Incredible News!!!

Our adoption agency just called with the unbelievable news that we received our final letter of acceptance! They received letters for six other families and they're hoping that we can all travel together at the end of June! We're so incredibly excited and unbelievably anxious about planning such a humongous trip in a month's time! In just a few short weeks, we'll be holding Terra in our arms!!

Earthquake in China

As many of you have probably heard, there was a major earthquake in China yesterday. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Sichuan province. Thankfully, Terra is not in Sichuan province, she is two provinces away. We're guessing that she probably felt the earthquake, but we're hopeful that she and her friends at the orphanage are doing fine. As of the last report, there are four orphanages in Sichuan province that the Chinese government has not been able to contact. There are also hundreds of children that have lost their parents during this terrible disaster and are now orphans. If anyone is interested in helping the children of China, Half the Sky (a wonderful non-profit organization) has set up an emergency relief fund. You can donate at their website: www.halfthesky.org
Please keep the people of China in your prayers.

LID!!

We just received word from our adoption agency that we have a Log-In Date (LID)!! We've been waiting nearly two months to hear that our dossier was logged in and placed in the queue for translation. We're thrilled and shocked to find out that our LID is March 19, 2008 - just 5 days after our dossier was sent!! This means that our final letter of approval could come as early as next month. We'll try not to get our hopes up for that happening, but now we know that it's a possibility. Another step closer to Terra!! Yippee!!!

Blog Changes

Some of you may have noticed that our blog changed a bit two weeks ago. I removed all of the pictures of Terra, took out her Chinese name and removed all other identifying info. I did this because the China Center for Adoption Affairs has issued a new regulation that waiting families are not allowed to post any identifying information about their children in a public forum - including blogs and listservs. However, we are allowed to share information privately with family and friends. So, if anyone would like a picture of Terra or would like to know more about our little girl and where she is from, please feel free to email me - I love to talk about our precious angel! :) Our excitement continues to build and we're growing a little anxious about not hearing anything from China for such a long time. But, that's what adoption is about - waiting! We know that everything will fall into place at the exact right time and we will bring our little girl home.

We hope all the mothers out there have a wonderful Mother's Day, filled with love and hugs from your little ones!

"Waiting For May"

At bedtime tonight, Jorie asked to read "Waiting For May", a great children's book about adoption. The story is told by a little boy waiting to travel to China to bring home his little sister, May. Jorie loves the story. She loves to hear how he waited for a long time and asks how much longer we have to wait. I love the part when the family actually travels to China to bring May home. I get a little teary-eyed every time I read the story, thinking about our own travel date and wishing Terra could be in our arms, but also knowing what an incredibly scary time it will be for Terra. Can you imagine if one day someone showed up at your house, picked you up with nothing but the clothes on your back and moved you to a completely different country with a new family that speaks a strange language?! How will her brain ever make sense of what has happened in her world? We've been trying to prepare Jorie for the prospect that her new little sister will probably be terrified of us and cry for several days (maybe weeks) before she gets to know us and decides that we're safe enough for her to love. Somedays winning the heart of a child seems like an insurmountable task, other days it seems like the most natural thing in the world. Whatever happens, I can't wait for the journey as we build our family of four.

Next Round of Paperwork Complete!

We finally made it through the three new folders of paperwork and mailed our signed copies back to the adoption agency yesterday - one step closer! :) The next thing we expect to hear is our official log-in date (which should be coming any day now). Our log-in date is the date that the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs officially processes our dossier and puts it in their cue for translation.
I'm continuing to work on Terra's quilt. I'm up to 35 squares - only 65 to go! I've heard from many friends and family that they'll be sending fabric soon, so I'm hoping I might get close to 100 squares.
'Til next time...

Ice Cream

After dinner tonight, Jorie's first question was, "Can I have ice cream for dessert?" She begged for ice cream cones at the grocery store today - she's had her share of ice cream in the past, but she's never had a cone. So, I figured we might as well give it a try. As you can see, she thoroughly enjoyed her first ice cream cone and went straight to the bath when she was done! All this left me wondering if Terra has ever had ice cream. I'm guessing she hasn't - one more thing we can introduce her to when she comes home. Let's hope she likes it!!