Tomorrow is a Big Day...

The day of Anna's first palate surgery is almost here. I cannot begin to explain the mix of emotions that I have right now. Anyone who has had a child to have to endure a surgery I am sure can understand. I am very excited to begin the process, but then the other part of me wants to say, "never mind...she is just fine they way she is."

I obviously dread the surgery, the pain, the healing process, but there is also a feeling of loss. I know it may sound strange to some, but I will miss her little crooked smile. The first time Anna smiled at us with her little teeth all out of line...it just melted my heart. The precious little grin that we all fell so madly in love with will soon be changing. I have taken many pictures of her because I never want to forget that smile. I want Anna to know that we are beginning this process to help her with speech and eating...not because she wasn't perfectly created.

What some may view as a curse, has brought our family a great blessing. Due to her "special need" a series of events occurred that caused her to need a family. I am so thankful that God allowed us to be that family for her. I am thankful that He has provided the means for the surgery to be done. Although I have a mix of emotions...I am thankful. I know that God started all of this and I know it will all work out as it should....it is God's plan. I know I may wear it out, but I know God's timing is perfect and His plans are complete. He will finish this good work.

Please pray for Anna as she begins this process. Please pray for everyone that has any contact with her and with her care. Also, please pray for Rodney and I that we make all the right decisions and the boys as they will be at home and do worry about her. Her surgery is early tomorrow morning. We are leaving tonight in order to try to make sure Anna gets a good night's rest. Tomorrow is a big day. The surgery will consist of an alveolar bone graft. They will be taking a bone from her rib, grafting it into the "gap" of her gum line and then working as much of the hard palate behind the gum line as they can. She will have a sore mouth and a sore side. They were unable to schedule an ENT, so she will not have the tubes done tomorrow. She will be on a liquid diet, which will be so hard for her now...she LOVES to eat! Something we tried so hard to get her to do (eat solids), we are now taking away. That may be harder for her than anything else.

I hope there is Internet access in the hospital where I can give updates. If not, I will post when we return home....probably on Sunday. I will make updates on Anna's blog.

I am so fortunate that I not only got to fall in love with a perfect little girl's smile once, but I will be able to fall in love with another tiny smile of Anna's that I am certain will be just as stunning ;-)

Praying for a successful surgery & God’s perfect will,
Rodney Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Win A Wii...

For you "old timers" that followed our blog of adopting Anna you will remember Angela that traveled to China during the same time as Rodney and I to adopt her daughter Olivia. Well, she and her husband David are also adopting again. In a fundraising effort, she is having a Wii contest. If you would like to check out her blog to get all the details, just go to the link below.

http://www.familyforsophie.blogspot.com/

It is for a great cause and you know, you might win a Wii!

Good Luck Angela & David!
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Rockin' USCIS Trip...

Friday, Rodney and I traveled to Louisville, KY to file our I-600A and to be fingerprinted. In KY, you can schedule an appointment to file your application at the USCIS office and they will issue you a fingerprint card that day. Since you don't have a "scheduled" fingerprint appointment, they just work you in when they can.

Our appointment time was 10:00 to file our I-600A. Louisville is about a 2 1/2 hour trip for us and we were cutting it close. The closer we got to Louisville traffic started getting a little heavy and I was starting to get a little nervous about being late. We parked 2 blocks away in a parking garage, had to cut through an Easter march and rushed through security. Went to the 3rd floor and had just enough time to use the restroom before 10. As I was walking into the room, Rodney was up at the window!!! Okay, my heart started pounding....what are you doing?!?! Rodney went to turn in our I-600A appointment confirmation while I was in the restroom. When he handed the paper to the officer, she was ready to go ahead with our application. Although Rodney knew we were there to file a form, he had not idea what the name of the form was, what it looked like or what needed to accompany the form. Rodney just signs where I tell him to, goes where I tell him to and that is about all he knows in regards to the adoption paperwork, God love him. So, he just went to my bag, pulled out my binder and was walking up to the window. I rushed up there to take the binder away, afraid he would mess up my "filing" system ;-) I gave the officer our application, birth certificates and marriage certificate then I asked her to attach a letter asking for an expedited processing due to special need child and the fact we had already received PA. She said, "okay" and stapled the letter to our form. Hopefully it will work.

We went to the basement to be "worked in" and there was not a single soul waiting to be fingerprinted. We walked right in, done the deed and was finished. We were walking out of the Federal Courthouse at 10:25!!!! 25 minutes = rockin' trip! Now lets just hope that approval comes just as fast ;-)

Happy for another item checked off our list & sending love to Elliana,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

A Little Boy Waits....

"Garrison" born April 23, 2003, he was abandoned the day before his 2nd birthday. Since, he has lived in a Social Welfare Institute (SWI). "Garrison" has been diagnosed to have a "skull malformation" and developmentally delayed. He is small for his age, but loves to play outside and his favorite toy is a car. "Garrison" waits for a family. Waits for a chance to go to school and to have the needed developmental interventions. "Garrison" waits to be held by a mother, to be played with by a father and to know the love of a family. "Garrison" needs a family, now.

"Garrison's" file is due back to the CCAA, China, on Monday. This may be the last time that his file is sent out to an agency to be placed, or it could be many, many months before it is placed on another list. If anyone is interested, think they might be interested, or know someone who is, please take a look/forward this information to help this little boy find a home. He has such a sweet little face and his smile...it just breaks my heart.

There is an $8,200.00 grant to go towards the adoption expenses for "Garrison". You can take a look at his sweet picture and read what the nannies had reported about his status at the SWI. This is a translation, so the English is kind of rough. But, there was an American woman who works in China and has seen him. She said that the nannies call him "naughty", but he is just a typical little boy :-) Go to the link below and click on List 20...insert password in all caps, and click on "Garrison".

http://public.fotki.com/CHIWaitingkids/
password - CHIWC

If you are interested in finding out more information, please contact stefani@infowest.com She is wonderful and truly has a heart for these kids. Children's House International has been great for us and I would love to see a family be blessed by adding this little guy to their family.

Sending prayers for a little boy to find a home,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

We Got The Call...

Finally after 55 days of anxiously waiting, wondering and jumping every time the phone rings, we finally got the call from our agency that our Pre-Approval (PA) had arrived. Very, very excited, I got off the phone, immediately called Rodney and shared the good news. Next came calls to my family. Although happy about the news, they all responded with, “okay, so what do you have to do next?” Can you imagine my family? They can’t let me stop stressing and celebrate about one thing before quickly reminding me about the task that lies ahead!! They keep me focused…stop celebrating and get back to work ;-)

So what is next??? We have to finish gathering our needed paperwork which includes the completion of our home study and our USCIS approval (immigration). After we get these, we then start the notarization, certification and authentication process. Next, is sending our paperwork, dossier, to China. That is the next step that China will actually play in the process. When they receive our paperwork, they will give us a Log In Date (LID)…this is the date in which the “time” really starts. After the LID, then China will review and process the paper work. Next comes the issuance of the Letter of Acceptance or Letter of Seeking Confirmation (LOA/SC). This is basically the step in which China asks a “final” time if you are sure you want to continue to pursue the adoption of this specific child. After the LOA/SC is signed and returned, China then will issue the Travel Approval (TA). This tells the adoptive parents that the adoption process is ready to be completed and you are invited to China to do so. After the agency/adoptive parents receive the TA, before actual travel dates can be set the Consulate Appointment (CA) must be established. This is the one of the last things that is done in China in the adoption process; therefore the dates in China are basically worked “backwards” from the CA. Of course, the most important date is “Gotcha Day” or “Forever Family Day”. This is the much anticipated date that the adoptive parents finally get to meet their child.

I would make estimations on the timeline, but I know better. With so many variables, it is just near impossible to know…if the Olympics didn’t come into play, I would think maybe August, but who knows how the Olympics will effect adoptions in China. They could speed things up to get people through and then not have adoptions during the Olympics, they could just process as normal and then stop adoptions while the Olympics are in progress or they could just keep on truckin’ and the Olympics not affect anything. So basically, we’ll know when we know.

We are so excited about the first real milestone that has been accomplished. We cannot wait to meet Elli for the first time and above all that, my biggest “moment” is when all my children are together for the first time. I cannot wait to meet Elli, but I really cannot wait until we bring Elli home where we will have all our children in our arms’ reach…now that will make a mother’s heart happy.

Big YEEEAAAHHH for PA and sending much love and many hugs to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

"God Has Responded"...

What an amazing day today has been. Yesterday, the reality of deadlines hit, and hit hard. Due to the implementation of the Hague in the United States, we must have our I-600A filed before April 1. If it is not filed, the adoption of Elliana would be jeopardized.

In order to get our USCIS, immigration, form filed before the Hague deadline of April 1, 2008, we still needed to get physicals for everyone in the house...that's 6 physicals and Rodney and I have to have additional blood work on top of that. Because Rodney is self-employed, our insurance is not the best in the world. We pay for all of our office visits out of pocket…so a nice chunk of change. These must be done so that we can get them to our social worker so that she can finish up that portion of the home study and get it to the USCIS office before we file. Along with that, the last date in March for us to file the form in Kentucky is March 21. Yes, less than 2 weeks away and the fee for the I-600A form and fingerprinting is $830.00. I was totally stressed.

So the time was short, costs were big and the finances were not there. I have prayed for God to make it all work out and I have brainstormed to try to think of fundraising options. I have just started selling Avon in order to help with the adoption costs, but it wasn’t going to be enough or even available yet. At my wits end, I again began to plead with God to show me what to do. I had seen on several adoptive parent’s blogs a ChipIn account for friends and family to contribute to their adoption. I thought maybe we could do that, but I didn’t want to ask for help from others. But I kept going back to the idea and with the reality of the deadlines breathing down my neck, I felt there was not other option. So, I swallowed my pride and made a plea for help.

Throughout today, people, some that I knew through the adoption group and other’s that I don’t know contributed to the fund. I was blessed by each one and encouraged that God was providing for us. It wasn’t the way that I wanted Him to do it, but along with His provisions, He was trying to teach me a lesson about my pride. I know that I cannot do anything without Him, but I wanted Him to provide on my terms. I have had to ask God to forgive me for being ashamed to ask others for help. I have had more than one person today to tell me that we need to let others know about our needs. God can speak to people about our needs, but sometimes we need to tell others so they can help us “bear one another’s burdens”. I want others to be able to share with me as a matter of fact, I love when people can confide in me about their needs, but I guess it is very hard for me to do that in return.

After my request for help, there has been over $500.00 contributed today!! That should be enough to cover our physicals and hopefully part of our blood work. God has again amazed me and I have been humbled by the fact that people responded to our need so willingly. I know that there are so many people that love our family and love this little girl we so want to bring into our family. I will forever be grateful for every word of encouragement, prayer and contribution made to help us bring her home.

The main reason that we picked out Elliana as her name was because of the meaning…it is a Hebrew name that means “God Has Responded.” Yes He has! What a story this little girl will have of all those that loved her.

Sending thanks to all of you, praises to God above & love to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei