Our Journey To You

Baby Registary

2007-04-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, mom is having me a baby shower in June since it would be very difficult for me to get there for a shower after we get the referral so we have finally registered. We are registered at Target (of course), Babies R Us and Walmart (for those who are not close to the other two). We are really excited about this continued process of preparing for our daughter.

I told mom this past weekend that I really feel like we are going to have her in our arms this year. We keep hearing that it could take a little longer than that but right now I just feel that I will have her with me before the year is over. Please keep saying prayers that she is doing okay and that we are going to have her home soon.

Trip to the flea market

2007-04-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday Brent and I decided to go to the flea market here in Memphis. There is a big one here once a month. We have not been in close to a year, but I wanted to go and look for some bows that I had seen the last time we were there. We were just about finished with the first building when I saw some traditional Chinese dresses. I checked and the tags were actually written in Chinese. I ended up having a conversation with the person who was running the booth and she actually use to work at the White Swan hotel!!! I am sure that only means something to those of you who are familiar with the Chinese adoption process, but for those of you who are not familiar, it is the hotel that we will be staying in on the last leg of our trip to China!!!! We had a very interesting conversation that I will add more detail on later.

Homestudy Update

2007-03-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today we had our homestudy update visit. It was exactly what I expected it to be, a formality. We have to have it done in order to update our fingerprints. Debby said that it should be ready by Monday or so and that she will put it in the mail to us so that we can go be refingerprinted. It was sad after she left because Brent told me that he feels further away from Kaleigh than he did when Debby did the home visit the last time. I do understand how he feels but I have to keep a positive outlook right now or I would be in the firm grasp of depression. I have to keep the faith that she will be home this fall or before Christmas at the latest.

Exciting News

2007-03-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

No, the exciting news is not about our adoption but about our future niece or nephew. Yes, my younger brother Greg and his wife Emily have just found out that they are expecting. I am very excited for them and I know they have been wanting this and trying to plan for the right time to try. I will admit it does depress me in a way because it is so hard to keep waiting for Kaleigh. It is so hard to actually see the progress we are making toward bringing her home and it is going to be so easy to see the progress and the end of the journey that brings their baby home. I am still very very excited for them but it is making my wait a little harder than it was.

One Year Anniversary

2007-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I meant to make this post on Feb. 22nd, but I forgot. I remembered what the day was the entire day I just forgot to make the post that day. Yes, the 22nd was our official 1 year anniversary of our LID or log in date. We definitely thought for sure that we would at least have our referral by now, but it hasn't happened that way. I know that when the time is right we will bring Kaleigh home to be with us. I guess this just gives us more time to plan.

Dreams

2007-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

We are fast approaching our 1 year anniversary of our LID (log in date). We definitely thought that we would have Kaleigh home by now, but we are probably still about the same time frame away as we thought we were 1 year ago when we were logged in. However, for the first time in a long time I have started dreaming about it. It all started right after we found out we were out of the review room. The first dream was strange. I was back home in Hazard and someone (I don't remember who) dropped me off at the old A & P parking lot so that I could meet someone to get my luggage because it was time for me to leave for China. When my luggage arrived I had almost nothing. I had very little in the way of clothing and none of my gifts for the people in China and NOTHING for the baby. I just kept throwing stuff out of my luggage and screaming that I couldn't go to China without the rest of the stuff. The entire dream made no sense, especially since most people who know me know that I tend to be over prepared and well in advance. In fact, I have already started gathering a few things that I think we will need including travel items.

The next dream came last night and it was completely different. I dreamed that the next batch of referrals came though and they went all the way through 11/30 which would be about 6 weeks of LIDs. There is no way this will happen since about 16 days is about the most they have done since we were logged in. Back to the dream, I was so excited over this most people would have thought that I had received my referral because I was so excited. It of course was only because this meant that I was so much closer to my own referral but oh well it was just a dream.

I think that as things continue to progress I will get more and more excited about everything and of course more nervous. We are so ready to have Kaleigh home with us and a part of our lives. There are days that it is hard not having her already and some days we are just excited because we know that we are getting closer.

We went to the FCC Chinese New Year celebration here in Memphis last weekend and we saw some of the most beautiful children and heard stories that made us put our wait in perspective. I really enjoyed meeting both those who have BTDT and those who are still far behind us in the process.

Anyway everyone please keep praying for Kaleigh and for us. We are not sure if she has been born yet but if referrals happen the way we think there is a very good possibility that she is somewhere in China right now without a mommy or daddy and needing us there to love her and there is a mother somewhere in China who had to make the difficult decision to abandon her daughter in hopes of giving her a better life. We promise that we will do everything in our power to give Kaleigh the life that her birth mother hopes for her to have.

One Year Anniversary

2007-02-03T05:44:00.000-08:00

Today is the one year anniversary of our DTC date. For those non adoption people out there that means one year since our paperwork left on its way to China. We definitely thought that we would have Kaleigh home by now, but that is not the case. Everyone is always asking us when is something going to happen and does China ever let you know where you are in the process. Yesterday we did get some news. We have made it through the review room and into the matching room!!!!!! So did all the other couples in our group!!!!! No that does not mean that our referral is just around the corner but it does mean that China has completely reviewed our paperwork and did not find any problems with it and they have approved us for the adoption. There was a post in one of my support groups last night that stated it so well "our paperwork is just laying there waiting on someone to staple that picture to it now". I thought that said it so well. We are now just waiting on them to make it through the months in front of us and to match us with our precious Kaleigh. They just handed our referrals that covered up thru LIDs of October 13th we are LID Feb 22nd so we are still a distance from getting that referral but it is exciting that we have made it past the last hurdle that could prevent us from getting our daughter. For everyone out there who has been praying for us thank you and please keep those prayers coming so that maybe the wait will shorten for us.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra

2006-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

As many of you know Brent and I go to the Home For the Holiday's show put on by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra every year. Well, this year about 10 minutes before the show started I was doing my usual people watching thing and looked up in the balcony to my right and saw what appeared to be a 3 - 4 year old Chinese girl with her American mother. They were later joined by what appeared to be daddy and big sister. She was so cute and she was so affectionate with her family. Brent and I both kept sneaking looks during the concert so we were able to see how much she was enjoying it. She seemed to be loving it.

I was telling some of the people in my adoption group earlier that is seems that every time I start getting discouraged God sends me reassurance that we are doing the right thing and that one day we will have our daughter home and in our arms and that it will be even better than we have imagined.

Uplifting Trip to Target

2006-11-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

I realized tonight (once again) how God truly knows when you need that uplifting moment. As most of you know this summer and fall have been incredibly busy for both Brent and I and it will not be getting any better until after the holidays. Well, I got home tonight and was really looking forward to a night at home alone while Brent was working. I had only been home about 15 minutes when Brent called to ask me to come to Target and buy some Christmas lights that he wants to try on the house this year. I was tired and really did not want to go and was frustrated that Brent wanted me to get back out to come to the store that he was already at to buy something that he could have bought himself. I had only just walked into the store and turned the corner and passed by a lady with a small dark haired child in her cart. Out of habit I looked to see if the child was Chinese. She was!!!! I walked on and then decided that I would go back and talk to the lady. As soon as she found out that we were in the process of adopting she was as excited to talk to me as I was to her. She introduced me to her daughter and shared some interesting bits of information with me about her trip. I called Brent on my way home and told him how it was just what I needed. Some people have told me how they hate to tell me things about children from China because they are afraid that it will make it harder for me but in all honesty when I talk to someone who has been down this road or I get to see a little girl from China it lifts me up. I think it is because it is conformation that there is an end to the wait and that it will work out and we will have our Kaleigh home in our arms someday in (hopefully) the near future.

Update

2006-11-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

I know everyone wants to know what is going on with the wait and when are we getting our referral. Well, as most of you know the news has been very discouraging lately with the referral time stretching out longer and longer. China finally updated their site to let everyone know how far they got this month. They finished 8/25/05. So we are still a ways out but this was a promising month, August is a very heavy month and no one expected China to get as far as they did so if they can keep up this rate maybe we will have our referral within the next six months. Yes, six months sounds like a very long time, but I have decided that I can endure it. I won't lie and say that the wait is not hard but most days I can deal with it. Kaleigh will be so worth it when she gets here. It may be much longer than another 6 months but right now that is what I am praying for. Anyone that will, we would appreciate any prayers that you can say to speed up this process and to help us deal with the difficulties of the wait.

Check out Fundraising

2006-09-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Please check out the link to fundraising. I have finally posted pictures of the afghans that I have completed and have for sale. Please contact me directly to either purchase or ask questions at slcallah@midsouth.rr.com.

Kaleigh's Closet 8

2006-09-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I have posted any updates to the closet, but that doesn't mean I haven't been shopping. I have bought a lot of shorts and t-shirts that I haven't taken pictures of and various other things that have missed being photographed. Anyway, these are some of the items that I have purchased over the last few months. Enjoy!!!

Update

2006-09-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

I do have some stuff to take pictures of and post but have not had the time yet. I really just wanted to update everyone on the progress. Right now it seems like our progress is just taking us further away instead of closer to our precious daughter. When we first started this process we thought we would have her by now or be preparing to travel. Well I spent a couple of months working out of town and our social worker went to China and then had 7 homestudies to complete at one time so we ended up a couple of months behind the schedule that we had planned for ourselves. Then finally in February we got our DTC and our LID, which meant that hopefully we would have her or at least her referral by Christmas!!!!! Since that China has slowed down the referral process DRASTICALLY. At this point I can't even speculate about when we may have Kaleigh. The wait gets really difficult sometimes and it is hard to talk about. Then something will happen to renew my faith in our decision. I know that God is trying to help me with this journey and I think he is trying to work on one of my bad traits too (lack of patients).

Anyway this post was not to be a depressing post but a thank you to the wonderful people who have posted comments to us. I really appreciate the encouraging words and the knowledge that there are others out there who know about this ups and downs of this process. I also wanted to let you all know that I would respond to your comments if I could, but have been unable. If you would like to email me directly with questions or comments please feel free. My email address is slcallah@midsouth.rr.com

Kaleigh's Closet 7

2006-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yes this is another addition to the closet. We picked these outfits up this weekend at a big sale at Chocolate Soup. Brent picked out the fancy dress. She won't be able to wear it until she is older but he loved it and so did I.

An Afghan for Kaleigh

2006-08-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I have been working on baby afghans since shortly after we started this process. I started doing it as a way to earn money for the adoption expenses. I have sold a few of them to friends and co-workers but I have also found that I enjoy making them for friends too, so I have given some of them away. My mom has asked me of more than one occasion when I was going to make one for Kaleigh and I finally have. Here is a picture of it and before she gets here I may make even more for her. Look soon at the fundraising section of the blog and I will try to have pictures posted of the others that I have completed that are for sale.

Another China Connection

2006-08-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

I recently met a lady in the community that I work in who has just started the journey that we are on. She has been running a childrens' clothing business called Patty Cake Corner. It is the most charming place with the cutest things, unfortunately (or fortunately) for me she is closing the shop for the time being. Anyway she is a wonderful sweet lady who I hope to stay in close contact with as we continue waiting and as she continues to progress in her journey. It is nice to be able to be supportive to someone else as they go down this road. Of course I had a couple of bibs monogramed for Kaleigh. The writing on the pink one is not showing up in the picture very well but it is beautiful. I tried a different setting on the camera to be able to show the detail of the stitching but I think it caused a decrease in the contrast in colors. Anyway I love both the pink and the red. The red bag with the ladybug on it is a small diaper bag that will be great when we just need to run to Target or to the grocery store. There is also a ladybug growth chart that I just couldn't pass up.

The rest of the family

2006-08-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

I know everyone has been waiting for another update to Kaleigh's Closet and trust me when I say that I have had some more purchases for her closet but I don't know if I will post all of them since I do want a few surprise outfits for everyone to see her in. Now I would like to introduce to everyone the two members of our family that are also waiting on Kaleigh. They are our dogs Malcolm (black) and Abbigail (buff and white). They are two wonderful cocker spaniels. Malcolm is getting ready to turn 6 and Abbigail is about 4 1/2 and they have been our "children" so it will be an adjustment for them to not be the center of attention, but they are both very loving dogs and I have a feeling they will end up being very protective of Kaleigh.

Another doll

2006-07-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yes we had decided that we had enough dolls for Kaleigh for the time being but I really loved this one and when we found it on Ebay I convinced Brent to bid on "just one more". I also have to share that we found a dealer who has several of the Chinese Lee Middleton dolls and the dealer is located in Parson's TN which is where my corporate offices are. Maybe I will have a good connection who can get me a deal on another one or two???

Kaleigh's Closet 7

2006-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here are three other outfits that I could not pass by. I did pass by the pink top and plaid pants once and just couldn't do it again. The khaki skirt is something that I have been looking for and the jeans and the sweater were picked out by none other than my dear husband while I was looking for an item for my sister-in-law Teresa for my niece Sydney.

Kaleigh's Closet 6

2006-07-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

I found some really cute outfits at Dillards and I must tell you that I got all 7 outfits for less than $50. I know it looks like I am going crazy but I will be honest and say that everything we have bought as far as clothing goes has been on clearance. As you can tell the outfits are in different sizes since we are not sure of the size or the season yet. Just keep praying that the referral time speeds back up.

Updates Updates Updates

2006-07-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Sandy has been hard at work shopping and updating the blog. I have not had much time to fool around with the blog lately. Anyway, I'm here to let everyone know that we have added a new blog that will serve a fundraising site. The link is located on the right hand side under the link section. It will be updated with the baby afghans that Sandy has been making over the last few months. I have also added a new link for a Web Site that has a link for our blog on it. There are many stories on the site, and people are documenting different stages of their adoption experiences. Check it out, you may find a geat story on there. It is called Chinese Adoption Stories

P.S. Sandy will be posting a picture of a new Lee Middleton doll that we purchased. It is beautiful.

Kaleigh's Closet 5

2006-07-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Okay this post should get you caught up with the items in her closet. We had the hardest time finding jeans for a girl that did not have embellishments all over them. Finally found a couple of pairs of those at the Oshkosh Outlet. One of my favorite outfits is the jeans, pink sweater and tee shirt that all match. I fell in love with it when I saw it. If it is out of season when she can wear it I will probably still put it on her at least once long enough to take a picture of her in it.

Kaleigh's Closet 4

2006-07-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of more post and I should be caught up on the things that are already in her closet and I should be able to start posting the stuff that I bought this weekend. The only things that I did not take pictures of are sleepers, onesies, and a few little pieces that don't really go with anything and were purchased more for play clothes than anything. Of course, I love the Titans cheerleading outfit, but unless we get her during the winter this year that is one outfit that she won't get to wear. It is size 9mo. I also really love the ponchos, I can't wait to see her in those with her little jeans. Yes, I know you can already tell that she is going to have a wonderful wardrobe.

Kaleigh's Closet 3

2006-07-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

As I promised here is the next update on the closet. I have made some new purchases in the past couple of days but I will get those posted later. First I want to get everyone caught up on what has already been purchased for our daughter. The picture with the white shirt with the flowers embroidered on the front and on the sleeves was purchased in Mexico on our cruise and is handmade. The picture that contains the four jumpers has two that have ladybugs, which is considered a sign of good luck in China. Most of these pictures contain items that can be mixed and matched. They were all bought on clearance. Infact, the sweaters with the hearts on the front were part of the Valentine's Day line from Target this year.

Not another update on the closet

2006-06-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I know everyone is anxiously waiting on another addition of Kaleigh's closet, but tonight I just have to share my evening with you.

I walked outside to talk to Brent while he was turning off the sprinklers and to see what the dogs were barking at. I looked across the street and saw that one of our neighbors had two dogs who had escaped. Of course, everyone knows how much Brent and I love our dogs, so I walked across and tried to round them up and ring the door bell. No one answered for a few minutes and then she came around the house looking for them. We stopped to talk for a few minutes and then she asked me to wait for a minute and she went inside and came back out with her niece Sophie who just happens to be from China. This was the second time that I have met Sophie and I just love her. She is so sweet. After a few minutes she let me hold her and I LOVED IT!!!!! I wish I could express to you how excited and happy it made me to hold this baby. She would just snuggle up to me and laugh and pat on me. Brent, of course, worries that it will make the wait harder for me, but I just feel so refreshed after I see her. It felt so right to hold her and just reinforced my belief that we are following Gods plan for us. It also helps to talk to some one who knows (because she shared the experience with her sister) what we are going through. She kept reminding me that yes I am "pregnant" and that this will happen. I told her about the support group I have in the other three couples in the area that are adopting with us and she talked about how she wished that her sister had that same type of support while she was going through the process. Anyway I could ramble on and on about how wonderful the time was with Sophie but I don't think anyone who is not on this journey will understand it exactly like it was. Trust me when I say that no matter how hard this wait is, when we get Kaleigh I know that it will be worth every second of the journey.

Kaleigh's Closet 2

2006-06-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

As promised here is the next set of pictures from Kaleigh's closet. The picture that has the two red and denim sets and the two white dresses with flowers on them are the first outfits we bought after we decided to adopt. At that point in time we were planning to have the paper work ready and waiting to go on Brent's birthday and thinking that with the wait time that was current then we expected that we would have her by the end of this summer or at the very latest early fall. Well, we all know what happens to the best laid plans. We are now waiting on God's plans and trying to keep the faith that we will have her by the end of the year or the first part of next year. Anyway everyone please keep praying that we have our precious daughter in the very near future. Also note the silky dress with the "fur" jacket, picked out not by the mother but by her father. So anyone who has heard Brent talk about how bad I am to buy things for her, don't believe him because he is just as bad. Enjoy the pictures there will be several more additions to Kaleigh's closet by the time I get all of the pictures posted of what has already been put in the closet.

Kaleigh's Closet 1

2006-06-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been asking for pictures of the clothes we have bought for Kaleigh so I am going to try to fulfill that request. Here are some pictures of a few of the outfits we bought this winter after we found out that our paperwork was on its way to China. The red coat is one of the first items we bought after we completed our dossier. Enjoy these pictures and check back in a few days for more.

Another Purchase

2006-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do have a shopping problem when it comes to things for our future daughter Kaleigh. Since she is not here for me to play with I just keep thinking of things that she will "need" when she gets home. On Sunday, I had to go to Target to pick up a couple of things and finally bought some bibs (not pictured) and while looking at the bibs I found some t-shirts and denim shorts that were on clearance so at less than $3.00 each it was a deal I couldn't pass up. I then decided to go to the mall to see if I could find any of the other items my sister-in-law was looking for and ended up finding two more outfits I could just not live without. I love the white denim skirt with the pink stitching!!!

Shopping Trip

2006-06-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know about the friends we have made through this adoption process, let me be honest, they are wonderful to have around. Today Jen and I had plans to go shopping for things for our girls. We were looking for deals and bibs and other things that would not matter what size or season. Let me be very honest by saying that we failed that mission in the first store. However, it was a very fun day, we shopped almost the entire day and had lunch. Everyone keeps asking about all of the clothes that I have already bought for Kaleigh, well here are the pictures of the things I bought today. They all come from the following stores, Gymboree, The Children's Place, Baby Gap, Chocolate Soup and the wash clothes (my practical purchase) came from Kohls. Enjoy the pictures. I will try to get some pictures up of some of the other cute items in her closet over the next few weeks.

Li Ying Comes Home

2006-06-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is the doll we went on a search for. A friend of mine had purchased it and it was so cute I could not pass it up. We searched and searched for her and bid on her multiple times on ebay and finally got her. Her name is also Li Ying and she is a Lee Middleton doll. I don't have her completely out of the box in order to protect her so you don't get to see her fully dressed. In the picture she has on jeans and a white shirt, this outfit also has a blue sweater with an American flag on it. She also comes with a bag that contains her Chinese outfit and a pearl bracelet. The full name of the doll is Li Ying Comes Home. We love her and she is the first of what is becoming a collection of dolls for our Kaleigh. Told you her daddy is trying to turn her into a collector just like him.

Lee Middleton Snuggles

2006-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is a Lee Middleton doll, she is the Asian Snuggles. She is also very sweet and cute. I have left the packaging around her hands and feet for the time being to prevent damage.

Li Ying by Marie Osmand

2006-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is one of the new dolls that we have bought. Her name is Li Ying and she is a Marie Osmand doll. We started out looking for a doll by Lee Middleton with the same name and found this one too and thought it was so cute that we just couldn't pass it up. I must admit the pictures don't do her justice. She is beautiful. She has porcelin face and hands. I just love this doll. One picture is with the head dress that she came with and the other is without.

Update to nursery

2006-06-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to point everyone in the direction of our nursery. We think we have it finished except for a few little touches we will add as we go along. Check back later this weekend to see pictures of the dolls we have bought for Kaleigh. Her daddy intends for her to be a collector just like him. In fact, I think he is having more fun shopping for the dolls than she will ever have looking at them.

More Bad News

2006-05-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share with everyone that we just got an update from our agency that stated that right now referrals are running at about 12 months they feel that things may expand to an 18 month referral time frame. This is very sad news for us since that would place our daughter with us at 1 year past the original time frame we were looking at when we started this process. We know that once she is with us the wait will have been worth it but it does not make it any easier to deal with. One of the support groups that I have joined have posted messages from their respective agencies that state similar things, except that they are saying it may get as bad as 13 to 16 months with hopes of getting it back to 10 to 12 months. Unfortunately, no one knows for sure what China will do or how long or short the referral time will be. It is my opinion that at this point there is no accurate way to put a time frame on this because no one really knows and they are only speculating and the uncertainty is what makes it so hard.

Update

2006-05-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that China updated their site today and shows that they have given out the referrals for the month and the good news is that they did more days than last month but the bad news is that they only gave out 9 days worth. So for all of those who keep asking when and how much longer please say a prayer that God convinces China to speed the process back up because right now it is looking like a long time from now since the referral span for this bunch is June 7th thru June 15th.

I must admit that this process is much more difficult than I realized that it would be. I knew that the referral time stretching back out was a possibility but when it shortened after we started the process I didn't expect to come to a screeching halt like it has. I can now say that I know what women with fertility problems and those parents who are in the adoption process are going through. You spend months working so hard to get the paperwork ready and stressing over the homestudy and wondering if you are going to say the right things and do the right things so that your social worker feels that you would be a good parent. Then once you run and run and get this and that notarized and hand deliver things to the agency so that you don't have to wait on the mail to get it there. Then you have to sit back and wait on your government to get everything state sealed and authenticated, which is frustrating because you have no control over this part of the process. Then you wait for your paperwork to be sent to China and then you wait for China to log you in (that is the LID date) and then you start counting down the days (more like months) until you receive your referral. I think this part is the most difficult or at least it is for a control freak like myself. I have absolultely no control over what happens now, everything is in the hands of the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) and they are not doing things at the rate that I want. Anyway I know that I need to stop complaining, as I have been told by many people it will happen in God's time. I must admit as hard as I am trying to trust in his timing it doesn't always make the wait easier. Sometimes it helps but other times... well I just sit down have a good cry and try to get busy doing something to take my mind off of it.

Anyway I know this is not the stuff that you want to hear but sometimes I just need a place to vent my feelings.

Our day

2006-05-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the zoo with the other three families that we will potentially be traveling with. They are wonderful people and we really enjoy our time with them. They are going through the same thing that we are and they understand the difficulties and the excitement that we have. Under the link to adoption stories on the right you will see a link to the journey to Emma which is the story of one of those families

New Links & Section Added!

2006-05-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today new links have been added. We added a link to the world famous "Dannys Bagel" the eatery of choice for many families while in China. We also added two links to sites that specialize in China adoption themes and cultural and educational products. They are China Sprout & ReThread Families. We added a new section for adoption stories, the first site we have added is from our friends Jen & Shane, who are one of the three other couples from the Memphis area we may be traveling with to China. Enjoy!

Love Without Boundaries Charity Auctions

2006-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

While we were looking for the Lee Middleton Li Ying Doll. I found this charity auction. The proceeds from all listed items sold by Love Without Boundaries go to help orphaned children in China, by providing medical care, nutrition, education, and foster care to some of the world's most vulnerable children. Love Without Boundaries is a registered 501(c)(3) organization in the US.

They have have wonderful Chinese items, autographed items, books, dolls, paintings by children in China. Everyone should look at this eBay auction site.

Please check out the link section to go to the sellers auctions.

Poem "Were you born today??"

2006-05-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Were you born today??

Were you born today across the ocean deep and blue?
Did someone wrap you warmly?

Did they stop and gaze at you?
Did they look upon your almond eyes and touch your silken hair?

Did they stop to kiss each tiny toe, hear your breath upon the air?
Did you hear a soft voice comforting, securely in her arms?

The warmth of two souls bonding, oh, the lure of newborn charms.
Were they charmed by every movement; every yawn and stretch and pout?

Did they celebrate with handshakes and good spirits all about?
(Or were the tears mistaken, as they fell upon your face?
Their eyes were wells of sorrow? Their heads hung in disgrace?
Did they tremble when they realized the thing that would be done?
Did they mourn the new day coming, with the rising of the sun?)

Did they place you, oh so tenderly, in the place where you were found?
Were those blankets wrapped up tightly to deny the cold, hard ground?

Did she whisper words of comfort with a love that was so deep?
Did she recognize the features of this one she could not keep?

Did you feel the night wind blowing as it carried in the morn?
Did you hear your mother weeping on the day that you were born?

And here across the ocean a mother weeps for you. How long before she travels across that ocean, deep and blue?
How long before she gazes at those dimpled hands?

How long before she travels to that promised, distant land?
Her heart is filled with gladness. Her dreams are coming true.

The secret thrill of motherhood, across that ocean deep and blue.
And she'll gaze upon your almond eyes and touch your silken hair.

She'll stop and kiss each tiny toe...feel your breath upon the air.
And you'll hear a soft voice comforting; the worlds so insecure.

Two fragile souls are bonding as they hold each other near.
She'll be charmed by every movement; every yawn and stretch and pout.

And she'll celebrate with handshakes and good spirits all about.
And you'll hear the night wind blowing as she rocks you off to sleep.

And she'll whisper words of comfort, with a love that is so deep....And far across the ocean a mother weeps...

~by Mary E. McRae

Links Added

2006-05-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have been playing around with the blog today, and added some links that Sandy and I want to share with everyone. The first is Adoptive Families Magazine, this is great resource for families. The second link added is Bethany Christian Services, this is our agency. For families in the Memphis area, it is called Midsouth Christian Services. Please browse the sites when you can.

Poem "The Answer"

2006-05-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

THE ANSWER
(To An Adopted Child)

Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously
My own.
Never forget
For a single minute:
You didn't grow under my heart,
But in it.

--Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Dolls

2006-05-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

I found these dolls on a website, www.redthreadfamilies.com. I just could not resist and had to buy all three of them. They are all designed for a different age child so I think they will keep Kaleigh happy for years to come. I know this information is coming out of order but we didn't get this started in time to get everything in order and I want to be able to share everything with all of you. I also found dresses that fit the oldest of the three dolls and two of those dresses are made of fabrics that are Asian in theme so I am hoping to find material in China and have Kaleigh matching dresses made.

The Brown Envelope Arrives!!!!

2006-05-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today the brown envelope finally arrived!!!! Brent called me at work to let me know that it was in the mail. I was so excited and started telling everyone at work that the brown envelope had arrived. Of course, they did not understand what it was or why I was so excited over it. I don't think anyone who has not been in this position could understand. For those of you who are reading this and wondering "What exactly is this brown envelope?", it is a package that arrives with paperwork you will need in China to get your baby's visa and it also contains a letter and a case number that shows that the US has approved us to adopt an international orphan. So for those wondering, it does not mean we are any closer to completing this long journey but it is one more confirmation that things are progressing and that it is really happening.

Hello Kaleigh

2006-05-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

We are sitting here on Mother's Day wondering if you have been born yet and how long it will be until we get to hold you.