represent the 3 regions of the country. Even though it is a country made of 7,000 islands, it is divided into 3 main regions. The sun with 8 rays represent the 8 provinces that originally stood against Spanish rule when they were a colony of Spain and desiring independence. The blue and red stand for generosity and courage, respectively.

This photo shows a boy sitting atop a caraboa which is a domesticated type of water buffalo. Caraboa are the main form of work animals that are used on farms. The Philippines is known for growing rice and corn as their two main crops. The caraboa is very important to this economy and can even be found in some of their art and sculpture.

We've also learned that the Philippines is one of the top Asian countries for population growth. It has a population of about 90 million. It is steeped in poverty and therefore hunger. I read about one gallup pole from 2008 that listed them as the 5th highest country in the world for hunger measured by the number of people going involuntarily with food on a daily basis. These factors lead to a lot of children that are orphaned or abandoned. Fortunately the Philippines has a pretty good system of foster care and well-trained caring orphanages to help these children. I am also currently reading a book entitled Not Yet Home: Where Filipino Children Wait for Adoption which is a book put together in 2007-2008 highlighting all of the orphanages and foster care agencies in the Phillipines. This book has been comforting and a good tool to help me pray for the people that are caring for our child before he or she comes home.

Adoption update

Just a quick and exciting update in our adoption process. We found out from our program director on Saturday that our dossier had been sent out to the Philippines on Monday, February 2nd. WHOOOHOO! She apologized for the late notice. She thought she had sent us something that told us that already, I guess. The funny thing was I had just had a week where all I could think about was what in the world was holding up our dossier from being sent because we hadn't heard anything in weeks. I finally realized on Thursday, while working through a lesson for my ladies bible study, that this need to have some sort of control over this process and push my timeline was not relying on God. If anything it was giving Satan a foothold and stealing my joy and hope in this journey that God has laid before us. So I confessed all this to God and asked him (again) to just let me be still, know that He is God, and rest in His plan in His time. Then I find out 2 days later that our paperwork was already on its way. It may even be in the Philippines by now and starting the review process. It brought to mind my Selah song that I have claimed as my personal promise "UnRedeemed". If you haven't heard it, find it online and listen. Powerful message that has helped me deal with 2 miscarriages and the ups and downs of international adoption.
Also for those of you who have asked, I double-checked and our paperwork will NOT need to be translated because the official language of the Philippines is english. This will save us a little time too, hopefully. Our next milestone will come when we get official notification from the Philippines' government that we have been accepted as Prospective Adoptive Parents - PAPs (They are pretty big on their acronyms, I guess.). Our program director says that averages 4-6 weeks, so I'm hoping by Easter.
So this post hasn't turned out to be too quick like I said and thought it would be at the beginning. One last thing, as you think of our family please start praying now for this new child coming into our family because since we are adopting a toddler/preschooler, he or she has already been born and is living halfway around the world. While the Philippines has pretty good orphanages and foster systems in place, our child may still be struggling with the effects of poverty. Just ask the Lord for his/her protection and steady people in his/her life to meet physical, emotional, and developmental needs since we are unable to do that yet.