Abigail's Mei Mei

Closing This Blog...

2009-03-22T21:19:00.003-06:00

Well, the time has come to close this blog. I have kept it open a full year since we met our little peanut and I now want to have it converted to a book. Blurb has an amazing program that can upload to content of your blog to a hard bound book. The software if easy to use for editing prior to sending it to print. I transfered the content of Abigail's blog and I could not believe how beautiful the book turned out. You can check their site out here at www.blurb.com

I have no idea how many people still read this blog but for those that do you can still follow Kaylyn's progress over at our family blog, which is:

http://abigailmae-xiao.blogspot.com

Love,
Heather

Family Day Celebration...

2009-03-17T21:08:00.004-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Many families that have adopted children celebrate their child's "Gotcha Day" also known as Family Day or whatever the family chooses to refer the special occasion to. For us it is a day to not only express how blessed we are to be mommy and daddy to our girls but to also celebrate the union of our family through adoption. Abba joined our family on March 12, 2006 and Kaylyn joined our family on March 16, 2008. We have decided to tell them the story of our trip to China on their special day and celebrate our "Family Day" on St. Patrick's Day. Curious why????

Chinese folklore says there are invisible red threads that connect a newborn child's spirit to all who will be important in her life. The threads my stretch and might even tangle, but they will never break. As the child grows, the threads will shorten, drawing closer those people who are destined to be together.

Through adoption I have heard many amazing red thread stories. Stories of how families grow through adoption that you know only God could have done. So if you are wondering why St. Patrick's Day, well because we were in China on both occasions over St. Patrick's Day. So our families "Red" thread is "Green".

The girls and I had a great day. The weather was beautiful and we started our day dressed in green. For lunch I made shamrock sandwiches and green milk, they thought that was too funny. Then we baked a giant green cupcake to celebrate our special Family Day. We ended our day having dinner with daddy at our favorite Chinese Restaurant.

To My Girls...Mommy loves you all my heart. And to everyone else Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Heather

One Year Ago....

2009-03-16T22:11:00.006-06:00

One year ago today, March 16, 2008, we boarded a plane at the Beijing International Airport, for Lanzhou, which is the capital city of Gansu Province. It was a Sunday afternoon and it was a day to get settled in before we met Kaylyn the following morning. But just as with everything in adoption things change when you least expect it. Our guide met our group at the airport at 1:30 pm and we boarded a bus. We were immediately told that the ride to our hotel was an hour ride and that the children would arrive at 3:00 pm. This left very little time for families to check into their hotel room and prepare gifts, snacks, toys, etc for the children but we all did it. All along I knew this was going to happen so I was fairly prepared for the event, our family was first into the conference room. I remember waiting, those few minutes seemed like hours. The first little boy arrived, he was the oldest 6 or 7 I think, he was smiling but had no clue what was about to happen. Watching as he waited was myself, Ricky, Abigail and our mothers. Ricky and I had been through this before but our mothers had no idea what they were about to witness, they immediately began crying as they watched this precious little boy wait for his life to be forever changed and become an amazing blessing to his family.

Moments later the Orphanage director and nannies carried the children in one by one. I was so afraid I would not recognize Kaylyn but she came in first and I immediately recognized her. You could tell she was so confused as to what was going on and was holding onto her nanny for dear life, as was the nanny to her. We came to realize they had a very special bond and as I suspected the woman was actually her foster mother. You could tell this woman loved Kaylyn very much and struggled letting Kaylyn go. Kaylyn's gotcha day was very differenet than Abigail's. When we met Abigail the nanny handed her to us and we quickly moved onto paperwork. But with Kaylyn is seemed as if it took forever for me to get my hands on her. She wanted nothing to do with me and you could see the fear in her eyes. I can still see it like it was yesterday as we whisked her out of the conference room and her and her foster mother were pulled apart, and I can still hear the woman talking. It was heart breaking.

In Kaylyn's short life she has experienced so many changes but all in all is doing remarkably well. From the beginning Kaylyn has been a strong willed child that likes to be in control and have things happen on her terms. The road has been long but she is slowly learning that life does not always work that way, as a family we have come a long way but we still have a ways to go. But life is a work in progress....

Kaylyn is a funny little girl that has a ton of personality. She loves to sing and dance and loves all things girly. She loves to be the center of attention and likes to be where all the action is. Ricky and I laugh all the time, for those that know us, you know that we are not a real social couple LOL....we are defiantly introverts as is Abigail but Kaylyn is an extrovert and likes to be the life of the party LOL.

Kaylyn over the last few months is more accepting and giving of affection. I love to hear her say I lod you, so cute. And the relationship her and Abba have is amazing. Most of the time they play beautifully together but there are times that Abba wants her private time and needs it. But there is nothing that makes my heart smile more than when I see my girls hand in hand or embracing....that always brings me to happy tears. But I fear the good times will not last forever. Of course Abba does not really realize it yet but Kaylyn is her shadow does everything her big sister does and by everything I do mean EVERYTHING. I can hear it in my head now MOM make her stop copying me....LOL What is the deal with that....I laugh when I see it knowing what is coming because I had a little brother. We forever said "Stop copying me, stop touching me" LOL But until Abba realizes it Kaylyn is learning quite a bit from it :)

As for Kaylyn's health, she is doing great. Absolutely zero issues with her heart, thank goodness and she seems to finally be growing. She is still wearing mostly 18 months clothes and she weighs just over 24 lbs and is a whopping 32 inches tall. She seems to have caught up in all areas except for her languange, but she is doing much better there as well. After our move to Omaha, she pretty much quit talking all together. But a few months after she got settled again and was feeling comfortable with us again she started talking again. But one thing is if she is awake there is always noise coming out of her mouth and watch out if you don't hear her. She will be up to something LOL.

Today we are also officially finished with all China related paperwork. For those that don't know we are required to meet with a licensed Social Worker twice after the adoption. Once at 6 months home and the final at one year home. After each meeting a post placement report along with photos is sent to China. So we are officially done.

To My Little Peanut,

You are an amazing blessing to our family and you challenge mommy daily to be a better mommy, thank you. I feel truly blessed to be your mommy and I look forward to all that lies ahead for us.

Mommy loves you all my heart.

PS - you can click HERE to see Kaylyn's Gotch Day pictures

January and February Update...

2009-03-11T22:59:00.006-06:00

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January 7th - Kaylyn climbs out of her crib for the first time. Daddy was on duty while mommy was out shopping. When I left the girls were napping, as usual Abba woke up first so she joined daddy downstairs. A little later daddy decided he better wake Kaylyn up as she had been sleeping too long. As he went up stairs she met him with a camera in hand....she had been taking pictures LOL. Thanks goodness she has only done this a couple of times, she is definately not ready to leave her crib.

January 13th - Kaylyn began gymnastics, which she loves but takes it very seriously. She has a ton of fun but is very into what she is learning. We recognized shortly after Kaylyn joined our family that she has tremendous upper body strength and is really flexable. We just watched for a while and decided to do a trial class...it was a hit. And she looks so darn cute in her little unitard.

January 19th - Kaylyn wears her 1st Piggy Tails

January 31st - We attended the Heartland Families with Children from China, Chinese New Year luncheon. Kaylyn absolutely LOVED the celebration...the Lion Dancers and loud music, she danced and was all smiles. She also experienced her 1st Red Envelope.

February 14th - 1st Valentine's Day, of course she loved it...chocolate is the girls best friend.

February 27th - A family in Florida contacted us with information regarding Kaylyn. They too sponsored Kaylyn during her time in Foster Care. This family told us how they came to sponsor Kaylyn and why, and they sent pictures as well. I know that someday Kaylyn will cherish this information.

January and February also brought many first with the snow. It has been snowing on and off since December but Mommy did embrace it and volunteer to play until February. It was fun for all of us but Kaylyn had a ton of fun learning to make snow angels, trowing snow balls, sledding and making a snow man.

Check back on St. Patrick's Day...it will be a Big Day for Kaylyn.

Love,
Heather

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T08:46:00.000-06:00

1st. Piggy Tails..

2009-02-06T10:17:00.004-06:00

I LOVE baby piggy tails...isn't she adorable. Kaylyn absolutely does not like to have her hair brushed, but she likes all things girly. For instance when you put a dress on her she automatically begins spinning. And she says sparkly things are "pitty". We noticed that her hair was bothering her during her first gymnastic class so I thought I would give piggy tails a try, to my surprise her hair was long enough. She wiggled around for the first minute of so but once the first piggy went up she was in love, she said "pitty" aka pretty.

Lots of Love,
Heather

More Baby Kaylyn Info...

2009-01-16T09:33:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share some more exciting news. After my last post Ricky and I decided to call Holt International Adoption Agency to see if they would confirm whether or not we had all of the information that had been provided to them from the Wuwei Orphanage regarding Kaylyn. They were very reluctant but after much persuasion on Ricky's part they told us there were six report. I was immediately bummed because we only had five reports with pictures. But the woman was kind enough to tell us that report number six was only a letter informing the sponsors that the child (being Kaylyn) had been adopted. I of course asked for a copy of the letter and the woman said there is no letter that the document was in a spreadsheet for agency purposes only. Sounded untrue but I said ok and that was it. We had accomplished all that we set out to and that was to get all information Holt had.

So the next day I receive an email. Remember my first contact with one of the sponsors was a teacher from Normal, Illinois, he and his students had sponsored her. At the time he did not think he had the documents and had requested that Holt resend them to him, and of course Holt would not do this. So this wonderful teacher began to search and guess what he said he found one report and he was sending it to me with hopes it was not a duplicate but something I could use.

Yesterday, we received the package and when I opened it I was stunned at what I was reading. He did send the report which we already had but there was so many other things we did not have. One being the letter where he and his class had been matched with her for sponsorship. The letter is dated February 8, 2008, which was exactly one month to the date before we boarded a plane to China. The next letter is dated June 2, 2008, we had been home with Kaylyn for two months and it is the letter I had requested from Holt. This is what I read...

"Dear Mr Txxxxxx,

I'm very happy to bring you news that your sponsored child, Hui Ci Wu, has been adopted by a family in the United States. We can rejoice knowing that Hui is now home, enjoying the security and belonging of a permanent, loving family."

Of course I am getting chills as I read this now and tearing up all over again. I was saddened that Holt told me a letter did not exist because I thought wow that would be neat for Kaylyn to read later. So you can imagine my excitement when we received this letter. So I now feel like this tiny little puzzle of her past has been finished.

So to Mr T. and your students I cannot express our gratitude. These letters are priceless and they will be forever cherished. I hope you will continue to teach your students about the many orphaned children of the world and continue teaching the importance of sponsorship and how they can make a difference no matter what their age is.

Lots of Love,
Heather

If you have a desire to help a child in need, please consider sponsoring a child. For only about a $1.00 a day you too can help change a childs life. Please see the below links if you are interested:

www.holtintl.org

www.lovewithoutboundaries.com

Pictures of Baby Kaylyn...

2009-01-02T21:31:00.006-06:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I would have some exciting news to share regarding Kaylyn...that news arrived today. We found out in December that Kaylyn had eleven sponsors during her time in foster care. To date two of the eleven sponsors have contacted us. The first unfortunately did not save any of the reports. However, the gentleman was super nice and actually remembered her. He is a teacher and he and his students sponsored her. The second is a woman I will only identify as a sweet woman who lives in Virginia, I will call her Ms. S. She contacted us just before Christmas to inform us that she received four reports during her time of sponsorship and she still had the copies. Of course I cried and I was SO excited. She told me the reports were very vague and only a small picture was included with each report. We were very prepared for how vague the reports would be and Ricky asked me not to get my hopes up on the pictures just in case it was not Kaylyn. When I checked the mail today and saw the envelope I ripped it open and my heart felt as though it stopped as I looked into the eyes of my sweetie at a young 5 months old. It was her!!!

Thank you Ms. S, for these priceless pictures. They will be forever cherished by our family and I am certain that Kaylyn will be very appreciative of them as she grows and begins to understand her past. I must tell you the reports did confirm one thing for us. When Kaylyn joined our family we would hear a loud sucking noise when she slept. We noticed her sucking on her thumb/fist. It was very obvious to us early on that she wanted to suck her thumb but did not for some reason. It seemed she needed to sooth her self in some way. So I gave her a binky and she has not looked back. Today she still loves her binky and on occasion we will find her asleep sucking her thumb.

Love,
Heather

Happy New Year...

2009-01-01T22:38:00.005-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe time ringing in 2009. Ricky was actually off New Year's Eve night so we headed to downtown Omaha to see the firework display. I was pleasantly surprised at the large display and the sound was just amazing echoing through the buildings. The girls loved it but it was entirely too cold. After the fact we realized we would have had a great view from the parking lot of daddy's work in the warmth of our car. Oh well...next year :) We stopped for yummy pizza on the way home. Daddy and Kaylyn went to bed very early but Abba stayed up and watched the ball drop with mommy. I am convinced that 2009 will be perfect for me as I got my New Year kiss from my Abba girl.

2008 for our family was VERY busy so I welcome 2009 with hopes of a slow relaxing year. But I can say 2008 was a year of many many blessings.

January 23rd - after waiting 170 days we received our Letter of Acceptance from China to adopt Kaylyn.

February 25th - we received our Travel Approval from CCAA, which gave us permission to travel to China to complete Kaylyn's adoption and finally bring her home.

March 11th - Myself, Ricky, Abba, Nana and MeMaw boarded a plane to China.

March 12th - Abigail was placed in our arms 2 years ago

March 16th - After many months of waiting we finally have Kaylyn in our arms

March 17th - It's Official Wu Hui Ci is officially Kaylyn CiAnna

March 27th - Our family of "4" is finally home in Texas

May 5th - Doctor's at Texas Children's Hospital confirm that Kaylyn's VSD is in fact very small and should close on it's own.

June 5th - My sweet Abba turned 3

July 16th - We find out that Ricky's was given a promotion but it was also a transfer to Omaha, Nebraska and he must report to Omaha ASAP.

July 19th - our Texas home went on the market

July 20th - our house "SOLD"

July 26th - we officially readopted the girls in Texas so they could have Texas Birth Certificates.

July 30th - the girls and I travel to Omaha to house hunt, we find a house and our offer is accepted.

August 8th - I closed on our house in Texas and the movers packed our house up.

August 25th - I closed on our new house in Omaha, daddy was traveling

September 16th - Abba started Preschool

September 29th - Kaylyn turned 2

October 1st - 6th month visit with our Social Worker (two follow up visit are required by China after an adoption is complete)

October 7th - Kaylyn had an appointment with a Pediatric Cardiologist at The Children's Hospital in Omaha for a second opinion on her heart. We received great news that the VSD (hole) has closed even more and can no longer be heard via a stethoscope and that when she returns in October 2009 they suspect it will be fully closed.

Well the rest of the year was just full of holiday rush. It started at Halloween and here we are a new beginning in 2009. Whew I am tired just thinking about all of that happening in one year. It was a busy one but a very blessed one and I look forward to a great year this year.

Happy 2009!!!

Love,
Heather

Exciting News...

2008-12-30T14:29:00.002-06:00

In a few days I hope to be sharing some VERY exciting news regarding Kaylyn. Check back soon for an update.

Love,
Heather

A Little Hope...New Info on Kaylyn

2008-11-24T21:48:00.004-06:00

At the end of October I received a letter from Holt International, an adoption agency in Oregan, that had been forwarded from our old address in Texas. It has been 8 months now since Kaylyn joined our family. On March 19, 2008, Ricky and our mothers set out on a long journey, a 9 hour bus trip, to visit the orphanage in Wuwei City, where Kaylyn is from. The Wuwei orphanage has many children who live in foster care and there are usually sponsors. As a sponsor you pay so much per month usually for a child to live in foster care. While on this trip Ricky learned that Kaylyn's sponsorship was via Holt International. Upon returning home from China we contacted Holt asking for any information. They asked us to write a letter requesting the information. So we wrote a letter with hopes that someone would contact us but nothing. Now fast forward to October the letter stated that a new person had been assigned our file and that she had confirmed that Holt did infact sponsor Kaylyn and that she had contact information on the sponsors. So she asked us again to write a letter to the sponsors asking for anything they might have.

Today, I received an email titled "Kaylyn's Adoption" as you can imagine my heart felt as though it stopped and I sucked in air and it was a total moment of silence. Do I click to open this email and if so what will I see or read. Well, this is what I found....

A couple of teachers at a middle school in Normal, Illinois and thier students were Kaylyn's sponsors during her time in foster care. They did not have any of her information but based on memory they told me this...

"I do recall that she smiled a lot and was evaluated and found to be on target for her age regarding gross motor movements. They said she was happy around other babies and adults as well."

Now to most I know this seems like minimal information but it is something that we of course cherish. As adoptive parents with children that basically come to us with nothing more than the clothes on their backs it is so very important to provide our children anything you can learn about their past.

We do not know if this group was her only sponsors or if there are others but we are praying to find more information. After exchanging emails with this teacher I was in awe that they envolved a class room of kids to sponsor our child. I can only imagine what wonderful teachers they must be to teach children about adoption and guide them through the process of helping other children while waiting to be adopted.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Renal Ultrasound...

2008-11-05T11:34:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note...I mentioned in my last post that we were having Renal Ultrasounds done on the girls to make sure they did not have kidney stones due to the melamine exposure in China. The ultrasounds were simple and the results were perfect. They have no stones, no obstructions and their kidneys and bladder are as they should be.

Heather

Update...After Ped Visit Today

2008-10-15T20:21:00.002-06:00

I mentioned in last nights post that I was taking Kaylyn to her Pediatrician to rule out any medical problems. Well to my surprise she has an ear infection. I am so glad I went ahead and had her checked out. She just saw her Ped on Sept 22nd for her two year check up and her ears were clear but sometime between then and now she developed an ear infection....this the first ear infection for either of my girls. So hopefully her medications will start working quickly and she will return to her normal self. It also occurred to me last night as I was trying to settle her down in the middle of the night that she went off the bottle during our move. Life seemed so upside down and out of routine and that lasted from late July to September. So I offered her one last night and again tonight and to my surprise it was very welcomed...so maybe she was not ready to be off of it yet.

Another thing I have not mentioned yet because I have been doing my research is the recent recall of Chinese Formula that was tainted with Melamine. Some Chinese infant formula has been linked to kidney problems and kidney stones in babies in China because the formula contains melamine — the same industrial contaminant from China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats last year. It is not known how long the companies have been putting melamine in infant formula nor is it known what the long term affects will be for the children. What we do know is that both of our girls while living in China were on the tainted formula. So today while at the pediatrician I presented him with my research. It is being suggested that children get blood work, urine work and a renal ultrasound to check their kidneys out. However, some of the children are turning up to be asymptomatic (without symptoms). These kidney stones are different from a normal stone. Some of the kids get clear blood/urine work but stones are seen during the ultrasound. So we are skipping the blood/urine work and going straight to the renal ultrasound. I feel like both of our girls will get the all clear but we have to make sure. I am waiting on a call from our Peds office with the orders and I will post the results later.

Lots of Love,
Heather

2 Year Photo's

2008-10-14T22:24:00.002-06:00

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I took Kaylyn to have her two year pictures made today and at first I really did not like them but they have grown on me. Today has been a very bad day for her. We believe she is going through another phase of attachment and today to put it simply sucked for her. The photographer was a man and she is not really fond of men. Even her daddy at times she is very moody with. She was stone faced during the photo shoot without any expression. I got her to open up somewhat but she was very unsure of that particular man. For about a month now she simply does not want to sleep. She cries while going to sleep and wakes every night and cries more. She is going to visit the pediatrician tomorrow to rule out anything medical but I am fairly certain it is just attachment.

And our VERY happy news.....we took Kaylyn to a new Pediatric Cardiologist here in Omaha for a second opinion on her heart. The Ped Cardiologist in Houston at Texas Children's are excellent but warned us to watch her growth as it could be a sign of more serious problems. Well, Kaylyn has grown in height but has gained very little weight. So the cardiologist did an echocardiogram and listened to her heart. He cannot hear the VSD at all, which it was very loud when we brought her home and he said the hole is so small now compared to her echo last May that the blood cells are having to line up single file to pass through. That was the simple explaination he did explain what was going on in her heart very throughly but I won't even try to explain that...it was hard enough to understand. And he expects that the hole will fully close when she goes in next October for her one year follow up visit. So our girl is just a tiny little peanut whos heart is doing wonderfully and should live a healthy life with no restrictions.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Visit with Social Worker

2008-10-01T14:50:00.003-06:00

After an adoption is finalized in China families are required to visit with a social worker at 6 months home and again at 12 months home, a report is sent to China after each visit. The report is basically an update on the child and family as well as recent pictures. We had our 6 month social worker visit yesterday and as expected everything went great. We headed out to the park today to snap a few pictures to include in our report. There is a list of required pictures....adopted child alone, adopted child and parents only, etc. This is the picture we are sending of us and Kaylyn, I love it and wanted to share.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Kaylyn's 2nd Birthday...

2008-09-29T12:46:00.007-06:00

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My sweet Kaylyn, it has been six months since you joined our family. As I sit here and reflect how you have changed I am in awe. You came to our family a sad little girl full of emotion, you had been through so much in your short life. You really did not want much to do with us but we slowly grew on you. Today you are so full of life and so much all girl. You are very dramatic and very insistent but I love these qualities about you. You have taught me so much in six months. I have always known that I have very little patience but you are helping me learn and you have taught me how to love unconditionally. I mean that simply because I loved you even when you wanted nothing to do with me...but my persistence has paid off. I love how you have challenged me to be the best mommy I can be.

Over the last month I have enjoyed watching you blossom into such a loving little girl. You love to give lots of hugs and wet kisses. You have been teething so the drool has been every where but every time you give kisses you are so sweet and you wipe the drool off mommy's face. You have also learned to say I love you and it mealts my heart every time...these are words mommy longed to hear from you.

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet girl.

Love,
Mommy

True Colors...

2008-07-15T21:57:00.003-06:00

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I know it has been way to long since I last posted and I apologize but I have promised myself I am going to try to do better.

Our girl has definitely turn a corner and is doing so much better. We are still working on her attachment but she is responding so much better to us. Tomorrow is July 16th and Kaylyn will have only been with our family for four months. Which is so hard to believe she seems like she has always been with us. So a little update on her she has pretty much mastered walking and is trying very hard to run. Her favorite past time is to copy Abba, which at times drives Abba nuts. But it is so funny to watch but I am never going to hear the end of it as they grow LOL. Kaylyn is doing well with her speech and is probably up to about 20 words. Now this is not so hot for an almost 2 year old but it is great considering English was only introduced to her four short months ago. When she does start talking she is going to be one of those little girls that never stops talking LOL. The girl starts babbling when she wakes up and does not stop unless she is sleeping and as the day progresses the babble grows louder. Poor Abba is always telling her Kaylyn too loud. Kaylyn is still a tiny little peanut weighing almost 21 lbs and nearly 32 inches tall. But she seems to be very healthy and we still have no concerns with her heart.

I hope you can all see in the pictures just how much her expressions have changed. She is finally letting us see the true Kaylyn. Which at times is sweet and lovable but tell the girl no and her evil twin appears in two seconds flat. This girl can cry some big crocodile tears and throw a big fit. But we have been working on behavior as well and we can at least help her get herself under control within minutes where as before wow at times it would take nearly 30 minutes to calm her down. She is my girl who likes to give kisses and hugs...oh and the best part is she lets me know by pointing in her room when she is ready to go to sleep. She sleeps through the night without a peep. Oh I so deserve that considering big sister still hates to sleep and would much rather hang out with mommy into the wee hours of the night.

Enjoy the pics,
Heather

Misc. Photos...

2008-06-06T23:23:00.004-06:00

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If I could only freeze time....I would keep my girls this young forever. Kaylyn and Abba are only 15 months apart and at times this is challenging. But everyday they grow as sisters and friends and each day brings so many smiles. The pictures are just various pictures over the last month of the girls. They are doing wonderful!!! Abba continues to be a wonderful sister and it is amazing how much Kaylyn is changing. Due to attachment issues we have had to avoid big gatherings and not allow family and friends to hold her. I am happy to say we are slowly starting to see signs that she is attaching to us. We still have a long way to go as it has been very obvious that her little heart has been hurt but together we hope we are taking steps in the right direction to help her heal. And you can see in pictures she is full of smiles these days :)

Oh and about Kaylyn's smile...OMGoodness!!! Abba always says cheese for the camera because her daddy does. So it was only natural I guess that Abba teach Kaylyn. I know some of you used to watch Friends...remember the episode when Monica and Chandler went to take engagement pictures...do you remember how every picture they took had that goofy smile....yep that's my girls LOL.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather

Going Home Barbie Winner....

2008-05-27T08:37:00.004-06:00

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Sorry I do not have video of the raffle drawing, I did not realize the battery needed charging so I took pictures of the event. And the winner is....Robert S, I will ship the barbie out today. I want to thank all of you who helped us raise money for the earthquake victims in China, together we raised $255. I donated 100% of that to Love Without Boundaries earthquake aid this morning. You can click on the LWB link to read the most recent report from China.

Thank you all again!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abba & Kaylyn

Earthquake in China...

2008-05-17T16:29:00.002-06:00

By now I am sure you have all seen the reports of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake affecting many provinces in China. While our children are not from this area, I am still heartbroken for their loss. I hurts me to my soul to see the pictures of the families holding the bodies of thier loved ones. It is especially hard to see them holding children. They have not just lost their child but they have most likely lost their only child. It is estimated that the death toll will reach around 50,000. We have traveled to China twice now to complete the adoptions of our beautiful blessings and both times we have left part of our hearts in China. It is such a beautiful county that will forever be part of our family. Today, I read that one of the orphanages in Gansu has structural damage. If you remember correctly Gansu is where Kaylyn is from. As far as we know her orphanage is unharmed and the children are safe but the earth quake was felt in her province.

So you may ask why am I posting this...because I want to help those in need and I can do that with your help through Love Without Boundaries earth quake relief fund. So this is my plan....

When families travel to China to adopt they stay at the famous White Swan Hotel. Each family receives a Going Home Barbie they are souvenirs presented by Mattel (HK) Ltd. to adopting parents of Chinese orphan children staying at the the White Swan Hotel, Guangzhou, China, they are not sold to retailers. What is a Going Home Barbie you ask, it is a blond hair blue eyed barbie holding a dark haired almond shape eyed baby. This trip we had two rooms at the White Swan, one for us and one for the grandmothers, so we got two barbies. So this is how I want to help...I want to raffle the barbie off and 100% of donations received will go to help children affected by the earthquake. You can help by clicking on my Chip In account and donating. For every $5 dollars you donate your name will be entered for the raffle. So you if donate $15 your name will be entered three time. The raffle will begin today Saturday, May 17th and end on Monday, May 26th.

6th Edition Going Home Barbie

What is Wrong with People....

2008-05-17T09:23:00.003-06:00

Anyone who follows my blog has probably figured out by now that I have a ton of fun dressing the girls alike and the must have accessory is a bow. I am not talking little bows I love big bows...right you can see that in pictures right??? Well, yesterday it hit this inexperienced mommy and daddy that we are way late in trying to get Abba into the preschool of choice (we are 5th out on the waiting list). So we get dressed and set out to look at some of the local schools. Of course I have the girls looking cute as usual....little flower print skirts and yellow shirts with of course large matching yellow bows. So have I painted a cute picture for you yet???? On our way into the first school a perfect gentle men opens the door for us and asks us what we are looking for. We tell him the school offices and he personally walks us down. During the little walk he asks where the girls are from, dear hubby says China. The man then says how nice a boy and a girl....hello what!!??!! Yep what gave it away is it the ear rings, skirt or the hair bow. Now I am not a mommy to boys but I don't think I would dress my little boy like that. Now I would like to say well it is because he is a man who does not notice the obvious but we have had this happen several times....by both men and women....and in China by another adoptive mom. Ugghhh....some day my poor baby will grow hair...LOL...poor Kaylyn.

Have a great weekend!!!

Heather

Kaylyn's 100 Good Wish Quilt..

2008-05-14T20:40:00.003-06:00

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My Aunt Kay finished Kaylyn's 100 Good Wish Quilt today....I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!! I just had to share the pictures, it is so beautiful. There are 96 squares in the center, then it is trimmed in a light shade of pink, then another row of trim that is green chenille then finally my favorite Michael Miller China Kid fabric, including the remaining four squares and the best part is the back is solid green chenille. NanaK I know you will eventually read this. I cannot thank you enough for all that you have sewn for my girls. They will never find themselves cold on a winter day ever :) I love you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for making both of my girls quilts. We will forever cherish them. I love you!!

Heather

More Picture's & Update

2008-05-12T10:14:00.003-06:00

On Monday, May 5th Kaylyn had her first Pediatric Cardiologist appointment. Dr. Reddy did an EKG and an Eco-Cardiogram, she did beautifully and thankfully did not require sedation. The doctor found that her VSD is in fact very small and shows signs that it has already started getting smaller. He said he needs to watch it as she grows but that he is about 90% sure she will never require surgery to close it, the hole will most likely close on its own. He also informed us that he saw no other damage to the heart, etc. So he will not see her for a full year and next year he will do the same tests again and reevaluate her then. We left his office feeling so much lighter as we were able to let go of the worry. However, we had hoped he would be a little more aggressive and just fix it. But he did explain that it would be open heart surgery and for a small VSD the risk were greater to have surgery than to live with it. We have asked for the files to be reviewed by another doctor for a second opinion. However, the doctor did suggest that it is best for him to evaluate her while she grows to see what happens before making a decision and we are comfortable with that decision.

Kaylyn, has also started physical therapy which she "hates". It makes her angry so I don't push her but she has decided that walking is kinda ok. I have noticed a little progress in her falling but not much. Thankfully she usually falls forward which she has pretty much figured out how to catch herself but if she falls backwards she will be in trouble because she has not figured that out. Abba has decided that it is her job to hold Kaylyn's hand and make sure she is walking rather than crawling...it is too cute and it seems to be working :)

Well, that is it for now it is late and my big girl has decided that she does not like sleeping...she says she wants to "hang out with mommy" It warms my heart that she want to hang out with me and it is darn cute to hear her say something like that...the late nights makes for long fussy days. So I must head off to bed myself so she will sleep.

Lots of Love,
Heather

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What Camera Do I Use...

2008-05-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

I have had several people ask me what camera we use. I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera. I LOVE LOVE this camera....sometimes I get a few lucky shots but someday I hope to learn how to take great pictures. This camera has MANY features I have no idea how to use but it also has very easy to use automatic features.

PS - Laurie please email me privately and I will send you the link to our Wuwei photo album. hthrwlls1128@yahoo.com

A Different Perspective...

2008-04-29T22:33:00.007-06:00

I have found it very difficult and hard to explain to family and friends how Kaylyn is feeling and why it is best for us not to let others hold her. They say they understand but it still leaves me with a very uncomfortable feeling, as though maybe I have hurt them. However, in my heart I am confidant that I am doing what is right for my child. This week two adoptive moms sent me a link to read. It is long but so worth the read...it sent chills up my spine to have my children's loss put into a perspective that I could understand.

Lots of Love...Heather

Immense Loss... Walk a Mile in Baby’s Booties

Imagine for a moment…

You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow.

The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life.

The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face.

But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved?

You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay.

But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him?

Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone.

You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact.

Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it.

More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you?

You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried.

The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you.

You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy.

The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation.

Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair.

Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before.

He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black.

You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to asleep.

People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness.

Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along.

Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait.

--Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller

Update...

2008-04-24T22:24:00.002-06:00

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Sorry to leave you hanging but life is super busy these days. Everyone is adjusting slowly and we are slowly developing a schedule that everyone can live with. My time on the computer is very limited these day so I thought I would post a quick update with some great pictures of the girls.

Abba is still experiencing typical sibling jealously, with some days being better than others. Just this past week we met with our play group, I did not realize how much Abba missed her friends. Having them to play with has helped her behavior and I have seen a ton of smiles. She has decided that being a baby is not so fun that being a big girl is so much better. Thanks to some of my online friends for there advice. We allowed Abba to take a few steps back with a bottle, etc...but she has now decided that there are many things big girls can do that baby girls can not. Now don't get me wrong she has her moments of weakness but she bounces back to being a big girl much quicker these days. Before Kaylyn joined our family there were many many times that I honestly wondered if Abba was learning from anything I was attempting to teach her...for example unacceptable behavior, good manners and so on. I have now learned that yes I am doing something right, I hear Abba daily bossing Kaylyn around...No no we don't do that or say excuse me Kaylyn...LOL.

Kaylyn has had so much going on. Since we have been home she has been to our pediatrician to get a referral for a pediatric cardiologist and for blood work. Yesterday, we took the lab orders to Texas Children's Hospital to have the blood drawn. Kaylyn is very dramatic so I was prepared with everything and anything that might keep her happy. The nurse drew four vials of blood and she never made a peep...I was amazed. Kaylyn has also been evaluated by Early Childhood Intervention and it was determined that she is nearly 9 months behind for her age. At almost 19 months she is not walking. However, she has come a long way since we met her in China. And her walking is not what we are so worried about it is the fact that when she falls she does not attempt to catch herself. I think I have mentioned how scary it is to watch her fall. So in May she will begin physical therapy for her balance and speech therapy. She is mostly behind due to lack of exposure and we are certain everything will come along quickly, we just don't want her to fall further behind at her age. On May 5th, Kaylyn will make another trip to Texas Children's for her first visit with a pediatric cardiologist, please keep her in your prayers. We know for sure she will have an EKG that first visit but outside of that we have no idea what to expect. We just pray the damage in minimal and that everything is repairable. Life for Kaylyn is difficult right now...I know in pictures she looks like a happy little girl but truth is she has a long way to go. We are struggling with attachment which is very normal. She struggles daily and still grieves for her for the life she lost. When we are playing she gives us lots of smiles and eye contact but in normal daily life she really does not want to even look at us. She still seems very lost at times in our home, unsure of where she is. Kaylyn also seems to need some sort of security...she is attached to the blanket I gave her in China and I have found her sucking on it, chewing it, chewing her thumb and sucking her hand, but nothing consistent. So I thought maybe a binky would help and it has some. She has not fallen in love with it but during fussy or sleepy times it seems to help. Now under normal circumstances I would never push a binky but it is really yucky to pick up a blanket soaked in saliva. And I can tell the blanket sucking/chewing is not even something she really enjoys just that she is in search of something that gives her comfort. So now she rubs the blanket all over her face while using the binky. We have come a long way with Kaylyn's attachment but we still have a long road ahead of us. The past couple of weeks she has began reaching out for any stranger to take her, which seems sweet to those that don't understand the process of attachment but in all honesty it is unhealthy. So we have had to make the decision to not let family and friends hold her until she develops a healthy attachment with us. That conversation has been very hard for me. But I must keep my faith that time will heal her broken heart and that piece by piece she allows us to break down the wall she has around her heart for protection .

Well that's it for now...hope you enjoy the pictures.

Love,
Heather

Growing Together...

2008-04-13T18:32:00.004-06:00

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The girls daddy went back to work this past Wednesday, it has been hard and fun at the same time. I am not afraid to admit how hard it has been going from one child to two. It has been very stressful for all four of us. But it is a learning process and I am certain we will all become better individuals. Tonight I put the girls in their bubble bath and sat down in the floor with my laptop to make a new slide show. As I sat and listened to their laughter I started letting go of the days stress. Then I began to really look at the pictures of my girls and I could see them growing as individuals and transforming into "Sisters" in pictures....it brought tears to my eyes. They are such blessings and I am so honored to their mother.

As for individual progress we are getting there. Abba has regressed in some areas but we are focusing on her behavior right now...we are certain she will be ready to be a big girl again very soon. And Kaylyn is doing much better. She is over the jet lag and when she is well rested and fed she is a pretty happy girl. We are now working on our attachment...she still tends to look away from us a lot but we are working on it. We hope in time she will trust that we will always be here for her and become more comfortable with us.

Enjoy the pics!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abba & Kaylyn

Zoo Trip...

2008-04-04T22:14:00.001-06:00

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Just a few pictures from our trip to the zoo. It was great to get outside and the girls had a great time. Enjoy the pics!!

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abba & Kaylyn

Finally Home...

2008-04-01T10:55:00.002-06:00

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Well, it has taken me a few days to pull my head above water but I am alive. Jet lag got the best of us this time. I was probably a kid the last time I was in bed by 9:00 pm LOL...but each day is getting better.

Both girls are having difficult adjustments but it will all happen in time. They are both such beautiful blessings and it breaks my heart to see them struggling. Happy days are ahead I know it and I cannot wait for those days.

I need to keep it short as I need to shower between naps :) Enjoy the pics!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather

PS - Kaylyn visited our pediatrician on Friday, Dr Chin listened to her heart and said she definitely has a VSD. She said the louder a VSD the smaller it is and that Kaylyn's is very loud. She said Kaylyn may or may not need surgery it could possibly close on it's own. We are now waiting for an appointment to see her Pediatric Cardiologist, so please pray his findings are good.

We're Coming HomWe...

2008-03-25T20:25:00.002-06:00

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Today we are checking out of the beautiful White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China. This afternoon is our Consulate Appointment where we will recieve Kaylyn's Chinese Passport with her US Visa. We will then head to Hong Kong via bus and we finally catch our final flight to the states on Thursday morning. Once we land in Newark, New Jersey Kaylyn will become an American Citizen. We had a wonderful trip and Kaylyn is such a blessing, we are very excited to be headed home and start our life as a family of four.

Thank you all for following our blog and for all of your comments. We enjoyed reading all of your comments.

Bye Bye from Guangzhou....

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abigail, Kaylyn, Memaw & Nana

Last Days In China...

2008-03-24T08:51:00.002-06:00

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Sorry I have not been posting but life if completely different with two kids. We landed in Guangzhou Friday the 22nd around midnight. And of course on Saturday the shopping began. For those that have been here this is the place to shop...in Lanzhou there was no shopping. Today, Kaylyn went for her required medical examination and two different doctors said her heart condition is very mild. So we are hopeful the doctors at Texas Children's find the same. Kaylyn has finally shown us her sweet personality...she loves to play and laugh. She is much happier with us now but is still very shy. She does not want anyone other than us to touch or hold her, even our poor moms have not been able to hold her.

We will leave Hong Kong for the states on Thursday the 27th and arrive in Houston at 7:30pm on Thursday the 27th, Continental Flight 51, at Terminal C, Intercontinental Airport. As we did with Abigail we will keep Kaylyn in the carrier and not allow others to hold her. She is a very shy little girl and we do not want to overwhelm her. I would also like to ask those that will be at the airport to make a big fuss over Abigail before you do Kaylyn. Abigail has had a "Very" difficult transition and we think it would help her feel just as important.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abigail and Kaylyn

Wuwei Social Welfare Institute

2008-03-20T21:00:00.008-06:00

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We thought we would take a moment to describe some of our experiences in Lanzhou - the capital city of Gansu Province, and Kaylyn's home city of Wuwei. Both cities are a long way from Houston - both literally and figuratively.

This has honestly been the experience of a lifetime. This is “the real China”, as described by our guides. As of 48 hours ago, there were only 20 foreigners in this city and 14 of those 20, are in our group. To make things even more interesting, the police and the hotel have been placed on notice, to take extra precautions, regarding our group. The additional safety precautions are due to civil unrest and protesting in Tibet and a large Muslim community, here in the city of Lanzhou. However, we have had no issues at all, the people have been very friendly. As a side note, I would like to add that I know what it feels like to be a rock star, as we attract large crowds and wide-eyed stares, everywhere we go.

Wuwei City - Has a long history, dating back before 770 B.C. It was at one point considered the capital of the west corridor of the Yellow River and located near the “Silk Road” traveled by Marco Polo. It is located in the northwest portion of Gansu Provence. Wuwei city consits of of 7 towns and 32 townships and has a population of roughly 830,000. It is mainly a farming community and 80 percent of the crop production consists of grain and wheat. The snow topped Qilian Mountain range lies to the southwest, the central portion of Wuwei is mainly fertile farmland and to the east is grassland and dessert.

We had an opportunity to visit Kaylyn’s orphanage. It was a nice facility, and the staff seemed to be very concerned about the children, especially the assistant director, who was formerly the staff doctor. The memory I will take away from the orphanage is the disappointment on Kaylyn’s foster mother’s face that Kaylyn did not make the 9 hour bus trip with us. There is absolutely no doubt that Kaylyn was loved tremendously. I felt really terrible that I disappointed this woman that cared so deeply for Kaylyn, but the initial separation was very hard on Kaylyn and she has made some progress since that day. We did not want to lose any ground, by reintroducing the foster mother back into the picture.

Furthermore, we learned that Kaylyn had two foster families. The first foster mother had to have a medical procedure at which point Kaylyn was passed to the family that she lived with until the day she became part of our family. This makes us feel even better about the decision not to take Kaylyn back to the orphanage, considering she has experienced more than her share of separation of loved ones, and the introduction of new family faces - at this point in her young existence.

Hanging Out Today...

2008-03-18T21:14:00.004-06:00

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Today, I decided to skip the trip to Kaylyn's orphanage and stay at the hotel with the girls. Ricky and our mom's went with the group in search for any information from Kaylyn's life before we met her. Kaylyn is a very shy little girl who honestly is not very fond of us right now and I don't blame her. So the decision to stay was because we did not want her to have any set backs in the event her foster parents were there. Some may disagree but it is what we felt is best for her. Kaylyn is pretty happy while not sleeping and we see lots of beautiful smiles. And she sleeps rather good so far but when she wakes up you can see the sadness in her eyes when she see that is is us.

So a little about Kaylyn...we think she was very spoiled by her foster family. She hits and pushes Abba so we have already had to start telling her no, considering Abba knows the behavior is wrong. She also does not want to get anything for her self, she will point at things and just grunt and look at us to get them for her which we think they must have done for her. She has very low muscle tone and does not walk yet. This saddens me because she is nearly 18 months old and lived in foster care for 16 of that. The back of her head is also pretty flat from spending too much time on her back. But even though we wish the care had been different it was very obvious that she was very much loved by her foster mother. So although we are struggling with bonding now in the end being fostered will help her tremendously.

And for my Abba she is experiencing the typical sibling jealously. She is pretty good at sharing Mommy until she gets really tired. But she is working very hard at being a sweet big sister, for that I am so proud of her.

I will try to post again tonight after Ricky gets back to the hotel with details of his trip to the Wuwei Orphanage today.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Touring Lanzhou...

2008-03-18T08:18:00.002-06:00

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I only have time for a few pictures. We have an early morning and a long bus ride to Kaylyn's orphanage. I will do my best to post tomorrow night.

Thank you all for your comments, we love reading each and everyone of them. Please accept my apologies for not responding to each of you but time is very limited with two little ones.

Just a short note Kaylyn is slowly opening up to us but very little she is definitely grieving to loss of her foster family. Miss Abba is really having a hard time sharing Mommy. Please keep our girls in your prayers.

Lot of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abigail & Kaylyn

Official Adoption Day...

2008-03-17T08:29:00.002-06:00

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On March 17th, Wu Hui Ci, has been officially adopted and is now Kaylyn CiAnna. We pressed Kaylyn's foot and our thumbs in red ink and made it official. Hope you enjoy todays pictures.

Lots of Love,
Heather

PS - I know my post are very short but I have found it much more difficult to post with two little ones. It will take me a bit to get used to this :) Thank goodness we has the grandmas here to help out...they have been a blessing.

Gotch Day...

2008-03-16T18:27:00.002-06:00

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Wow what a day yesterday. We left our hotel in Beijing at 8:00 for our flight to Lanzhou and landed in Lanzhou at 1:30. Upon arrival we were told the bus ride to the hotel was an hour and that our babies would be there at 3:00. Well of course the nerves set in for everyone. We had less than 30 minutes to prepare diaper bags and gifts for the Orphanage director and nannies but we did it and made it down stairs before the babies arrived. Kaylyn is BEAUTIFUL and very shy. We were told that the people who brought the babies worked at the orphanage. But I could quickly tell that she was very attached to her caregiver. She refused to come to me and burried her head in the womans arms. It was my guess that the woman was infact her foster mother. So I asked our guide and she inquired. The director said yes but told her not to tell me. I will forever remember that womans face and the tears she shead have to let go of the baby she cared for for 16 months.

So on to the good stuff pictures!!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abigail & Kaylyn

March 13th - 15th...

2008-03-15T05:44:00.002-06:00

Wow trying to post daily will be a challenge with Miss Abba. When she joined our family I would blog at night after she went to sleep but now I dare not make noise once she is sleeping. We have had a very busy few days touring in Beijing as you can see from the pictures. The weather has been great...windy and cold at times but later in the day very warm.

This is our last night in Beijing, tomorrow morning we leave bright and early for Gansu, which is Kaylyn's provience. I will post again as soon as I can. Thank you all for your comments and prayers, we so enjoy reading them daily.

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky, Abba, Nana & Memaw

PS - My mom's luggage arrived safe and sound the following day :)

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We Made It to Beijing...

2008-03-13T06:09:00.008-06:00

Nothing exciting to post tonight but we did make it to Beijing. The flight was LONG but Abba did great, which is what really mattered. I think most of you know both of our moms are traveling with us. Ricky's mom has flown domestically but my mother has never been on a plane until today. They both did great but my poor mother not only whet on her first flight but her first flight was an international flight and to top it all off her luggage never left Houston. Hopefully it will make it here tomorrow. Not really any pictures to post but here are a few.

See You In China...

2008-03-11T23:07:00.005-06:00

We are FINALLY on our way to China to bring Kaylyn home!!! I am so excited I don't think I will sleep. It is just after midnight now and our plane leaves at 6:30 am...maybe a few hours.

So this is what luggage looks like for Mommy, Daddy, Abba, Nana and Memaw...WOW. Poor Ricky his back is going to be killing him.

Please pray for our health and safety as we travel to complete our family.

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

China Schedule...

2008-02-29T23:55:00.003-06:00

March 12 - Depart Houston
March 13 - Arrive Beijing
March 14-15 - Tour Beijing
March 16 - Depart Beijing/Arrive Lanzhou
March 17 - GOTCHA DAY!!!!!
March 18-20 Adoption Paperwork, Tour Lanzhou
March 21 - Depart Lanzhou/Arrive Guangzhou
March 22-23 Shopping
March 24 - Medical Exam
March 25 - Consulate Appointment
March 26 - Swearing in Ceremony/Depart Guangzhou to Hong Kong
March 27 - Depart Hong Kong
March 27 - Arrive HOME

Wow I cannot believe in just twelve short days we will be on our way to China. I have been so busy booking flights, hotels, tours etc....I don't even think the excitement has set in yet. However, I am certain I will be running on adrenalin come 4:30 am on the 12th.

Love,
Heather

Official Travel Approval...

2008-02-28T11:28:00.006-06:00

This is our official travel approval...WOOHOO!!! I am booking flights etc today...check back soon for confirmed travel dates.

Love,

Heather

Travel Approval...

2008-02-25T18:04:00.003-06:00

We finally got the long awaited call today that our agency received our travel approval. They will now request a Consulate Appointment and we can fainlly make travel plans. We are requesting a Consulate Appointment of March 25th. If it is confirmed we could be leaving as early as March 13th.

We are so excited!!! Travel dates will be posted soon!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

TA News!!!!

2008-02-22T11:59:00.002-06:00

I just received this email from our agency:

"Dear Families,

I am simply OVERJOYED to tell you that I just received news that your TA's have been processed and should arrive to us next week. I estimate by Wednesday at the latest but we were told they have been processed and are being mailed. I'm so happy for you all. Patricia Martin will be the one to call you when your TA arrives and will ask you at that time about the dates you are available to travel.I'm celebrating with you that your time is drawing closer and closer to having your precious one in your arms and look forward to tearing open that envelope with your TA's next week! Have a wonderful and blessed weekend. Erin"

So what does this mean....it means that once our agency has our travel approval in their hands they can make our consulate appointment. We will then know what our travel dates are.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Love,
Heather

Gong Xi Fa Cai...

2008-02-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese). Even though the pronunciations are a little different, both are written the same way. Gong Xi is congratulations or respectfully wishing one joy. Fa Cai is to become rich or to make money.

Thus, Gong Xi Fa Cai means wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year.

On January 17, 2008, we arranged for a New Year Package to be sent to Kaylyn. Enclosed was a beautiful cold weather Chinese outfit, a Hello Kitty Doll, disposable camera, a picture of Mommy, Daddy and Jei Jei (Big Sister) and some candies. We used Ann at Red Thread China she is such a sweet woman. Ann is located in China...you choose what items you want in your package and she translates a letter for you. And to our surprise upon confirmation that the package had been sent Ann also sent us updated measurement on Kaylyn. She called and spoke to someone at the orphanage and this is what we got:

15.5 Months Old

Height:76cm = 29.9 inches
chest:44cm = 17.3 inches
weight:8.8kg = 19.4 pounds
head:43cm = 16.9 inches
feet:12cm = 4.7 inches
teeth: up,4 down,4

Her nickname is Ci Ci, she is a very good and sweet baby ,not very outgoing. Ci Ci lives in the foster family. It is freezing cold there now, snows everywhere there.

This is the second package we have sent to Kaylyn. Our first package went back in November. We sent her lots of goodies...clothes, toys, blanket, Who Loves Baby Photo Album, disposable cameras and candies for the Foster Family. I pray that her Foster Mamma is showing her our family photos and preparing her for us. We are also hoping to receive all of the disposable cameras back full of photos. It is always a treasure to receive a glimps into life before we met our daughters.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Heather

Fortune....

2008-02-02T23:27:00.001-06:00

Abigail and I had lunch at our favorite Chinese restaruant today with my great aunt. And as usual after lunch they brought us fortune cookies. This was my fortune!! Under normal circumstances this might not be as exciting, but considering we are waiting on some very "Happy" news from China, in the form of a Travel Approval, this is very exciting!!!

Keep your fingers crossed that we hear something soon!!!

Lots of Love,
Heather

PS - Funny I cannot recall getting fortune cookies after a meal in China...hmmmm. Someone tell me if my memory is bad or is this something done in the states???

Update Day 170...LOA Finally

2008-01-23T23:43:00.001-06:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

LOA Call...January 23, 2008, at 11:11 a.m.

On day 170 our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) finally arrived. The Letter of Acceptance is a letter of seeking confirmation from adopter. In this letter they ask us do we accept the adoptee mentioned above....Wu Hui Ci. Well, of course we do!!!! Now, I am sure you will all ask the same question when will we travel. We hope to travel in 6 to 8 weeks but we sure hope it is sooner.

Please continue to keep our beautiful daughter in your prayers.

Love,

Proud Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister

Kaylyn's Nursery...

2008-01-05T00:06:00.000-06:00

Kaylyn's room is finally complete (minus one cute baby)...what do you think?

Love,
Heather

PS - We are still waiting for news, please continue to pray for Kaylyn.

Love Without Boundaries Needs "YOUR" Help...

2007-12-29T22:57:00.001-06:00

Love Without Boundaries is a non-profit orginazation that consists of volunteers worldwide who have realized that people with a pure love for helping children can truly make a difference. They all donate their time and resources in an attempt to brighten the lives of orphaned children in China.

As you may have read in my previous posts Ricky and I help support the needs of a beautiful little 4 year old named Calleigh. Without the volunteers through Love Without Boundaries, Calleigh would not have received heart surgery. There are many children in China just like little Calleigh, that with out donations to fund her surgery it would not be possible.

Love Without Boundaries has entered a contest at Facebook with hopes to win $50,000. Can you imagine all the beautiful children that money could help. Not only would they have an opportunity of a healthy life but they may also become available for adoption after surgery.

Give a child the gift of life and possibly family...Can you help??? A donation of only $10 would help Love Without Boundaries become one step closer to becoming eligible to win the $50,000.

The email below is from Love Without Boundaries. If you "CAN" help click the link below to sign up and make your donation!!!

Love Without Boundaries - Facebook Contest

Lots of Love,
Heather

Love Without Boundaries - Web Site

Love Without Boundaries - Blog

Love Without Boundaries won a second $1,000 prize for
yesterday/today's 24-hour period!
AND we are now one of 10 charities eligible for a $10,000 prize.
Don't let anyone else pass us up!!!

Dare we even think it, with just another 67 donations, LWB would be
eligible for one of two $25,000 prizes!!!

If you are willing, please sign up and donate just $10 to the LWB
cause. It could mean a WHOLE lot more than just that $10, and with
so
many critical babies needing surgery, it would be such a tremendous
blessing!!!

Just go to:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591
and click on the "Sign Up" button. Fill in your info agree to the
terms of use and platform terms of use, and then click "Sign Up Now!"

Confirm your registration (sent to you via email) and then you are
ready to donate. Go back to:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591
log in at the upper lefthand corner, using your email address and
new
password, and then click on the DONATE button. I believe it defaults
to a $25 donation, but you can add a vote for LWB by donating as
little as $10.

Even if we don't get another prize, we now have over $4000 that we
didn't have just a couple of days ago, so THANK YOU to everyone who
signed up and donated!

Update Day 144...

2007-12-28T19:50:00.000-06:00

Time for yet another update from our agency...the email is below:

"Dear Families,

I'm so sorry to let you know that we did not have any LOA's arrive during the holidays, nor did we receive notice that they are in the mail. I am pasting an email here that I just sent to another family because I want to be sure that I am able to touch base with each of you so that you all know where we now stand and what we are doing.I completely understand and even share in the frustration that each of you are feeling. I hate that they told us they will expedite the first group of 3 dossiers they messed up and now their idea of 'expediting' has turned into almost 6 weeks later and still no LOA in my hands!! I hate that you have all been held up as a result of their mistakes and they still drag their feet in correcting their mistake while they continue to tell us that they are moving things along as quickly as possible. I'm sooo sorry for you - for all of you.When I came in this morning and still no LOA and no news of them being in the mail, I sent another email to our rep. and asked him to go again and find out if they have been mailed and if not, when they should be mailed. Please hang in there and know I'm still praying!"

I am praying for good news soon. Until then I ask that you continue to pray for Kaylyn.

Love,

Heather

Christmas Has Come and Gone...

2007-12-28T00:27:00.000-06:00

I am amazed at how having children can make the holidays such a magical time of year. I started out the holiday season feeling kind of sorry for myself. It was our hope to spend Christmas in China with our daughter Kaylyn, but the Lord has other plans. So I decided to accept his plan whatever that maybe and to savor every moment with my precious Abigail. This year was her last Christmas as an only child. So I wanted to do everything I could possibly imagine making it special. Unfortunately, she is only 2.5 and most likely not remember just how wonderful it was. But I do have it all in pictures….

Black Friday Shopping…..
Visiting Santa 1st Trip (not so grate)….
Finding the Perfect Christmas Dress…
Baking Cookies…..
Making Hot Chochit with Marshmallows & Sprinkles (aka Chocolate)….
More Shopping….
Visiting Santa 2nd Trip (he was kinda ok)…
Painting a Footprint Plate for Rudolph’s Carrots…
Christmas Parties…
Caroling with Friends…
Christmas Lights…
Visiting Santa 3rd Trip with Friends (hops in his lap…success)…
Shopping for the Perfect Ornaments for 2007…
Trips to Starbucks for Hot Chocolate…
Playing in Homemade Texas Snow…
Christmas Eve Service…
Teaching Her Christmas Songs…
Christmas Photos…
Leaving Cookies & Chochit Milk for Santa and Carrots for Rudolph…
Watching Her Eyes Light Up Christmas Morning…
More Shopping the Day After Christmas…
Packing Up All the Christmas Decorations…

So Christmas has come and gone…I sit here with tears in my eyes and bittersweet feelings…wishing it could be Christmas all year. But I now know that this was part of “His” perfect plan, to savor our last moments as a family of three. My favorite memories this year are:

· Realizing my two year old is smarter than I gave her credit. She was with me when I did most of her Christmas shopping and actually remembered most of the gifts. She reminded me when she opened up one of her gifts that it came from Wal-Mart and that her Pink Kitchen is from Pottery Barn…LOL. Funny thing is the kitchen is a knock off that only cost me a fraction of the cost and she didn’t notice woohoo!! However, I did explained to her that Santa shops in very cool places. Seriously do people really try to pull off the whole Elf thing making the toys…if so I need some pointers here.

· And I think my favorite memory is singing Christmas Carols. Abigail’s favorites are Rudolph and Jingle Bells. It is hilarious to listen to…she only knows some of the words. So we would sing and when she knows a word she would belt it out at the top of her lungs….SO PRECIOUS.

Before the holidays when we talked to Abigail about Kaylyn she really was not interested but she has now started to talk about her on her own. She is very ready for her little sister to join her in the wee-morning hours for some dancing and singing with the Doodlebops. She is also eager to share bath time with Kaylyn…just this morning she told me where Kaylyn would sit during bath time…. isn’t that so sweet.

So as sad as I am to see the holidays go I am so ready for 2008. I am ready for our precious Kaylyn to join our family. Please continue to pray for her health and for our speedy travels.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Update Day 137...

2007-12-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

Today, I called our agency to touch base with them before the holidays. This is the response we got:

"First, unfortunately, we have not received the delayed LOA's and as of today, we have not been notified that they are in the mail. I'm so sorry! I had truly hoped and prayed that I would be able to call you with good news before Christmas. We have been told they are being processed and expect them (at least the July and August LID's) soon. However, as we have all experienced, China's idea of "soon" and our idea is two different things.

I do want to tell you that I am not going out of town for the holidays.

The office will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and I will return on Friday because I am moving to a new apartment on Wed. and Thurs. I live close to our mail boxes and will be checking them for your LOA's. If any LOA's or even news of LOA's comes in over the holidays, I will come to the office to process them for you and will make sure to call you! I cannot think of a better Christmas gift I
would like to give than calls of LOA arrival. I know I have good cell numbers for each family but if you will be out of town or visiting relatives and would like to provide me with additional numbers in case LOA's arrive, please feel free to email them to me.

I'm sorry I don't have better news for you today but I am encouraged by all of the beautiful Christmas cards we've received from families this year because I realize that at this time next year, you will have been home for a long time with your precious child and will be celebrating your first Christmas together. At that time, this difficult waiting will be only a bad memory replaced by the joys of the precious moments you've had with your newest blessing.

I pray that each and every one of you have a very wonderful and blessed Christmas!"

Please continue to pray for our precious daughter.

Happy Holidays,

Heather

Update Day 130...

2007-12-14T21:30:00.000-06:00

Today we receive yet another depressing call from our agency. As they had warned us the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) processed paperwork out of order. So what that means is our agency received LOA's (Letter of Acceptance) today for three families behind us. However, I am VERY happy for these families. One little girl has been waiting for a family for many years and they will be on their way very soon. Our agency did confirm that our file is on the right desk and waiting to be processed. They were told that our LOA will be printed, signed and mailed next week. A little part of me wants to do the Snoopy dance but the realistic part of me knows that is also possible it could take longer. I just keep reminding myself of God's perfect timing....it will happen.

I am praying that we will receive our LOA by Christmas. I cannot think of a better gift :) Please continue to pray for our sweet daughter's health. I looked up the weather in Wuwei today, it is very cold. Wuwei Forcast

Love,
Heather

Calleigh Update

2007-12-02T00:39:00.001-06:00

Great news!!! I received the following email regarding Calleigh, the little girl we are sponsoring that had heart surgery.

"She seems to be doing great and was supposed to be discharged yesterday (11/26/07). I haven't had that confirmed yet. She made a friend with the little boy who is in the same room. She has been talking a lot and says that she is not in pain. She has said that she wants to leave the hospital and go back home".

Please continue to pray for this beautiful childs health. Enjoy the pics...

Bad News...

2007-11-26T19:16:00.000-06:00

It has taken me several hours to calm down before making this post. This afternoon we got a call from our agency delivering bad news. Our dossier,which is the huge stack of paperwork, was never moved from the non-special needs department to the special needs department. So in simple terms what does this mean...it means we sit and wait even longer. This happened to five families total...now we are looking at travel as late as the end of February. And honestly nothing surprises me so who knows.

While, this news currently has me upset, it could have been worse and I am so thankful that it was not. They could have been calling me to tell me she was sick or that we were denied. So honestly I am thankful that it is only a minor paperwork set back. But we do however know now that our paperwork is in the correct department and will be process soon.

This has been so stressful having her precious face to look at daily while we wait. Now we are even debating whether or not Ricky will stay home. He saved three weeks of his vacation from 2007 to travel to China and now that we will be traveling in 2008 he will loose that time. He really does not want to use all of his 2008 vacation in February in the event that Kaylyn does have to have surgery. And only positive with that decision is saving money, while that is great it is like missing the birth of your child. Uggghhhh so much to stress over....

Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's health.

Love,
Heather

Update Day 111...

2007-11-25T10:13:00.000-06:00

I am sure you have assumed by now that we still have heard "NOTHING"...ugghhhh. While waiting for Abigail we were the first of the families to feel the pain of the slow down of China's non-special need division. Now I think it has happened again in the special needs division...go figure:) Oh well, it will happen in his perfect timing.

So I am feeling pretty positive today...you see on the 28th Ricky and I will celebrate our 10th Anniversary. So I feel like it is time and we would be thrilled with news of our daughter on our anniversary.

Please continue to keep Kaylyn in your prayers.

Heather

Meet Calleigh...

2007-11-16T12:28:00.000-06:00

As you may remember a few months ago we started working with Love Without Boundaries

We decided to support Baby Bailey who unfortunately lost her fight with heart disease. We knew immediately that we wanted to support another heart baby. We were asked if we were interested in supporting a beautiful 4 year old little girl who needed surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). I am so excited to report that as of this morning beautiful Calleigh has made it through surgery and is recovering well.

I have also learned that once she fully recovers the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) will accept her file. Which means she will be placed on an agencies Waiting Child list and finally find her forever family. Please keep this beautiful child in your prayers.

Love,
Heather

** Please note the children listed through Love Without Boundaries, have been given American names for privacy.

Day 98...

2007-11-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

Today is day 98 of our wait and we received some depressing news from our agency this morning. Now that so many families like ourselves have switched from the non-special needs program to the special needs program it has caused a slow down. We had orginally thought we would be making our travel plans by now but instead we are still waiting :( Our agency said CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) offered no info on how delayed the LOA's (Letter of Acceptance) would be or even when the next batch will arrive.

Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's health while we wait.

Love,
Heather

Finding Zhao Gu...

2007-11-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

This is a long article but definately worth the read. The story Finding Zhao Gu, was in The New York Times today. It is a beautifully written piece by an adoptive father. It is funny how small this world often is...Kaylyn is from the same orphanage as Little Zhao Gu. And just like this family we too have the name of the person that found Kaylyn. Makes me wonder if this is common for this particular orphanage, as we too did not receive any names with Abigail's finding info.

The New York Times
November 2, 2007, 5:51 pm
Finding Zhao Gu
By Jeff Gammage

At about 10 a.m. on June 19, 2003, in the western Chinese city of Wuwei, a man named Ma Guoxing was walking across town, intent on a pending business appointment. But as he neared the Wei’an Health Center, he noticed a crowd of people at the front gate, and he interrupted his journey to go and see what had so captivated their interest.

On the ground was a newborn baby, a girl, crying loudly. Ma Guoxing did what no one else would do: He reached down and picked up the child. Then he turned around and began to walk back the way he had come, the baby in his arms.

Before I knew there was a man named Ma Guoxing, I imagined his existence.
I wondered what he — or she — might look like, whether he was married or single, had children or not. Most of all I yearned to know the secrets that he, alone among millions in China, held within himself.

That sort of longing is common to people like me, the American parents of Chinese children. Some 62,000 kids, almost all of them girls, have been adopted into new homes in this country since the early 1990s. But where American-born children routinely have baby photos and bronzed booties, these girls have blank spots.

Abandoned by Chinese parents barred from having “extra” children, the girls arrive with no record of their family origins. The most basic information about their beginnings – day of birth, hour of birth – is usually unknown and unknowable. So the girls’ American parents long to know the next best thing — the facts of their daughter’s discovery, details beyond the generalities of date and place. They want to be able to tell their children the name of the person who found them. Whether it was on a particular bench inside a train station, or beside a certain statue outside in a park. If it was hot or cold, sunny or raining, day or night. Yet these details often pass unrecorded, meaningless to administrators running a Chinese welfare system awash in baby girls. For instance, for my eldest daughter, Jin Yu, the official account of her discovery runs six words: Found in Guangxin Alley, Aug. 5, 2000. That’s all. And that’s typical.

Zhao Gu before her adoption, with a caretaker at her orphanage in Wuwei, Gansu Province.So in 2004, when my wife and I arrived in Gansu Province to adopt our second daughter, Zhao Gu, we were shocked to find two bits of tantalizing information — one a hope, the other a mystery — embedded in the paperwork.

The hope was contained in three Chinese characters: A name. Supposedly that of the man who found our child. It sounded like he worked at the local orphanage, but the translation was rough. Was he truly the person who discovered our baby? Or was he merely the worker sent to retrieve her, after she was discovered by others?

When we returned home, I wrote to officials in China, and I wished — that this man was who he appeared to be, that I could find a way to contact him, somehow pierce the walls of distance and language. That my new daughter could learn the precise circumstances of the most momentous day of her life. That against a backdrop of loss and anonymity, she could grow up knowing there was someone in her homeland who could honestly say, “I remember you.”

Two things happened that felt a lot like fate. The first was the arrival of an official-looking letter from China. It bore no signature. It said: Yes, the man about whom you inquired, Ma Guoxing, is employed at the Wuwei Social Welfare Institute. And, no, he was not sent to recover the baby. He was the person who found her.

The second was the arrival at my newspaper of a Chinese reporter named Sunny Hu. Sunny was as bright and cheerful as her name, full of enigmatic Eastern idioms, come from the Shanghai Star to study American journalism. When I told her I had confirmed the name and workplace of the man who found my youngest child, she offered a forthright Western response: “Let’s call him up.”

We wait until night to telephone, because of the 12-hour time difference. The number I have for the orphanage is wrong. We dial again, reaching people who have no idea why we’re calling. Eventually we get through to the orphanage, and Ma Guoxing’s co-workers, who tell us he’s off. Then we reach his wife, who says he’s out. Finally we reach his daughter — who provides his cellphone number. “It’s ringing,” Sunny says, adjusting the mouthpiece on her headset. She begins to speak in Mandarin, then turns to me and nods — it’s him. Sunny laughs, her voice light. I think, This is good. Ma Guoxing is not annoyed that we’ve called his personal line. He does not insist we obtain official permission to speak with him, or refer us to some faceless government functionary. He’s happy to chat. Sunny starts into my list of my questions, saying “Oh …” and “Ah …,” listening more than talking, scribbling down every word, the how and when and where of my daughter’s discovery. I feel like I am watching the opening of a lost crypt, that buried secrets are about to be revealed. China has 1.3 billion people, but only one of them found my baby on the street, and now he is on the phone. I hear Sunny say, “baba,” meaning, “daddy.” She hands me the headset.

I speak only English. Ma Guoxing speaks only Mandarin. But I want to hear his voice, and I want him to hear mine. I need to say the words: Thank you. Thank you for holding my baby close when she was alone, for taking her to a place where she would be safe, for helping her when I was not there to help her.

“Hello?” I say. My mouth has gone dry. “Ni hao?”

“Ni hao,” he answers.

Ma Guoxing’s voice is strong and deep. I say, “I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you did. I want to tell you how much it means and” — and I am unable to go on. He says something in Chinese. He must think the line has gone dead. I’m afraid he will hang up, that this man, this ghost, will slip back into the shadows.

“I am so grateful,” I manage.

“Xie xie,” Sunny whispers to me. Thank you.

“Xie xie, xie xie,” I say.

Sunny takes the phone.

Ma Guoxing says the child was swathed in a blanket. Tucked inside the wrap was a baby bottle and some formula. The girl was crying so loud! He remembers that clearly. He says the authorities tried very hard to find her Chinese parents, publicizing her discovery in the newspaper and even on radio and TV. No one came forward. He tells us about his trek across town, how he noticed the crowd outside the clinic. He answers every question. After nearly half an hour, he has told us all he knows, and Sunny begins to say our goodbyes. But Ma Guoxing is not ready to go. Not yet. It turns out, he has long wondered about the baby he found by the gate. It has nagged at him, how he has been cut off from the story of her future — as fully as I have been blocked from the story of her past.

Now Ma Guoxing has questions of his own: Where is the girl living? Is she well? Is she healthy? Sunny tells him: The child is well indeed. She is living in the United States, near Philadelphia, and she wants for nothing. Her parents and big sister love her very much. Ma Guoxing says he would like photos to be sent to him. And if the child should someday travel to China, he would welcome her to visit his home. He will tell her in person about the day their lives intersected on a Wuwei street.

Ma Guoxing stepped away from the health-center gate, the newborn baby light in his arms. He carried her to the local orphanage, where she was given a name — the surname of Wu, for the city of Wuwei, and a first name of Zhao Gu, meaning, “New beginning, beautiful girl.” She was laid down to sleep in a crib beside three other baby girls.

Almost exactly a year later, on a sunlit June morning, little Zhao Gu was bathed in a gray metal basin, then dressed in new clothes of blue. She was driven miles out of Wuwei, across central Gansu Province to the capital city of Lanzhou. A hotel elevator lifted her high to an upper-floor conference room, and there she was placed in the arms of her new parents.

If Ma Guoxing had been there, he would have recognized her cry.

Tick-Tock...

2007-11-04T20:57:00.000-06:00

I am sitting here tonight alone in the silence listening to the Tick-Tock in my head....why you ask...well...

Another month has passed and Kaylyn is now 13 months old. And we have now officially been waiting for our Letter of Acceptance from China for 90 days. I know that everything will happen in God's Perfect Timing but I cannot help but wonder when that will be. Next week our agency will hopefully receive a package from China...I am keeping every finger and toe crossed that maybe just maybe it is our time.

Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's health, Winter has began to set in and I cannot help but worry about her catching a cold. I know silly thing to worry about, but that is what us mommies do.

Love,
Heather

Kaylyn's First Birthday...

2007-09-30T20:20:00.000-06:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Well, September has come and gone and so has Kaylyn's 1st Birthday. Miss Kaylyn turned one on Saturday, September 29th. I was kind of feeling sad thinking about how much older she will be, versus Abigail, when she joins our family. Mostly feeling sad thinking of all the firsts we will miss, but one of my friends, who is also an adoptive mom sent me this email...

"Happy Birthday to your little one Heather.

To bring myself peace over everything I missed in Maya's 1st year, I
had to think about it the following way...Instead of all her 'firsts'
being spread out over time, I got to enjoy them all at once. So, when
you see Kaylyn walk for the first time, it will be the first, the
first time she smiles for you, it will be the first, the first time
she cries, it will be the first, etc. It doesn't matter whether she
did these things before or not. You are experiencing them for the
first time together and that is what makes them special.

Thinking this way helped me so maybe it can help you too.

Laurie, Panda Pal"

This email really hit home, she is so right. No more feeling sorry for myself!!! Last night we celebrated Kaylyn's birthday with a cookie cake. Abigail got to pick the decor....she LOVES the movie Cars, so Cars it was. We sang Happy Birthday and Abigail blew the candle out.

Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's health and please pray for speedy travels!!!

Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

Healing Hearts...

2007-09-06T22:15:00.001-06:00

Our precious Kaylyn has been blessed with a family and the opportunity to have her heart healed. But there are many children living in China's orphanages that are still "WAITING". Can you help a "waiting" child? If you would like to help sponsor one of China's many Heart Babies visit Love Without Boundaries at the link below:

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/SponsorNeedDetailMedical.php?ID=6

Love,
Heather

30 Days and Counting...

2007-09-06T16:35:00.000-06:00

Well today has been 30 days since China received our Letter of Intent to adopt our precious Kaylyn. The wait varies with the average wait between 50 and 120 days. Although I have heard of a recent family only waiting 19 days and another family has waited 170 + days. So anything can happen. I know that in God's perfect timing he will unite us with our daughter. Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's health and for speedy travels.

Love,
Heather

Robeez Shoes Arrived...

2007-09-06T16:22:00.000-06:00

I am so excited!!! The shoes that Robeez donated for Kaylyn's orphanage arrived today. There are 24 of the most adorable shoes!!!! Lots of little toes will be much warmer this winter. Click on the picture to make it larger to see just how cute these shoes are.

Love,
Heather

Loss of Baby Bailey..

2007-08-29T23:08:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday, August 28, 2007, Bailey passed away. Bailey was a beautiful baby girl who was born with heart disease. She was sponsored through Love Without Boundaries to have heart surgery. I am not sure of the details but I know now that she is with the Lord and she now has a healed heart.

I normally am full of emotion and have no problem putting the words to paper but tonight I am just numb. Please pray for those who tried to heal baby Bailey and cared for her.

Love,
Heather

Bring On The Cold Weather...

2007-08-28T19:03:00.000-06:00

As I have mentioned in my previous post our travels to China this time are going to be very different. To begin with we will be traveling during winter and climbing The Great Wall with a two year old in the freezing cold. Gansu Province where Kaylyn is currently living is also very cold during the winter. Living in Texas we don't even own winter coats. So we have started our shopping...I found the most adorable snow suits for the girls. Abigail is ready for the freezing winds atop the Great Wall and will look oh so cute while doing it.

Lots of Love,
Heather

God's Plan...

2007-08-24T13:15:00.000-06:00

God has a plan for all of us and each day he reveals another piece of his plan. In our busy lives it is rare that we slow down and realize what is happening. A couple of days ago I slowed down long enough to see how God has been very busy working in our lives. Back in February we talked about sponsoring a waiting child through Love Without Boundaries (LWB). We visited their web site to see how we could help. We decided that we wanted to donate to help pay for a child's surgery. So we started scanning the pictures, we immediately fell in love with a beautiful 3 month old baby girl who had a heart defect and $4000 was needed to pay for the surgery. Our hearts ached for this little girl so much that we contacted our adoption agency to see if there was anyway we could adopt her. They explained how very difficult that would be. They did say they would work to do that for our family but they also expressed that in the end it might not possibly happen. It can be very difficult for an agency to request a particular child's file, nearly impossible. So with a heavy heart we knew that was not right for our family. A month later we decided we were ready to adopt again. We new because of the wait we wanted to get started on our paperwork immediately but we also knew that our hearts were open to China's Waiting Child program. So as you know in July we were matched with our precious Kaylyn, also a baby with a heart defect. This is where I realized how God has been working in our lives to prepare our family and our hearts for a child with the same special need. A few days ago one of my online friends informed me that she now volunteers for Love Without Boundaries, she helps find sponsors for Foster Care. Now the course has run full circle, we are back where we started...sponsoring a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Bailey, she is 6 months old and had her heart surgery a few weeks ago. We will help pay for some of her stay while still in the hospital then when she is placed in foster care we will continue to sponsor her until she finds her "Forever Family".

Meet Bailey:

If you would like to sponsor one of China's Waiting Children visit the Love Without Boundaries web site to see how you too can help a child in need.

www.lovewithoutboundaries.com

I Hope You Dance...

2007-08-19T13:27:00.000-06:00

While waiting for Abigail I found myself day dreaming about her daily and wishing may wonderful things for her life. That wait was so "long" but this time while still hard the wait for Kaylyn is somewhat easier. Mainly because I have a busy 2 year old to keep my mind occupied, but it is the quite nights when I find myself thinking about Kaylyn. This song brought me great comfort while waiting for Abigail and is even more powerful this time around because I know what my waiting daughter looks like. So while dreaming and praying for her I have a face to invision.

Love,
Heather

Robeez Heart & Sole Program

2007-08-18T11:14:00.000-06:00

Are you familiar with the adorable soft leather Robeez shoes? They have a wonderful program called Heart & Sole. The Robeez Heart & Sole program focuses on supporting the needs of infants and children in need. Today, Robeez regularly provide shoes to disadvantaged children all around the world. Since the inception of the program, Robeez has donated over 135,000 pairs of adorable shoes and booties. They even donate to Orphanages in China...this is where this program gets exciting for our family. On Friday, August 17, 2007, I received word from Robeez that our familiy was approved for a donation. Sometime in September we should receive the donated shoes/booties. All we had to pay for is the shipping...isn't that exciting!!! We are not certain how many pairs will be donated but we do know that it will be no less than 20. What a blessing that we will be able to donate the shoes to the Wuwei orphanage!!! From what we understand Wuwei has a wonderful foster care program, but there are still some children who live at the orphanage. These shoes will help keep lots of little feet warm.

I will keep you all posted. If you are interested in learning more about the Robeez Heart & Sole program visit their web site at:

http://robeez.com/en-us/heartandsoul.htm?PriceCat=2&Lang=EN-US

Lot of Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

The Official Count Down Begins...

2007-08-06T13:03:00.000-06:00

Today, August 6, 2007, Fed-Ex delivered our Letter of Intent to the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs. Which means we are officially waiting to receive travel approval. This could be a short wait or a long one. For those of you that have followed our adoption journeys know everything is always unpredictable.

Please keep Kaylyn in your prayers.

Lots of Love,
Heather

Quilt Wishes

2007-08-06T09:12:00.000-06:00

Look at all of the beautiful fabric we have received for Kaylyn's quilt. It is so fun to check the mail every day and see who has sent us a quilt square and wish. Abigail has even began enjoying it. Everyday I check the mail and read the wish to her, then she helps me put the wish notes in a scrapbook.

So far we have 40 quilt squares, so we only have 60 to go woohoo!!! There is still plenty of time if you still want to send yours, just email me for our address hthrwlls1128@yahoo.com

Lots of Love,
Heather & Abigail

Wuwei

2007-07-27T20:25:00.001-06:00

As I sit and wait to hold Kaylyn, I am trying to learn all that I can about where she is from. Our travels to China will be very different this time. We stayed in a very Westernized area while adopting Abigail. From what I understand we will see the "Real China" this trip. Kaylyn is from WuWei City Social Welfare Institute, in GanSu Province. I found this video on youtube...I am thrilled to see her home town.

Lots of Love,
Heather

100 Good Wish Quilt...

2007-07-19T17:18:00.000-06:00

Dear Family and Friends:

While we are waiting for the arrival of Kaylyn, we are working on a project that we REALLY need your help with. We are creating something called a "100 Good Wishes Quilt."

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes Quilt." It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

We are asking you to please participate in this project. We love the idea of welcoming the baby into our home with a quilt that represents the good wishes you are all sending her way.

Here is what we would like you to do:

1. Choose ANY 100% cotton fabric that you like from a fabri store. It just needs to be a design and color that you like.

2. Cut two (2) 7" squares from the fabric OR one (1) 7” by 14” piece of fabric.

Tip... if you have no idea how to work with fabric, ask for assistance at a fabric store and show them this letter. They will probably cut it for you!

3. Write a "Good Wish Note". We will place all your wishes in a scrapbook that we will give to the baby someday.

Ideas for selecting fabric squares:

*Select a fabric that is meaningful to you.
*100% cotton fabric is best, as it washes and wears better.
*If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than 1 set of fabric. It would be so special to include good wishes from all members of your family!! In China, these quilts were originally made from garments of family and friends, which would surround the child with luck/good wishes.

(Note: Each wish note should be attached to different sets of fabric squares as per above measurements).

Ideas for good wishes note:

Well... what would you wish for a newborn child to have in her life? Some ideas that come to mind are good health, perseverance, compassion, and sense of humor. Use that as a guide for your good wish note. Keep in mind that she will not see your note until she is older, of course.

It would be great to get the fabric and notes at your earliest convenience, this way there will be plenty of time to have the quilt assembled before we travel to China.

Please take a few minutes from your busy schedules to help us create this very special keepsake for Kaylyn, just as we did Abigail. The miracle of this adoption has been helped and nurtured by so many of you and this will be so incredibly meaningful for us as well as our new arrival!

If you would like to participate in this project please send me an email and I will sent you our mailing address. hthrwlls1128@yahoo.com

Thank you!

Heather, Ricky and Abigail

We Have Another Daughter...

2007-07-17T07:43:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

We wanted to share our exciting news this morning. We have another daughter, a beautiful 9.5 month old baby girl from Gansu Province, China. I am sure you are all wondering how this happened so fast, so let me try to explain. Every few months China sends a list of children to different agencies, these children are in China's Waiting Child Program. Which means these children have a special need of some sort. Abigail's adoption was in China's Non-Special Need Program. I had mentioned to Ricky that if we did adopt again that I would love to go through the Waiting Child Program. He was not as certain of this as I was, but agreed to review our agencies files with an open heart and mind.

Fastforward to Monday, July 16, 2007...our agency called to inform us that we had been matched with a baby girl, who we plan to name Kaylyn. Kaylyn was born with a heart defect known as VSD, hole in the heart. We are not allowed to publically (on our website) identify her (which means pictures) until we receive a Letter of Acceptance from China. But we can share pictures with family and friends via email so email me if you want a sneak peek.

When will we get her??? Well, we hope to have her home by the end of the year.

We are so excited and thrilled beyond words. Everytime we look at her little picture we love her even more. Please keep Kaylyn in your prayers.

Lots of Love,

Heather, Ricky & Abigail

We Are Officially Waiting...

2007-07-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

As of June 13, 2007, we were officially logged in at CCAA (Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs). So now we just have to wait, which will be somewhere between 2 and 3 years. Most of the time there will be no news to give but when we do hear something we will keep everyone posted. Our time line is as follows:

June 13, 2007 - Log In Date
June 08, 2007 - Documents to China
May 26, 2007 - Received I-171H
May 16, 2007 - Finger Printed for I-600A Application
May 15, 2007 - Received email from Orphans Officer with Finger Printing Instructions
May 09, 2007 - Received final Homestudy and Filed for I-600A
April 30, 2007 - Harrah's received back ground check from FBI
April 12, 2007 - 2nd Meeting with Social Worker
April 10, 2007 - Finger Printed for FBI Back Ground Check
April 06, 2007 - Received Results from Bloodwork - All OK
April 04, 2007 - Completed Physicals with Doctor
March 30, 2007 - 1st Meeting with Social Worker
March 22, 2007 - Received Approval from Harrah's
March 15, 2007 - Filed Application with Harrah's for second adoption

Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

DTC Today...

2007-06-08T21:55:00.001-06:00

After several months of paperchasing we are excited to announce that we are finally DTC (Documents to China)today for Abigail's Mei Mei...aka Kaylyn. Our wait to meet our 2nd daughter from China will be very long, most likely 2 years or longer, but as we learned with Abigail no matter how long the wait Kaylyn too will be a blessing.

Lots of Love,
Heather, Ricky & Abigail

We Are So Blessed ~ Author Unknown

2007-03-29T23:38:00.001-06:00

We have the opportunity to pray and wait and plan and hope and dream and work for our child. Circumstances don't allow us to take our child for granted - ever. We do all these things for so long and at such great emotional cost, that when our child is finally in our arms, we truly cherish every minute. Every second...

We are blessed to be in our child's life. We are blessed that God planned for us to be a family, and that we were given the opportunities that brought us together. We get to see all the best parts of mankind in our wonderful children. All the goodness and potential and innocence and ambition and confidence and love. And what a beautiful sight that is...

We are blessed to have run this race. It is long and, very often, it is practically impossible to complete. But we run anyway, and believe in ourselves and our child enough to do the impossible. We run, knowing that at the end of this great race, a child is waiting for a chance at a wonderful life. And we get to be the ones to give her that life.

We are blessed that when our child laughs, we are the ones to hear it. And when our child cries, we are the ones she looks for. When our child feels pain or joy or accomplishment or excitement, she shares it with us.

We are so blessed to have had the chance to see life from a different angle. To see that things don't always go as you planned them out in the 5th grade- but that better things are in store. To be part of the few who feel constantly misunderstood. To be one who always has to be on guard against the rude and ignorant comment. To feel the frustration of not having the perfect comeback to that comment until three hours later. Our kids can use those experiences and lessons we have learned. We are deeper, stronger, more compassionate people because of this journey. And the world our children live in is better because we have grown in these ways.

Our child is blessed. She is patted and hugged and nestled and rocked and kissed and squeezed and taught and tickled and corrected and praised. She is told of her value in God's eyes. She is certain of her value in our eyes. And she never wonders if she will be cared for tomorrow or the next day...she sleeps comfortably each night,safe in our care.

We should tell our children we are proud. We have saved and scrimped, prayed and begged, planned and schemed, worked and worried, and hoped endlessly for them. We have dedicated years of our lives to finding them and bringing them home to their forever family. And we have given our whole hearts to them even before we ever saw that precious face.

Now that is love. And parents who adopt know all about that...Author unknown

What's In A Name...

2007-03-28T22:58:00.000-06:00

Names are chosen for children for many different reasons. Abigail for instance:

Abigail - from the Bible - meaning "my father is joy" Abigail was the third wife of King David.

Mae - was Ricky's grandmother's middle name

Xiao - part of Abigail's Chinese name.

When deciding to adopt again we knew we had to pick something just as special. We have chosen Kaylyn.

Kay - is Deborah's middle name (Heather's Mom)

lyn - is the end of Carlyn (Ricky's Mom)

We are still thinking about a middle name and of course we will keep part of her Chinese name.