Last Post

The main reason I wrote in this blog, was to keep my sanity and use it as a journal of all my thoughts throughout the process. Something to give Mei Lin a history for a part of her life she is likely to not remember, and as well, to educate others who are starting the adoption process on all the ups and downs of International Adoption. I think I have done that.

Our journey to our daughter has ended and we have started a new chapter in our lives. The other day we celebrated 6 months that we have been a family and Mei Lin is everything I have ever dreamed about and more. I hope each and every one of you get the chance to meet her at some point in life. She is the happiest kid I have ever met...somebody had to have taken good care of her!

(I will still be working on the quilt blog, so please feel free to check in on it and send us a quilt piece.)

I'll miss writing in my blog, but there is just no time for it anymore...and at this point, I have to step back and think about how this is Mei Lin's life after all...and it's her story to tell someday...when she's ready.

Here are my most recent pics of Mei Lin and I've put 2 new videos on the right side of the blog! Thanks for tuning in and keep in touch.

100 Wishes blog updated

I have just finished updating the 100 Wishes for Mei Lin blog! You can find the link on the right hand side of this site. My camera died so there are 1 or 2 left to enter, and I will as soon as I get a chance.

Our goal is 100 pieces for the quilt...we currently have 26 posted on the site...plus one or two more to add. So...still a long way to go, we are only a little over a quarter of the way there. Thank you to everyone who has sent Mei Lin a piece!!

I am setting a deadline for quilt pieces. If you would like to contribute (all welcome), please send your pieces no later than May 13th (my very first Mothers Day!!!)...thanks Stephanie!! ;o)

Take care all, looking forward to seeing your pieces!!

Back from IWK

We are back from IWK. All I have to say is that Mei Lin is an amazingly determined little girl. She had her surgery on Wednesday morning and I cried as I watched this tiny little girl walk down the long corridor looking up trustingly at the nurse while holding her hand...not looking back once.

She barely cried when she woke up in recovery...just for her mommy to hold her closer. Her tiny little mouth was swollen and bloody, but she was a trooper.

We left the recovery room at 3:30 in the afternoon and by supper time she was eating and drinking. I couldn't believe it! After having the surgery she just had...I couldn't do it! Later in the evening she was smiling and laughing and doing a little talking. By 8pm though she had enough and it started to get to her. Her little arms were in restraints so she couldn't bend them and get her fingers in her mouth. This was starting to get to her because she has a rash and was trying to itch and scratch...but couldn't reach. And she didn't like the taste of the meds at the hospital. Apparently they don't get the bubble gum flavoured kind that mommy gets.

After a few hours of trying to watch Mei Lin sleep with her retraints on her arms and seeing how uncomfortable she was, mommy decided to take off the restraints and just stay awake and watch to make sure she didn't stick her hand in her mouth and ruin her surgery.

Thursday morning started out very tired and lathargic. Her face was more swollen than the previous day and she couldn't open her mouth much. She wasn't drinking or eating anything and hadn't had a "pee" in 24 hours. The doc said we would wait 2 hours and if no pee...they would have to use the cathedar. So mommy and daddy tried everything to get her to pee, finally we tried the old hand in warm water trick and .5 hours before the cathedar was due...she had a pee! And she started feeling better, the IV came out and the doc sent us home!!

It is 9pm...34 hours after her palate was repaired and to look at her, you would never know she had anything done. She is playing, screaming, laughing...all her normal things. She is stronger than I will ever be!

Her little voice has a new clarity to it and Daniel and I are amazed o hear Mei Lin speak her words so much clearer already!

Here's to Mei Lin!


Mei Lin at her Pre Op appointment on Tuesday


Daddy's girl a little groggy in the recovery room, but starting to come around


Mei Lin's IV...she took this one herself, not a bad little photographer!


Mommy and her brave little munchkin!


Mei Lin after hearing the news that she was going home!

Happy Easter!

Yes...we are still alive

Wow...long time since I've posted!! Been soooo busy with Mei Lin. She definitely keeps me on my toes!! I also took a little bit of mommy time and went to the Dominican last week for some R&R before Mei Lins surgery next week. We will be going to Halifax on Monday or Tuesday for her pre op appointment at the IWK where they will tell us what will happen and how to care for her, and she has her palate surgery on Wednesday morning. She currently has a nasty nasty rash all over her little body and it is driving her nuts!!! It is apparently from the laundry detergent that was used on her clothes. I hopefully will have it cleared up before her surgery, I wouldn't want her to be itchy and have her little arms in restraints!! Any suggestions on how to clear it up??...she is completely covered in small red bumps!!

Other than that, she is doing great!! She did really well the week I was away, and when I came home Tuesday night, Daniel was in the process of putting her to bed. I walked in the bedroom and she sat up, her little jaw dropped and she just started into the giggles!! She hasn't let me out of her sight since!!

I missed her very much when I was away...one day I called home and she answered the phone with "hi mama"...wow! she is starting to put words together!! She also used the potty on her own while I was away...geesh, all the stuff I missed!!!

We are excited to celebrate her first Easter this weekend, it will be a good weekend before she has her surgery!

I hope to post some pics soon....and thanks to everyone who sent quilt pieces...I'm behind on updating the website. Not much time on my hands these days!...still looking for pieces if anyone would like to send!!

Here's a pic of the Dominican gang!

Birthday Pics and Videos

The Arsenault's are feeling better! So, here are the birthday pics I promised and videos are above...still having problems with my camera batteries...so quilt blog is still not updated with recently received wishes.

Enjoy!


That's my girl!


Presents, presents...and more presents!


Lovin' the balloons!


First cousins



Grammy Gamble and the Grand Kids!

Happy Birthday Mei Lin!

Yesterday, Mei Lin turned two! She likes to tell you that she is two as she proudly holds up 3 fingers!! (she just can't seem to keep that extra finger from popping up!) We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with family and she had a great time charming the pants off of everyone! She let out roars of excitement (and I mean roars!)everytime she opened a present! I have lots of pics and funny video to post for you all, but I need to recharge my camera batteries first. I have been sick since Monday and haven't had the energy to do much with the blog. Starting to feel better today though...but little girl woke up at 3am last night with a very high fever. She is very quiet and sleepy today with not much of an appetite (very unusual), and I found out that when she is sick she gets a purplish line all around her little lips...and her eyes get big and dark.

She is enjoying her new potty...mostly throwing toilet paper in it right now....but she catches on fast. She has been peeing in her diaper and then telling you she needs potty...a bit backwards...but like I said, she catches on fast.

I also have 8 or 10 quilt pieces to add to the 100 Wishes Quilt blog. So if you haven't seen your quilt piece there yet...I haven't forgotten about you, I've just been sick and the camera has been without batteries!

A quick good luck, and travel safe wish going out to my sister Angele who has finished her stint in Korea and is now going to spend the next two months in India travelling around before coming back to Canada. She has a friend there, so I hope they keep her safe. Thinking of you Annie!

Stay tuned, birthday pics and videos coming soon!

Today I went outside...

Ha Ha!! Yes, it is true, I don't get out much these days and lately it has been roughly once a week. But today, Mei Lin woke up with a smile on her face (after a full night sleep) and things were going good, so I jumped at the chance and actually got to have a shower, yes a shower!...called up my sister and made some plans for Mei Lin to interact with some other kids!! We spent 2.5hrs at my sisters and Mei Lin and Rory played and hugged and shared snacks and giggles!...We then went home and scooped up daddy to go out for supper (yeah, supper too!)...the waitresses were singing "happy birthday" to everyone in the restaurant it seemed, so they offered to sing to Mei Lin as well (it is her birthday next Wednesday)...well, they came out singing happy birthday with a piece of cake with a candle in it! At first she looked at them like they were crazy, but gave them big applause when they were finished. She then blew out her candle in one big drooly blow! By the way, this kid LOVES chocolate!! When I went to take the plate away, as there were only crumbs left, she screamed! And when I went to wipe her fingers off, she quickly snapped them away as she still had finger licking to do!!

We then scooted off to Walmart to buy the big birthday present! (yes, she was there...but she doesn't know!!)...we got her a potty that makes the flushing noise and we also got her a pair of sunglasses...when we got home she put the sunglasses on and she ran and danced and had so much fun, she loves to act "cool"!! I love seeing her so happy!

Here's to getting outside! (again, no pics!)

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the Pig!
Mei Lin was born in the year of the Rooster (2005).

We celebrated this holiday with Mei Lin to keep up with her culture. We had the best family day! I am very grateful for having this wonderful little girl in my life. We went to Charlottetown for the day and took her to the Civic Center for some Jack Frost fun (but we missed the Backyardigans!). She went on the scrambler with her daddy...and danced with her mommy, watched some figure skating and had some cotton candy. We then went and had some Chinese food...a perfect end to our day! Though not a typical Chinese New Year celebration, we thought this year it was best to just embrace this amazing little girl and give her some one on one with just the three of us! And of course...mommy was silly and forgot her camera...

Here is some info on Chinese New Year...

“Gung Hey Fa Choy!”; “Wishing you prosperity and wealth!” It is known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. The exact date of this holiday is based on the lunar cycles of the Gregorian calendar, so the date falls in either January or February every year. There are many preparations to ensure a new year of good luck.

The observers of Chinese New Year carefully clean out their houses before the celebration begins, so the bad luck is cleaned out of the house. The cleaning is preformed in a precise manner. They sweep the floor towards the door, encouraging the bad luck to leave the household. In a way, Chinese New Year is like spring cleaning to its celebrators. Each family member wears a new outfit for this special occasion to display a new start.

Before the party begins, families burn incense and offer a feast in front of their family shrine. When the holiday feast begins, the celebrators makes sure to dine with un-chipped and un-cracked plates.

Some treats children enjoy are candies wrapped in gold foil, chocolate coins and sweet sticky rice. Everyone wishes each other good fortune by exchanging red envelopes, Lai See Hong Boa, filled with an even amount of money. The Lai See Hong Boa envelopes are inscribed with good luck characters in the front.

Valentines Day Update

***Here are some pictures of Mei Lin's first Valentines Day! Her and I spent the day preparing a special day for daddy. We both got dressed up in our very best and cooked up some broiled salmon and rum sauced bananas over vanilla ice cream with a bottle of white wine (no wine or rum sauce for little girl). Before we started our preparations I told Mei Lin I would need her help, and she had to be a good girl for mommy...I asked her if she could do that and she very clearly shook her head and said "no"!...(and a rough day it was!) Yesterday we made a card for daddy with Mei Lin's handprint and a poem on the inside. He was very pleased when he got home.***

Happy Valentines Day Daddy!

For the past two days, Mei Lin has been saying "I LOVE YOU" quite freely! Perhaps she knows it is the time of year where we express our love to the ones most dear to us. Today, she is expressing her love to her daddy who is at work on Valentines Day!
(See her Valentines Day videos to her daddy on the side bar)


PS...I have also posted a new video of Mei Lin and her baby (on the side)...she is quite serious when it comes to her baby, she rocks her and sometimes whimpers a little as she does this, she kisses her, strokes her hair and face, pats her back, changes her bum...and recently she has started to take her baby to the bathroom and sits her on the toilet!...by the way, Mei Lin has used the potty once in the past week (I think that is what brought on the baby needs potty too thing!)

New Video

I have added a new video on the side which contains some of Mei lin's words...China, Banana, Hi, Night Night, Bye, Please and maybe a few more...Murray the dog tries a few as well...but nobody wants to say I love you today!! :o(

Oh...and I added a slideshow to our 100 Wishes for Mei Lin blog (find the link on the side)!!

Playing dress up!

As Mei Lin would say "cool!"

Link to 100 Wishes Quilt Blog

I have created a blog especially for Mei Lin's 100 Wishes Quilt...on it I will include pictures of all quilt pieces that we receive and the wish attached to each piece so everyone can see our progress!! We have gone from 5 to 7 pieces...long way to go, so keep them coming!!

http://100wishesformeilin.blogspot.com/

I will also add this link to my list of favorites for quick and easy access.

Thanks for everyone's participation!

They have her!!

The Clow's finally have their little baby, Kennedy Joy!!

http://www.bringingkennedyhome.blogspot.com/

My rendition of what the Clows are doing...

As some of you know...our friends "The Clows" have just arrived in China and will meet their new 10 month old daughter Kennedy tomorrow.

From what we experienced on our trip...and since they haven't posted yet...lets have some fun...perhaps I can shed some light on what it is like that first day you arrive!

After you get off the plane and grab your luggage, you make your way down what I call "the red carpet"...you feel like a celebrity! There are hundreds of people standing along the side holding signs, waiting for their people to arrive, you can't understand what they are all yelling, so it is almost like they are cheering you on. It was very emotional, like you finally realize what is happening!!

It's rush hour, so you then take a 1hr bus ride to your hotel where your group has already been checked in by the facilitator...you just have to be given your key. At this time you would go to your room...re-arrange your luggage, as you have to leave some of it in Beijing before departing the next day (weight restrictions are much less in China), do some money exchanging...and go to supper with your group where you will be told what will happen the next day when you receive your baby.

So, by now (it is 1:30 am in China)...Carolyn and Marvin are lying in their beds staring at the ceiling...because they can't sleep. (I am guessing)...because Carolyn just can't stop talking and counting down the seconds till they see Kennedy and Marvin is wondering who won the hockey game!! Ha Ha!! They will get up in the morning, go to breakfast...get on the bus with the rest of their group to be taken to the airport where they will be escorted to their gate. The plane to Nanchang will be delayed 1hr due to smog...and Carolyns countdown will be messed up and she will have to start a new one!! (just having fun!)..the plan will be to go to their hotel and get freshened up before going to get Kennedy...but from our experience, everything in China is unpredictable...so I predict, they will arrive late (due to the smog delay) and then there will be no time to go to the hotel...they will go straight to Kennedy!! Oh the adrenaline!!

I am completely reliving the experience through them! Can't wait for their next post!! http://www.bringingkennedyhome.blogspot.com/

Anyway, thanks to those who responded in regards to the quilt. If I haven't responded to your email as of yet...I soon will! And please pass the word on!

I am taking Mei Lin in to get her pics done on Tuesday...so we did a test run as it is hard to get her to sit still...here is what we came out with (and I added some new videos on the right side of the blog, so check them out too!):

2 months home today!

Today, we have been home on PEI with Mei Lin for 2 months. She has come so far these past 2 months, talking, understanding, affectionate, caring, trusting...I did not dream she would adjust this well so soon. What a miracle she is! Today she showed me that she knew how to open doors...it has been something new everyday. 10 things I love about her:

1. The way she sits and watches TV while enjoying her snack...she loves her snacks!
2. The way she uses her hands to gesture us to "come here".
3. The way she rocks her head to her favorite songs...so delicately.
4. The way she will stroke my face when she is sorry.
5. The way she holds her doll, rocking her and patting her back while she whimpers as if to say "poor baby".
6. The way she says Banana "Nananana"
7. The way she will grab your attention if you are not paying attention to her...she will get in your face, tilt her little head to the side and say "hi" over and over!!
8. The way she will bandaid everything with a kiss...including when mommy is mad...she will kiss me on the lips as if to say...okay, all better!
9. The way she sometimes smiles or claps in her sleep.
10. The way she never walks...she runs everywhere!!
11. The way she sometimes falls asleep while eating cheerios!
12. The way she mimics everything we do!
13. The way she loves.

Okay thats more than 10...but I could go on forever!!

Now onto her 100 Wishes Quilt. I am not making any progress...so I figure, I have had 500 people visit this blog in 5 days...that is roughly 100 people per day! And I need 100 pieces of fabric and wishes for Mei Lin's quilt. I currently only have 5 pieces (thank you to those that sent)...that means I have 95 pieces to go!! At this rate, I am thinking that maybe all I can make is a pillow case!!

I would love to have wishes from all of our followers...don't be scared!! Here is a link to someone else's quilt, so you can have an idea of what I am talking about:
http://jadynsquiltinthemaking.blogspot.com/

I would really like to get this started before I go back to work, so send them if ya got em!
Email me at dannat@pei.sympatico.ca for my mailing address. Perhaps I will start up a second blog for all the quilt pieces that we receive. And if I have your email...expect to be hearing from me!!

First Beater Experience

Mei Lin has had her first experience with the "beaters". I used to love when I was a kid and mom would let us lick the beaters after she made icing or something else yummy! And Mei Lin loved it too!! Check it out:






For some video of Mei Lin...check out my cousin's website. You will find the link to her blog on the side called " Our Family in Ontario". And check out my new links and videos on the right hand side. I will try to switch them up every now and then for you.

And can anyone tell me why my video's are cut off on the right hand side....is there a way to size them to make them smaller to fit the column width????


All is well at the Arsenault's.

IWK Pictures

Here are some pictures that our friends in Amherst sent us from our visit at the IWK

Some time to play after it was all over...

All the girls...

The girls together again...this one made me laugh out loud, anyone care to add a caption???

IWK Visit

The song playing is Mei Lin's absolute favorite song. It calms her down at night, in the car and helps her sleep. She has a Chantilly Lane bear that plays this song. Grammy gave it to her for Christmas. From the moment she first played it...she started immediatly cuddling in, resting her head on our shoulder and humming to the song, when it ends...she will run back to the bear...turn it on again and run back and get up and cuddle in again. (We brought this bear with us to IWK.)

Yesterday was Mei Lin's IWK assessment visit. We decided to drive over the day before so we would have lots of rest. We arrived at the Four Points Sheraton (used last of the aeroplan miles for that one) at around 5pm and went for supper at the Niche...nice place, good food. Mei Lin was sooo funny...the waiter was getting a good kick out of her. She was sitting just so in her high chair...music playing in the background and she would shimmy her shoulders to the music while she chewed on her food!! Wish I had the video camera!!

After supper my cousin Wendy and her husband Steve from Eastern Passage came to visit Mei Lin at the hotel room. This was their first time meeting her and Mei Lin was hyper, hyper, hyper!! She warmed right up to Wendy, it took her some time to get used to Steve but eventually she was sitting on his knee!

We got up nice and early the next morning, ordered room service for breakfast and found our way to the IWK. What a great hospital! And wonderful people! Mei Lin was very comfortable with the Cleft Team and they all thought she was just the bees knees!! She did really well, and the surgeon said it may only take one surgery to repair her cleft (surgery date April 11th tentative). So we will cross our fingers. She also saw a pediatrician who checked her over, an orthodontist...who said she will possibly need some teeth work down the road...an audiologist...her ears are fine!! And she had some blood work done to see what she needs for shots etc. She didn't mind the blood being taken...but she hated being held down!! All in all, she did well...and after 4 hours straight of poking, prauding...no breaks, bottles or snacks....she was ready for a sleep...she fell asleep walking to the cafeteria where she slept on the bench while we ate. My brave little girl!!

Highlight of the trip (and sorry I don't have pictures!) was seeing Quleanja and her family again. Quleanja was adopted at the same time as Mei Lin so we were excited to see how they would react to seeing each other again. Mei Lin was very busy...but I noticed Quleanja looking at Mei Lin quite a bit! We also got to see her two sisters Fumairia and Christelinda, who I missed very much!! They are just the best girls!!

Newest words (the best she can say them anyway):
Banana
Drink
Daddy (without plugging her nose...more like addy)

she tends to drop the first letter of most words. She is doing great. We had some rough nights this past week, but hope things will get better again soon. After her long day yesterday, she seemed to sleep a little heavier and didn't require that midnight feeding...

I will leave you with some pics and links:

The Clow's leaving for China in 7 days to pick up baby Kennedy: http://www.bringingkennedyhome.blogspot.com/

Hemphill GM commercial on UTube (where I work): http://www.youtube.com/hemphillgm


Our two month forever day anniversary photo...a bit chaotic looking...but a true relection of our lives these days....and yes...that is me with brown hair.

287 Pictures for your viewing pleasure

I have created a "my space" so that I could post all of our China pics for everyone to see. All 287 of them...not including video! Sorry...I didn't edit them all, so some are side-waze...and some maybe repeats...and the titles aren't on all of them. Enjoy! http://nataliegamble401.spaces.live.com

This space may eventually become my travel blog..for all of my caribbean adventures!

Huggable, Kissable, Squeezeable...Mei Lin!

If you haven't guessed already...time is scarce these days, and blogging and email are no longer at the top of my list. Not to mention that Mei Lin HATES when I sit at the computer!!

The last two weeks have been really great for Mei Lin. She has taken a turn for the positive. The screaming and crying to tell us what she wants has almost stopped, as she is using the words mommy is teaching her instead. So now, the two of us are having better days and enjoying each others company a little more. She has stopped testing us on everything as well...I figure she has just run out of things to test my patience with...and is probably scheming in her head for the BIG one!...which I'm sure will come soon!

She is sleeping fairly well in her new "big girl" bed. She still wakes through the night...but we are all resting a little better.

New words this past week:
Night, night (with two hands pressed up against her little cheek!)
Up (instead of screaming and dragging on our legs)
Leeze for Please (instead of screaming and pulling when she wants us to come here...or a taste of what we are eating)
and I Lubv for I Love You!

This is just the cutest, happiest adorable kid! I can't imagine her any happier! She is always laughing and smiling! She loves to give kisses and has recently learned how to hug back! Here are some pics of her loveable self!















Sucking up to Rory after stealing his chair!















Always kisses for her puppy!


God, I love that face!!


Quiet time on the couch with dad, before bed.

This time next week we will be in Halifax...getting ready for our 8:30am appointment at IWK. They have a whole cleft palate team that will take a look at Mei Lin and assess how much surgery she will need. She will also be looked at by a speech pathologist, audiologist, a dental surgeon...and god knows who else! It will be a very long day for Mei Lin!...wish her luck!

My brave little girl

Mei Lin had her ear tubes put in this morning. She was soooo good. She was smiling all the way! She laughed and giggled as I carried her to the operating room with my hair net on and scrubs. She thought that was just the cats meow. It was a very short procedure, and the doctor said that there was a significant amount of fluid in her ears and it has probably been there for quite some time. Meaning, everything she has been hearing these past few months has all been muffled. I hope that now that it is done, her speech will develop more and she will start to use more of her words. She was quite upset when she woke up from the anesthesia, and we heard her first "real" cry for her mommy and daddy, it broke my heart and I found it hard not to cry in front of her.

Tonight she is spending her first night in her big girl bed. We have found that her crib is just too small for all the rolling around she does, and our bed, well...she beats me up in her sleep every night...so, we are done with that. Hopefully this works out for us.















Mei Lin's footsteps at Tianamen Square in Beijing.

My Aunt Lorraine past away in her sleep last night, she was 52. I was always nicknamed "Little Lorraine" all my life because of our strong resemblance. She was a beautiful artistic person, who has suffered greatly these past few years. She has been suffering from dimentia and it has been very hard for the family. Her husband passed away suddenly from a heart attach in July. I take comfort in knowing that they are now up in heaven talking and laughing like they used to. Please pray that their children find peace in knowing that.

I've been tagged by Carolyn!

I don't usually do these, but Mei Lin is sleeping...and I need to talk about me for a change!

A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: Daniel...he's put up with me for 17 years!!
C - Cake or Pie: Cake
D - Drink of Choice: ha! ha! these days...a good stiff one would be nice...but I have to be responsible because I'm a mommy...so, I will say water!

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday: Computer!!...My life line and friend (sad, I know)

F - Favorite Color: Brown or Blue
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Neither...not liking the candy really.
H - Hometown: Belmont Lot 16
I - Indulgence: Lately, Chocolate seems to get me by...We got lots for Xmas and I'm trying to get rid of it all as soon as possible...he he!

J- January or February: February...Mei Lin's first birthday party!!!
K - Kids and Names:Mei Lin Le-Xuan
L - Life Incomplete Without: my family, especially Mei Lin and Daniel

M - Marriage Date: June 1, 1996
N - Number of Siblings: 2 sisters, I'm the middle child
O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges...but not orange juice
P - Phobias or Fears: failing as a mom
Q - Favorite Quote: "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger"...very true!

R - Reason to Smile: I have a daughter!
S - Season: Summer! I hibernate in the winter and barely leave the house!

T - Tag 3 People: Debbie, Sam, and Kim
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I used to play the Ukelele (my mom made me do it)...and I took step dancing and choir...(no, I can't sing!!)

V - Veggie You Don't Like: turnips...when I was little, we weren't allowed to leave the table until we were finished eating...I used to put all my turnips on my sister Angele's plate when she wasn't looking. She used to have to sit there for HOURS!! She doen't eat turnips to this day! Hmmmm...wonder why!

W - Worst Habit: smoking. Although, since going to China...I have only smoked about 5 % of what I used to...I'm getting there!

X - X-rays: several when I was young
Y - Your Favorite Food: Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings!!
Z - Zodiac: Leo

And a picture of Mei Lin with her proud grampy for good measure! (Hat ~ compliments of D.C. Tire!...for all your tire needs!!)

Love of my life...

A spaghetti "First"

"Daddy, can I come too??" ~ she always reaches for the coat when one of us is leaving...she wants to go too!

My favorite picture to date! She loves her stickers!

Someone's gotta clean up the drool!! ~ Murray's just doing his part!

Puppy Love!

Home one month today

Well we have been home with Mei Lin for one whole month today. It has been a very up and down month for us...with good days and bad days. Today was our best day yet...Mei Lin slept through the night, didn't cry, scream or fuss...and mommy didn't growl (I hate being the bad cop!). She was just adorable all day long!! I just love her!! Yummy Yummy!

I have decided that I will write a New Years wish/letter for Mei Lin every year. So here goes my first letter to dearest Mei Lin:

To my little munchkin Mei Lin:

As I say to you nearly every day...."Thank you for coming". Thank you for blessing mommy and daddy's lives with your presence. You are a brave little girl, a survivor and my hero.

You have been through more things in your first 22 months of life, then most people have in their entire lives. People have come and gone in and out of your life so many times, and one day you got on a bus and drove for 3 hours to a strange building with many crying children...and your nanny passed you to a stranger, someone you couldn't understand, looked different, smelled different, and you left everything you knew that day. You came to a strange country half a world away...where nothing was familiar. You have been so brave.

Your past is unknown, but I promise you, your future is certain. You will have everything you will need to accomplish your dreams, we will provide you with all the love and guidance to get you where you deserve to be.

You have a big year ahead of you. There will many firsts for you. We love watching you discover new things...you get such a twinkle in your eye!

This new year starts with many new challenges for you. Next week you are scheduled to have tubes put into your ears...and then more appointments with lots of other doctors, and of course your surgery to repair your cleft palate in the next few months. You are a survivor, and I know you will do well. I will be right beside you.

My wish for you this new year, is that you feel a sense of home in this strange place half a world away and that you feel safe here with your new mommy and daddy. Everyone loves you sooo much Mei Lin!

Love Forever,
Mama

Chinese Proverb

If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.

If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.



Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year everyone!

More Pictures

An intimate moment with Grammy on Christmas Eve

The snowsuit we thought would not fit for another year! I swear she's grown a quarter of a foot in the last few weeks!

These presents are mostly Mei Lin's!!

Waiting for Santa!

Just a cute picture!

All things new!

Well, we survived our first Christmas as a family! It was wonderful, staying at home lighting the fireplace and sitting in the glow of the christmas tree lights!

On Christmas Eve, after Mei Lin had finally gone to bed (11ish), I sat and reflected for a moment and got a little teary eyed...I never thought the day would come that we wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone...childless.

What a blessing she is!!

Christmas morning went better than I thought it would. I thought she wouldn't really care...not knowing what was really going on...but she loved it!! Here is a picture of her playing with some of her favorite gifts:

She has just discovered what Santa left for her!


Her new kitchen from Grampy Gamble (loves it!!)


Her new broom and dustpan...they never leave her hands!!...check out the apron!!


Her first set of tracks in the snow! As you can tell...she wasn't moving too fast!!..it was more of a waddle side to side in her heavy snowsuit!

I have more pics to post...I will do it later though.

Today we took her to see the ear/nose and throat doctor. She will be getting tubes put into her little ears in the next couple of weeks. I suggested waiting for her cleft surgery and have it done at the same time...but the doc recommended that we do it as soon as possible. So, I guess we will get it done now.

I have lots more to write...but the princess calls!

Dedicated to my sister Angele

This post is dedicated to my little sister Annie, who is in Korea and will not be home for Christmas this year. (teary eyed just typing that)

Angele, I would like to tell you that you are missed at Christmas, as it is always funner when you are here! You are crazy and I love when the three sisters get together and misbehave ...like eating mom's porkchops in bed after a night out and crazy dancing...I will miss that the most this year (crazy dancing)...we will definitely teach Mei Lin crazy dancing!! Mei Lin fits into this family so well...she is crazy just like her aunt Angele, and she makes up silly songs (well mumbles them) just like you did when you were small!!

Not writing this to make you sad...just wanted you to know that you are being thought of here on the other side of the marble!

Merry Christmas Annie! We love you! XXXXOOOOOO

Here are some crazy dancing pics from Christmas' past!...(ohhh, you guys are gonna kill me!!)

My 100th post!

This is my 100th post to the blog!!

This week has been a fairly rough week with Mei Lin. Sleep has been non-existant...a big change from last week where she was sleeping through the night. I think it is all the new faces with it being such a busy time of the year. She is very sensitive this week. I think she is getting too much attention and it is overwhelming her. Here is a picture that best describes how Mei Lin has been feeling this week! But we'll be OK...next week will be better!

I couldn't take much more of being stuck in the house...and Mei Lin was feeling the same way I think...so we booted er' out to Auntie Tracey's to play with cousin Rory, which was a blessing to the both of us!! Here is some pics of the cuteness they were displaying:
















Big Hugs! Rory is such a cutie...the first day they met...Mei Lin was crying and he said to her "Don't cry darlin'!" ~Rory is 3.5 months older than Mei Lin.

Pet the kitty!

So, now I am feeling a bit better and so is Mei Lin...we just needed a wee little break! Hopefully tonight we get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's!!

The pediatrician called, Mei Lin's hearing test results came back and he has made an appointment for her with the ear doctor on Dec. 27th. He is going to get in touch with me before then to discuss the results...(he called today, but I missed the call).

Here is a picture of her cleft palate. It is called a "second degree, cleft palate". It is a hole in the soft palate of her mouth (at the back)

Mei Lin impressed me yesterday...she has trouble pronouncing B's and D's because with her cleft...she is unable to build any pressure up in her mouth to get these sounds out (so, Ba Ba...sounds like ma ma...and bum sounds like mum!). Yesterday, all on her own, she discovered that by plugging her nose, she was able to get out a sound that sounded like Da Da! She simply amazes me! And a few days before that...since mama means both baba and a call for mommy...to tell the two apart, I decided to show her a sign language that meant baba (bottle)...a day later, she was sitting on the floor and she all of a sudden starts signing that she wanted her bottle!! She is just so smart!!

Such a cutie! She likes to wipe her own mouth!

Anyway, I'll stop bragging now!!

PS~Thank you to little Alyssa MacKinnon for the beautiful barretts! Mei Lin is getting great use out of them!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas from Bubble Santa!

This is a picture of Mei Lin having her first tubby here at home! It was her first experience with bubbles!

Painting mamma's face with bubbles is now a tubby tradition!

We had a good weekend. Saturday we went to the china adoption group get together and everyone welcomed Mei Lin with open arms!! (sorry, I don't have any pictures!!)

Sunday morning we listened to our CBC radio broadcast...it was half an hour long and it was really well done (but I hate the sound of my voice when it is recorded!!...but don't we all!) I was still suffering my cold and barely recovered from larengitis, so you could tell that I was trying very careful to pronounce my words properly!! But it was really nice and we are very happy with it. The reporter used all of the music from the video I created for Mei Lin, and 2 other island families were featured in the story as well. I emailed CBC to see if they could send us a copy.

Sunday night I went to my niece's syncronize swimming show! It was beautiful! They did a whole candle lit show in the water and everything! Here are some pics of my two beautiful nieces.

Today, we took Mei Lin to the pediatrician. He was very happy to see her as he is also from China, she was a very good girl and let them poke and prod with very little protest. They examined her cleft and said that it is quite a significant cleft and that it really should have been repaired at a younger age, therefore, she will most likely need several surgeries to repair it he said. He also said that her jaw is very small and will not fit all of her teeth, so we need to get her to a dentist right away. Her ear drums were pink, and he was afraid that she may have a hearing impairment...so we did an emergency hearing test...they will call if there is a problem with the results. As for her speech, because she should have had the surgery at an earlier age, she will need a speech pathologist and we will work with the pediatrician on getting us one once we are finished with our assessment at IWK in January. He didn't say anything more about the cateracts.

After all that...we were supposed to take her to get her blood work and stuff done at the hospital...but she was getting restless...so we decided it would be best left for another day. So, we went down to get her SIN...but they had just closed for the day! So much to do!

Request for more "In China" pics

I have had a request for more "In China" pics! So here they are:




















First tubby!...oh, she has grown so much since then!
















We had just arrived and all of these people and their babies were ahead of us in line to get passport photos of their new babies! Luckily, our guide knew someone and we were bumped to the front of the line! Phew! Cause Mei Lin was very upset and crying hysterically when we had arrived.
















This is a little girl we met in the park. Her family wanted to get a picture of us with her! Look at that hair!! (She was holding Christelinda's hand and giving the peace sign with the other hand...sweet!)















This is our guide "Penney" with Mei Lin at the park in Guangzhou.



Mei Lin made friends with this little Beijing cutie at a restaurant. They were holding hands and kissing each other and her new friend was even saying "I love you" to her. They both had pink winnie the pooh coats on too!

Mei Lin's 100 Wishes Quilt

Way back on February 11th of 2006, I posted about a quilt that I would like to make for Mei Lin. Well, I guess I kind of dropped the ball on this one because I only have 3 pieces!...That's 97 more pieces that I need to collect!! And as Mei Lin would say "Uh Oh"!!

So if you would like to contribute a piece to her quilt, please email me at dannat@pei.sympatico.ca and I will give you our address so you can mail it, or drop it off!! I would love to have a piece from all of our friends and family and all of those who supported us/her throughout this process.

About the quilt:

The quilt is called a 100 Wishes Quilt (Bai Jia Bei). In China it is a custom to invite friends and family to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. A 6x6 piece of cloth goes into the quilt for Mei Lin, and a matching piece of the cloth (any size) goes into a memory scrapbook along with the wish you have made for her. The quilt contains the prayers, luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric.


Selecting Your Fabric:

Select a fabric that is meaningful to you, it doesn’t have to be new- it can be a project you started but didn’t finish, a piece of skirt, something you thought was pretty at Walmart or if you are a parent it can be from a piece of your child’s clothing. (In China, these quilts were originally made from garments of family and friends, which would surround the child with luck/good wishes.)

The square should be a 6x6 inch piece of fabric (or there about) then we can cut it to the correct size.

This type of quilt is common in China and has become popular in the Chinese adoption community. The person sending the piece of fabric also sends a wish on a piece of paper that will be put in a memory scrapbook for Mei Lin. (Then Mei Lin can match the pieces on her quilt to the wishes in her book) so it is ideal if you place a piece of the fabric on the paper containing the wish so that we can associate the wish with the fabric and the person who sent the fabric.


The Wish:

Your wish and the way it is presented can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. The wish might be a prayer, favorite poem, a heart felt random thought, a Bible verse or a quote. You can write it on an index card, white paper, stationary, lined paper, acid free paper- or even a napkin...whatever you like. You can hand write or use a computer, and if you want to be fancy, you can make it scrap-booky or stamped - whatever you like- this is your wish/prayer for our daughter, we want it to reflect your personality.

Some of the wishes I have read include:
I wish you more good hair days than bad hair days.
I wish for you to find the love of God.
I wish for you happiness.

Be creative and let your personality shine!

Here is an example of one of the wishes I have already received:

Mei Lin's first play date...and other things!

Today was very eventful! I woke up at 3:30 this morning (for the day!!!)...Mei Lin woke up at 4:00am, but I gave her a bottle and a diaper change and she slept the rest of the night in my bed until 7:30am. It's funny how you can have a queen size bed...but there only seems to be room for half of your body ...the other half sort of just hangs out the side so that Miss Princess can have her room! If you don't give her all the room, you will get a swift kick in the head, gut...or any of our other sensitive areas!!

Mei Lin had her first play date today! Although it was only short (1hr)...due to needing a nap before her first doc's appointment. Her new friend Jake came to play! They mainly just ate cheerios together, but it was cute! My friend Tammy (Jake's mommy), and I tried to get some really good pics of them, but our darn digital cameras have such a delay on them....the pics didn't turn out as well as I had expected!! Here are some pics of her first play date!


"Come on Jake! Let's finish the book already!"

Jake has the cutest little cheeks! Even he wants to squeeze them!

Mei Lin has just shoved Jake out of the way to get at the Cheerios! But usually she is a pretty good girl to share...just an off day I guess!



Sloppy kiss anyone??

I'd post more...but blogger is not letting me....again!!! Sorry!

After the play date...she refused to nap so mommy could get showered to take the trip into the doc's appointment. So I tried putting her in the crib while I got ready...no go! You would think I was killing her by the drama that was going on! So, I had no choice but to take her in the shower with me...well, that was even worse!!! She cried soooo hard! I'm a bad momma! Anyway, she was so upset by the end of it, that I gave her a bottle and layed her in my bed and she fell asleep...and mommy got her makeup on, hair dryed and dressed!! Yeah! (If only we could get the shower part solved!)

Grammy Gamble accompanied us to the doctors office just in case things fell apart for us! She was well behaved (Mei Lin, not Grammy!) and the doctor said she was doing very well! He is concerned though that she may have early cateracts, but we will have the pediatrician take a better look on Monday when we go see him.

After the doctors, I planned to go get her Social Insurance Number, but she started fussing, so I just took her to meet everyone at my work instead...where she was greeting by lots of smiling faces and treats!

Mommy is TIRED!!!!

Drum roll for Carolyn and Marvin!!!

We are anxiously waiting to see the picture of Carolyn and Marvin's new baby "Kennedy"! They posted on their blog a couple of hours ago that they are on their way to the government office to get their first peek at their new addition! You can check out their blog at http://www.bringingkennedyhome.blogspot.com/

Last night was our second full night of sleep!! Yahoo! Family bedtime in our house lately is anywhere between 8 and 9pm (for all of us!). We never dreamed that we would ever be this tired!! Mei Lin slept 10 hours last night (well she briefly woke at 11:30 for a bottle and diaper change!). I slept, but my body has already conditioned itself to wake at 12, 2 and 4am!!...I better get out of that!!!

Our family Christmas gathering went well.. Everyone loved Mei Lin! She did really well with so many new faces, but I do think it was a bit much for her though...as she did have a small night terror that night.

Yesterday we attempted decorating for Christmas, we got as far as putting up the tree and got the lights working! (We have a fake tree this year, just not the same!)

Today is going really well for Mei Lin and I. We have been dancing and singing...and we even baked cookies!! (I don't bake!...so this is BIG!!)

This morning I was lying on the couch...Mei Lin was sitting on top of me...and we were dancing and singing (she loves to sing!...er, mumble!)...we were singing and dancing away and I could see the eyes starting to close...she all of a sudden plopped down and fell asleep on my shoulder! About half an hour later...she turns to adjust her head in her sleep, and starts dancing and mumbling at the same time (yes, in her sleep!)...and then poof, she was fast asleep again!! What a doll!!

Here are some pics!
Daddy and Mei Lin before going to the Family Christmas party! (Our first outing as a family!)


Auntie Tracey loves having a new niece!!


Mei Lin helping mommy straighten out the branches on the Christmas tree...(yes, that's me with my hair not combed, and bags under my eyes!)


Kleenex is one of Mei Lin's favorite things!!


Waiting for daddy to come back!

Turning a corner!

Our little munchkin finally slept a full night!!! She fell asleep around 9pm and didn't wake until 6:15am! This is wonderful! Wonderful for mommy, cuz I feel soooo much better today, and my cold is finally starting to back off! And we also started the day with her first "new" word! "Hello"!

She is in a better mood this morning too, not sure if it's because daddy is home today, or that she slept through the night. Probably a little of both!

CBC radio is coming to our house today to interview us on our adoption....so we are busy trying to tidy up and get clean! Ha! Ha! ...and then we make our first debut as a family, at a yearly family Christmas get together that my aunt and uncle are having. They are excited to see her I think!

I am so glad that I did my Christmas shopping in China! When would I have ever had the chance to do it between now and christmas??? I don't even know when I will get the decorations up!! Christmas kind of snuck up on us while we were away....it doesn't quite seem like christmas to us yet...we have been pretty sheltered since getting home...away from the christmas hustle and bustle and christmas music...it's weird! I don't wanna miss out on it all, so we are going to have to get out and expose ourselves to some christmas spirit!!!

Here are a few pics of our smiley girl! I love her sooo much I just wanna squeeze her!!!

(P.S. - CBC Radio will air the broadcast across the Maritimes on Sunday, December 17th between 8:30 and 9:00am on 96.1)

More pics for the starved!

She's been obsessed with the scales since she saw us weighing our luggage in China!

Welcome home sign for Mei Lin at Summerside Apple Auto Glass!



Get your Fash on! Our little Fashonista! Check out how she used daddy's socks for leg warmers!! (Her idea, not mine!)



Her famous "uh-oh!" look!



On the move!...She never sits still! It's hard to get pictures sometimes!

What it's been like so far...

Mei Lin is adapting wonderfully! We are starting to be able to tell what each screech, cry, and whimper means (diaper change, bottle, food..etc.) SHe doesn't usually cry for no reason at all. She is very vocal...but mainly just baby babble. Her language development is probably what she is the most delayed with. She is starting to understand some of what we are saying though (just some), but she is a quick learner and will be talking in no time at all!

Last night was pretty good as far as sleep is concerned...Daniel had a full night...and Mei Lin slept most of the night...just whimpered when she rolled over (which is every 5 seconds!) she is quite a worm in the bed!! I on the other hand...sick with this darn cold...and still suffering jetlag...have not been getting any sleep! But I deal with it, cuz you do what you gotta do!

She fell out of the bed the other night...I felt like a horrible mom!! I'm sure it won't be the last time though!

Daniel is back to work tomorrow...so the real fun will begin! Not sure if I'm ready to handle things all by myself yet. I still haven't figured out how I am supposed to shower, or stoke the wood furnace with just me here...she can't be trusted by herself! She is into everything! Everything is new to her and she is loving it! She is a quick learner and she usually only has to see something once...and she is doing it all the time!

So, what do I miss about the old life? I miss quiet time, I miss being clean, I miss eating my food - all to myself, I miss sleep, I miss a tidy house, I miss adult conversation (I talk in the third person now!...and sometimes I catch myself talking to Daniel like a baby...oops!)

But what am I thankful for? Arms that reach for me, baby babble in the morning, that baby smell (the clean one!), when she falls asleep in my arms, all of her smiles and giggles, tickle time, kisses and oh, so much more!

I will leave you with some airport pics!

Lets try this again...

I'm going to try to post more pics of "Gotcha Day"...not sure what is up with my blog lately.

My sister has a bit of a slideshow on her blog about the week she was in China with us...you can check it out at
http://www.myspace.com/dingledorfangele

















This is Apollonia, Christelinda, Fumairia (adopted Mei Lin's cribmate) and Yulin (from our agency). We are at the airport waiting to board out plance to Guangzhou to meet the girls!
















Mei Lin's nanny taking her into the room to meet her family (that would be us!)

Before we met the babies...we spotted them in another room sitting with their nannies waiting. So we cheated, and video taped them!!
















First picture of us all together!

Home Sweet Home

It is sooooo good to be home...things are just so much easier...and relaxed!!

We arrived home last night around 5:30pm and were greeted by an anxious crowd of 30 or so people. It was a very emotional moment and probably the most beautiful moment I have ever experienced in my lifetime. We had already had Mei Lin for 2 weeks, but it wasn't until we were walking through those airport doors and saw all of those people that we finally realized that we were actually home and Mei Lin was ours to keep! Even though I was tired, hadn't slept in days, sick with the cold, numb from the trip...I will never forget that moment!

Today, Mei Lin has been playing with her cousins and putting on a show for everyone! The antics are hilarious!

She interacts with her new family as if she has always known them. She is healthy and happy! (Thank you Dad Ford for looking after her from above)

I still have not had any real sleep...a couple of hours last night. But it is easier to cope when you are at home...being away and being sleep deprived and sick (not to mention quitting smoking cold turkey)...is not good for anybody within 10 feet of me!! Daniel was great on the trip though...he knew when I needed a break and he gave me the time to re-energize!

Daniel is a great daddy, and Mei Lin adores him!

Well, I am still a bit out of it and sick with the cold and a bit of larengitis (sp??)...and everything for the past few days has been a blur...so, perhaps I will post more later!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us. Mom and Dad for looking after my furry animals, Tracey for preparing a meal for us when we arrived home...of course everyone who came to the airport to welcome Mei Lin (I couldn't believe the number of people!!) and those who called to check in on us. We so appreciate all of your support. We are still settling in, unpacking....etc., and things are still a bit of a whirlwind....but we will see/talk to you all sometime soon!

Here are some pics from our "gotcha day"!
GOTCHA!!

Suspicious Eyes!
First Big Hug for Mama! .














And for some silly reason...my blog is not letting me post all the pics I want to show you...so, another day I guess!

Sad goodbyes!

Angele and I had to say goodbye today. She met us at the hotel and we had breakfast together and took some family Christmas pictures and it was time to go. Angele hates to be away at Christmas and I really feel for her. She loves Mei Lin soooo much, it was very hard to see her walk away.

We enjoyed our days together though...and we have been very busy!! Daniel looked after Mei Lin for us...and we went shopping! It was nice to have this time together.

Mei Lin loves her Auntie Angele and I think they bonded very well. Angele...we will see you again soon enough. And I will post lots of pictures so you don't miss a moment!

Mei Lin is doing wonderful! She learns something new everyday. She now blows kisses! And waves good-bye...and mumbles her own version of the words!

She loves brushing her teeth and putting barrets in her hair has become part of her routine...she will bring them to me and put her head down so I can put one in!!

She is still having sleeping problems...but I think they will eventually work themselves out.

One evening she was just unconsolable...so we just sat on the floor and rocked back and forth...she cried...and I cried with her.

We have many challenges ahead, communication seems to be our biggest problem right now. She doesn't know any other way of communicating with us other than crying and thrashing about. We are working on it though! She is extremely smart and cathes on very fast.

We are hopping on the plane back home tomorrow...we will eventually land in Charlottetown on Dec 2 at 4:45! It will be so nice to be home! We are soooo ready to go!

Here are some more pics of Mei Lin...and we will see you all soon!

PS..Carolyn...come visit us and we can talk about tips for your trip!! Thinking about you!! - Nat

Happy Birthday from the Great Wall Grampy!!

Happy Birthday Grampy all the way from the Great Wall of China! (Mei Lin fell asleep half way up the wall...Hope you have a good birthday!)

Notes from Angele....

What an amazing experience to be here with Nat, Dan and Mei Lin!!! Mei Lin is everything I expected and THEN SOME!! I'm not kidding, that child is an absolute doll..(makes me want to have one...:) She is always giggling and smiling away..so much fun and she's having a great time with her crazy aunt. Nat and Dan are natural parents and I get a real kick out of watching them..I'm sitting in the corner doing a lot of giggling myself...:) The Great Wall was really great and bitterly cold..this picture is for GRAMPY since it is his birthday today... This pic was taken at the Great Wall and the sign says "HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPY..WE LOVE YOU"... sooooo, Grampy, all the way in China, we were thinking of you.....hope you have a nice day...Love your kids in China

Right down to the last Cheerio!

this is it for today!

a few more...

more pics!...don't you love it!!

She loves to look in the mirror!!

Long awaited photos of Mei Lin!!

In Beijing!

Hello everyone, we finally found some easy access internet so we can post more!!! Yeah! Don't have the camera on me right now, so no pictures for this post...next one...I promise!

Angele.....if you read this before your flight...we are in room 332 at the Presidential (State Guest Hotel)....it was about a 45 minute drive from the airport. Very fancy...and fully decorated for Christmas.

Just had breakfast...it was better than home!! Waffles with whipcream...all the fruit you can think of...hash browns...yadda yadda yadda....oh...and forks too!! Haven't had to use the chopsticks yet!

Mei Lin is doing great! She is giving kisses, mimicking facial expressions, lots of smiles and hearty giggles...and always ready for hugs! She has a big personality and is a bit of a tease!!

Only problem so far is her night terrors. Some nights go not too bad but some are really bad. We had one of those last night!

She did really well on the flight from Guangzhou to Beijing (surprisingly well!!)...(might have something to do with the dozen or so crackers we kept feeding). She only cried a little bit. Although...she doesn't like the bus...always cries on the bus!

We are supposed to visit the Summer Palace and Beijing Zoo today (just the pandas)...but since our routine was so off yesterday, which made for a rough night...we might opt out this time. She really needs routine!!

Carolyn...one word of advice for you...make sure you are in shape!! I am aching all over! I have muscles hurting that I never knew I had! You will hold crazy positions for the longest periods of time and hold them until your muscles burn and you start to shake...just so they won't wake up!!!

Looking forward to Mei Lin meeting her first family member today! Angele will adore her!

Thank you everyone for all your supportive comments. I am so relieved I can finally post! Maybe later today I can sneak away and add some pictures!!

We are off now for a family photo...and then the grocery store for some necessities!!

Yes...I've finally posted!

I'm so tired i don't know what to type. I have slept less than 10 hours in the last 5 days. Very long plane ride!...a whole day of flying on the 17th, arrived in Vancouver at midnight...slept for an hour...boarded the plane to beijing the next morning and arrived in Beijing around supper time...(I have been suffering dizziness ever since that flight...vertigo I guess, probably the lack of sleep!)...then at 6:30 the next morning we went to the airport to fly another 3 hours to Guangzhou...when we arrived in Guangzhou....our tour guide didn't show up for an hour after we arrived....(that was scarey!)...and since he showed up so late...we went straight to the government office to get the girls!!!...What a day it was! We went to sit in a room to wait for the girls to come in...but we spotted them sitting in a room with the nannies and we cheated and video taped them!!...you'll have to wait til we get home to see Gotcha day pics...we took them all on the video camera. And unfortunately for this post...I can't show you any other pics, as I am having trouble loading them to the site. I will do my best to get them on soon.

Mei Lin is doing well, her first day with us was wonderful...very smiley girl! Lots of giggles. Her first night she slept almost 12 hours...it was a really big day for her.

On our second day, we went back to the government offices to finalize the adoption (happy B'day Angele!)...she was ecstatic the whole time we were there...kicking her legs, clapping her hands, laughing, and jumping! She is such a pleasant little girl. She has trouble sleeping though....she is terrified to go to bed....last night was a very long and exhausting night for her and I.

She comes to both of us with arms wide open and a big smile! She loves her baths, and she shares very well.

She is very strong and can sit up just using her legs...she doesn't hold onto anything!!...she helps mommy when getting dressed and undressed and has said 3 words so far...yummy, look and mamma.

Well, I have to go for now...we have an appointment...I will try to write more later.

Today is the day!

We are leaving today! I layed in bed until 9am this morning, enjoying it for one last time (oh how I love my bed in the morning!) Today, we will prepare the house, clean the floors, get her room tidied, put the car seat in the car, etc. before we leave for our big jouney to the other side of the world! It still seems somewhat unreal to me.

This will be my last post before China. I want to thank everyone for their support, we could not have made it to this point without all of your prayers and well wishes. We received many beautiful emails and phone calls over the past few days, thank you so much. So, nice to know that people really do care.

Thanks to mom for watching the dog for us, and thank you Ryan for offering to stay at the house and keep my kitties company! - Boy, I'm gonna miss my babies! I already do!

Well, Ciao for now...and "more to come from China!" (hope I can post pics for you!)

Reality kicks in

Well, until now...it hasn't seemed real. I didn't feel like we were actually going, until I walked out of work knowing I wouldn't be back tomorrow. So, if I've left my job...I must be really going to China! What a strange feeling!...it was like as soon as I walked out the door, I was entering into my new life. Leaving everything that is normal to me behind. It was an amazing feeling.

Tonight we continue to pack...and do laundry. We have gone without a washing machine for the past week as our old one called it quits (great timing huh!). It's been hectic trying to prepare suitcases, and not having any clean clothes to put in them!!...but all is good again, and the new washing machine will be put to great use in the next couple of days.

Tomorrow...my first day of no work will be spent filing for UI, getting my eyebrows done (ha, ha), and bathing the dog...and more packing and laundry!

I hope to post one last time before we go!

Oh My God!...I've never been a parent before!!

Panic attacks have set in. They started about 2 days ago. They come in waves. Things like "what if I have to be at work at 8am and her school bus doesn't come until 8:15?"...I know, ridiculous...but like I said "I've never been a parent before"...so what do I know! I am also panicking about stuff like...how things are going to change. Who am I without my lying in bed all morning on the weekend, eating when and whatever I want, and all my other bad habits I love! These are things I will be giving up, for our little girl, a new routine. A new me! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all, I'm ready for the change! I just never really thought about how to keep a balance, so that I don't completely lose "me" in all of this. Time to take off the tiara and place it on my baby girls little head. (mine's imaginary...I have a real one for her!!)

So, my last few days have been filled with panic attacks, day dreaming about our new life, and getting the house ready! The emotions are all over the place. They go from anxiety, to happy, to bawling like a baby about this new joy that will be in our life, to missing my grandfather. - see, I just started again, tears well up at anything and everything!

Okay...onto other things...this long weekend, Daniel and I went out for our last childless weekend. And we met up with "the old crowd". These are our friends that have stuck together since high school. They were in our wedding 10 years ago, and they continue to stand by us. One helped us with a letter of reference for our adoption and donated aeroplan miles to cover our second ticket to China, another has made us godparents of his children and even named one of them after us (Nathalie Danielle is her name), and the other, has been living away since 1997, this is the first time we have seen him since he left....so it was a great night of reminicing (sp?). Here is a picture of "the old crowd".

My sister in Korea (Angele) called, she will be meeting us in Beijing and staying for 5 nights. She is very excited as she always misses out on everything, being so far from home. This time...she's front and center! Mei Lin's adoption will be official on Angele's 30th birthday. Angele won't be home for Christmas this year, so this is a great birthday/christmas present for her.

Well, I best get back at it....only 4 days to go and lots to do! This time next week, we will have had our little girl for 13 hours already....this is all just so amazing! We're going to China!

The all important document

Well, today is exactly 4 months that we have been waiting for TA! AND WE GOT IT!!!! What a relief! A weight has been lifted. WE ARE GOING TO CHINA IN 8 DAYS!! Doing the happy dance!

As well, my sister in Korea says she has tentatively booked a flight on the 25 th to beijing! She hopes to stay with us for a couple of days. I can't wait for her to meet Mei Lin! I haven't even met Mei Lin yet...but I just know she's gonna love her!!

I'm just so excited! I will write more later and scan a copy of the actual TA to post on the blog for you all to see...we are going to celebrate!

Thank you all so much for all your prayers, good thoughts, and shoulders to cry on. It all means so much to us.

Bittersweet

Another day and no TA! Am I going to get through this week?

I called the province 3 times today...nobody answered...I left a message, nobody returned my call. Sent an email...no reply. Are they avoiding me??

Ahhhhhh!!

On another note, we did receive our in China schedule and it goes a little something like this:

Sunday, Nov 19 - arrive in Beijing

Monday, Nov 20
6:30am leave for Guangzhou
11:40am arrive in Guangzhou
2:30pm receive children in the provincial government office (Whoo Hoo!)

Tuesday, Nov 21
8:30am Family Picture
Registration at provincial government office
Notorization of documents

Wednesday, Nov 22
9:00am Administrative (passport office) activities
2:00pm Shopping

Thursday, Nov 23
10:00am Visit Yuexiu Park

Friday, Nov 24
12:00 Leave for airport
1:30pm Leave for Beijing
6:40pm arrive in Beijing

Saturday, Nov 25
9:00am Children's Canadian Visa Photos (in the hotel)
PM The Summer Palace & Beijing Zoo

Sunday, Nov 26 - 9:00am The Great Wall

Monday, Nov 27
8:00am Children's medical examinations
PM Shopping

Tuesday, Nov 28
9:30am Silk Store & Indoor Market

Wednesday, Nov 29 - 10:00am Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City

Thursday, Nov 30 - Free Day

Friday, Dec 1 - Leave for Canada

Stressing out!

I am totally stressing out! Tuesday is gone...and no TA! We are praying tomorrow will be the day.

I don't have anything else to say...nothing on my mind but TA!!! I've considered taking up drinking...but they say it only adds to your problems. So, perhaps I will go with chocolate.

All we can do is pray.

I'm taking a fork!

How in the heck do you eat rice with chopsticks!! Daniel and I cooked a lovely meal for supper. Basmati rice, string beans and blackened cajun tuna steaks. We wanted to practice our chopstick techniques. The bigger pieces of fish and veggies - no problem, but I got fed up and grabbed a fork at the end of it...my rice was getting cold!! All I could get on the chopsticks were a couple of grains of rice at a time...I don't get it. So, if I don't bring a fork...I WILL starve!

Day 117 of our wait to TA...and no news. I have heard of some other people getting theirs today, so I am hoping we hear something sooner than later. Hopefully it won't drag out all week. I am very nervous, and we are going to be a total emotional wreck this week. Our string of bad luck has got to be over, right?

TA prayers! TA prayers!!

12 more sleeps!

Only 12 more sleeps before the big departure! That's NEXT WEEK! We have everything ready for packing I guess. I am struggling a bit though with what to bring for clothes. We have to pack for two different climates. Our first week will be "Hawaii like" weather...and our second week will be just like home, cold and windy. I am trying not to overdue it on the clothes...but what do you do???

Our TA is "supposed" to arrive this week! I am stressing out a little that it's going to get lost in the mail, or they forgot to send it....or something!! So, everyone say a little TA prayer for us! We have been told...no TA, no baby! There's no going without it! I would be absolutely devastated if that happened to us after all we have been through! So, good thoughts, right mom?!!

This week we are going to have to start practicing using chopsticks, as we are told that the Chinese restaurants do not have forks...and that if we don't learn...we might starve. Can't have that happen!

We should be receiving our itinerary in the mail early this week. That will tell us our schedule while in China. And what day we will actually meet Mei Lin. I still can't believe this is happening! Yesterday I had to think about my first babysitter. I was booking a hair appointment for the end of December, and I had to think about..."who's gonna watch Mei Lin?"....weird.

7 days of work left!! Have a good week!

Happy November!!

Finally! We made it to the month that we are actually going to travel to China! This is a big mini-milestone for us! Only 16 more days til departure!!

November is a big month for our friends Marvin & Carolyn as well, we are all hoping that they get their referral for little Kennedy at the end of this month!

Happy birthday to my sister Tracey! I hope you have a great day!

We had 3 trick or treaters last night! That's one more than last year. Our god daughters (Nicole and Natalie) came and stayed for a visit, they checked out Mei Lin's room and the oldest said to me "She is really going to like her room, and she's going to really like you for a mommy!" So cute!

A very special month indeed...Happy November everyone! ~ I'm sporting a permagrin! ;o)

Meeting with the Doc

We met with my doctor to discuss Mei Lin's growth, and for just some general information on good drugs/bad drugs. Since she is under the age of 2, he did not recommend that we give her any decongestants, cough medicines, or benedryl (all sedating drugs), as they have been connected with SIDS in children all the way up to the age of 4. I thought I would pass that on to all of those "in the process" of adopting.

He was impressed with her growth, as she is developing at a really good rate (in comparison to most children adopted from China). Although I was off the mark on saying that she is in the 50-75 percentile for her height. She is actually in the 25 Percentile.

I asked him for some prescriptions for just in case situations. And set up another appointment with him a week and a half after we get back, and an appointment with a pediatrician on the following week. IWK is setting us up for an assessment of her cleft palate in January.

On another note...our agency called last night to tell us that our Notice of Coming (TA) will be here next week! Big sigh of relief!

Just think...this time next week, we can actually say "We are leaving next week!"

My girl is growing!

Today we received some updated info on our daughters measurements. The last measurements we had were from a year ago...so this is great to have! I have checked her measurements to see where she sits on the growth charts...keeping in mind that chinese children are typically smaller than american children, so she is a tad on the lower side of the charts. This info came at really great timing, as we are going to see the doctor tomorrow to have him take a look at her file, and to refer us to Dr. Wong.

Mei Lin turned 20 months yesterday and we have been told that she now weighs 22 lbs and has 16 of her 24 baby teeth. Her other measurements are as follows:

Height: 31.9 inches
Head: 17.7 inches
Chest: 18.1 inches
Foot: 5.1 inches (big feet I think!...gonna have to return all my shoes I bought!)

Here are her results on the growth charts and an explaination of what it means (note, I had to use 18 months as it didn't give the option of 20 months):

Sex = girl
Age = 18 Months
Length = 81.0 centimeters
Weight = 10.0 kilograms
Head circumference = 45.0 centimeters

Based on the data you submitted, your child falls into the following percentiles:
Length = between 50th and 75th percentile
Weight = between 10th and 25th percentile
Head Circumference = between 10th and 25th percentile

What do the percentiles mean? If your child is in the 20th percentile for weight, for example, he weighs more than 20 percent of children his age and less than the other 80 percent.

What do I get from all this? ....I'd say she is tall, skinny, and has big feet!! Oh, I love her!...can't wait to get my hands on her!

Overwhelmed in the Formula Isle

Last night I think we took on too many tasks at once. We thought we would go and buy all of our formula, rice cereal and diapers for the trip. Not knowing much about our daughter...this was not an easy task for us first time parents. While Daniel was off looking at Pots & Pans (he loves to cook)...I stood in the baby formula isle....for 20 minutes...the security guy (you know the guy that pretends he's shopping...but he's really watching to see if your shoplifting), passed by a few times checking to see what I was doing. I had no idea what I was doing, so then I walked away and thought I would try shopping for a baby bottle...there are alot of bottles to choose from, I did not find this easy either. So as I was giving up and walking away...Daniel shows up and asked what was taking so long. I told him to look at the formula, I'll go get some diapers...surely I can do that! Nope, there are many different kinds of diapers in all different sizes, not knowing Mei Lin's size for sure, I was scared to get the wrong ones, and wanted to get the ones that would pack the best in our suitcase!....so I gave up on that and went back to the formula isle to see how Daniel was getting along...he was crouched down reading all the labels...we had no idea what we were doing...we finally decided on some soy based, lactose free stuff...god I hope it's the right stuff! Then we moved onto bottles...after 15 minutes of looking at them all and trying to pick "just the right ones"...I pretty much closed my eyes, grabbed one and threw it into the cart! At this point I didn't want to move onto diapers, I was tired! But we forged on, and finally after another 15 or 20 minutes picked out some lovely size 3 pampers! We then went immediately to the checkout and got the heck out of there!!! And we're not looking back!

Tickets are booked!

Never thought I'd ever get to say that! "Tickets are booked!" We leave on November 17th (just 22 days away!). We will stay overnight in Vancouver and fly to Beijing the next day (arriving on the 19th). I am told that we will spend a night in Beijing (where it is cold and windy) and the next day we will fly to Guangzhou (where it is nice and toasty). We will likely meet Mei Lin the day or day after we fly to Guangzhou. The 21st would be great...cuz it's my sister Annie's 30th birthday...she lives in Korea and may meet up with us if she can get the time off. I am really hoping she does...so Angele, if your reading this........

So I have created some mini milestones to get through the next 22 days:

In 2 days Mei Lin will turn 20 months
In 5 days its Halloween (that's my costume from last year)
In 6 days its my older sisters B'day
In 14 days we expect our TA to arrive (still need your prayers guys...)
In 16 days it's Remembrance day
In 20 days I will work my last day of work

Oh and did you know that Ho! Ho! is finally coming to our place this year...in just 59 days! And in 60 days ...and only after 16 years of being together, Daniel & I will finally get to watch our long awaited child open up her presents on Christmas morning! (I'm all teary eyed!)

Christmas Eve at my house, growing up was always surrounded by lots of family and food, and we always opened one present under the tree on Xmas eve!...then I would be the very first one up in the morning, and I would wake everyone up and tell them what Santa brought them! (nothing like ruining the surprise factor for my sisters eh?)

I would like to hear some favorite Xmas traditions...anyone care to share?

My friends dream...

I have a special friend I call "Lu Lu". One day she called me and told me that she had a dream about our adoption, she couldn't understand the dream...but the date of November 17th stuck out vividly in her mind. She said "I just know that's when you are going to get your girl"! So she wanted me to add her to our TA pool, and she picked October 17th, one month from the date she thought we would finally travel to get her.

Well, today our agency spoke with CCAA (china centre of adoption affairs) and they said we could travel in November!!! Yippee!

We just called Aeroplan to confirm flight availability...we should be leaving on November 17th!!!! Can you believe that??!!

Nobody wins the TA pool (our agency said TA probably won't arrive until Nov 10)...but I would say that "Lu Lu" deserves the prize for literally dreaming up the date we actually go!!!

I will write more later...I'm too excited right now!...

Oh yeah...today, my dog ate my gifts that I bought for the directors in China!! Is that kind of like saying "my dog ate my homework"!??

Baby's got the goods!

Mei Lin received her care package a week earlier than expected! I hope she likes the pictures and blankie we sent her! ...the way our luck has been going...it probably went to the wrong child!!!....No, I'm joking! I made good and sure they knew exactly what baby was to receive the package. I sent a picture in the photo album of me, holding up two of Mei Lin's pictures, so I think they will figure it out!

I would also like to thank everyone at Daniel's work (especially Barb & Alice) for the funds they raised for our trip to China. These ladies put together a wonderful basket full of great stuff, and sold tickets on it. They raised $514.00 for us. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness, and the generosity (sp?) and support of his co-workers. So thank you to ALL of them! I wish I had a picture of the basket, I would post for all to see!

We received a package in the mail yesterday. It was Mei Lin's life book. I ordered it about a month ago (http://cadoam.com/) and kind of forgot about it. It is a book that mommy and daddy will fill out that tells the story of how Mei Lin came to join her family. It includes stuff like how we started our adoption journey, what we did while we waited, our first thoughts upon receiving her file/pictures, first haircut (a place for a lock of hair), family tree, birthday memories etc. I think it is something she will cherish. I think I will fill it out and save it until she is a little older, and perhaps starts to ask questions. Her name is written in chinese on the cover. (again, with the purple...what am I doing?!)















We have sent our Visa applications, travel info, etc. to our agency. The agency makes all the travel arrangements and on Thursday nite, we received an email from a travel agency with confirmed dates, flight numbers, seat numbers, flight times etc. Obviously they had made an error, but geesh...stop dangling those carrots in front of us!!!! Did anyone see the movie "Click"? with Adam Sandler? (Lu Lu, I know you did!) Well in the movie, Adam Sandler could use his remote control and fast forward through anything he wanted in life...I would really like to take that remote control and fast forward to the day they say "yes, you are going!"!!!...can ya blame me?! I hope this next week doesn't drag on like the last one did...this is just killing us!!!

What I know...

Well, I woke up to lots of interesting email today. Our agency has sent us Visa applications and travel information forms to fill out just in case our TA comes in time to jump on the November wagon! I know that sounds promising...but I really just take it as them doing everything they can to be ready...just in case TA comes in. They could still come back and say that China does not have our paperwork ready yet. Our agency is waiting on them (China)...but giving gentle nudges (I say start shoving!...I'm joking!)

What else do I know...well I know that if we do go in November that we will depart for China around the 18th and be returning on the 30th.

I know that there are at least 2 other families that received the same call that I did about preparing for November travel...just in case (they are in the same boat I am).

And I know that....we really won't know anything more until next week! Ahhhh! It's only Wednesday!

Oh well...it IS going to happen right?? This all sounds better than wondering if it will be January or February!

In the mail today we received a very special gift for Mei Lin and a letter from a certain family that we have a very special connection to in Amherst, NS. For privacy, I will not mention names, but here is a picture of the special gift that Mei Lin received.

Oh, did anyone notice Mei Lin's picture in the paper today??






I have been following her care package...here is the most updated information as per Canada Post Tracking site:


2006/10/15
20:56
Item has arrived in destination country


It's getting closer!!

Tune in Next Week...to "The Days of our Lives"

Yes, I feel like a freakin soap opera! Today we received another call from our agency saying that there is still a chance for November...but we won't know anymore until next week!

How do things change from night and day so quickly!!??? I am not holding my breath on this one. I will wait and see what we hear next week, as I am not sure how they plan to pull this one off. How do you go from saying the file is not even processed to this!?? Oh, the drama!

Anyway...check back next week!!

I was a little curious though, and I emailed someone else that is with the same agency that is also expecting to travel with the November group...I asked them if they knew when they were going yet. (so if we do go in November we would at least have an idea of when the group is going!) Is that bad? I'm getting desperate!

Day 96...not a good day for us

Today, we recieved a call from our agency in Ottawa. They called to tell us that they are very unsure that we will travel in November as they have come to find out that our file has actually NOT been processed yet. A few weeks ago, they told us that it had been, and we were just waiting on that piece of paper to be signed and then we would be able to go (TA). I guess they had just assumed that it was, since December was "out of review".

So, our excitement has turned into sadness and Daniel and I both are finding it hard to get our chins up (we are actually getting a little rug burn from them dragging on the floor). With our file not even processed at this point, we have no idea of when we will go...could be December, could be January, could be February. There is no sure way to predict. I will not even say that I am still hopeful for December as I can't bare to set myself up for more disappointment - especially at Christmas. My baby is getting older, and I am sad that she has to wait so long for us. We have known about her since March, these delays are getting the better of me. The wait is harder than I ever imagined it would be. What a rollercoaster.

There are some good sides to this that I will use to keep me going...

1) She will have lots of time to look at her photo album we sent to her to get to know our faces.

2) Perhaps we will travel with the other family that is adopting her cribmate.

3) Perhaps we will travel with the Clows!

4) Parental leave will flow over the summer months.

5) If we go after Christmas, my sister will be able to meet us there as she lives in Korea and will be on vacation in Jan/Feb.

Five, that's all I have. Can you think of any others?

Giant Xmas Ladybug!

Last night I had a dream that it was Christmas and all of my family and friends were there celebrating and all of a sudden there was a GIANT LADYBUG (human size) looking in the window. In my dream the ladybug was Mei Lin. We ran outside to get her out of the cold and examined all of her spots to make sure that she was okay.

Corney I know...but still, a dream about Mei Lin and hopefully a sign of hearing something soon! Makes me happy!

I like to write these silly little dreams down as someday, I am sure Mei Lin will love to hear them!

Perhaps these will develop into the childrens books I want to write someday!

Cost of shipping a care package

I thought I would post some FYI info for those who are also adopting from China and may want to do the same once they get their referral.

We sent a very small package 541g in the smallest box we could find, with a declared value of $40.00 through Xpresspost. To have the package arrive within 11 business days it cost us a total of $52.58. To have it arrive within 7 business days...it would have cost $80 plus dollars.

So Mei Lin should receive her goodies by October 26th. (Another mini milestone for us!)

Here is another pic that we included in our photo album we sent to Mei Lin...

Sending a care package

We are putting together a small package to send to Mei Lin at the orphanage. We are going to include a disposable camera for the nannies to take some pictures, some candies for the nannies, a blankie/teddie for Mei Lin and a soft photo book for her to keep in her crib so she can check us out whenever she wants to! Here are some pics that we are including in the 12 page book.

How do we get through the days of waiting??

Mini milestones, that is how Daniel and I are passing the time, so the wait to TA doesn't seem like an eternity. Tomorrow is actually a milestone for us, "Thanksgiving". I love Thanksgiving...so I have been counting down the days for the past two weeks...and it actually went by pretty quick! Once Thanksgiving comes and goes...we will have a new milestone...some are not so significant, but a milestone none the less. Our next milestone will be "11 days until our last set of Hep shots"...not something I usually "count down the days til, as I really hate needles"...but gotta have something right?! It seems to be working for me so far!

snapshots from the video

Here are some snapshots I took from the video I received. (video was taken 8 months ago) I think she's pretty sweet, chicken pox, boogers and all! lol!



In this one, she is in the crib in the background on the right...she was all covered up with the blanket sleeping with her feet sticking out the bars of her crib...then she poked her head up for a second to see what all the commotion was! In the video, at first you could only see the feet sticking out...and we just knew they were hers, and then she popped up her head and confirmed it!

This is a picture (I believe) of the other little girl I told you about that may be adopted at the same time...their cribs are right next to each other.

As I was sitting here writing this post...I noticed a bug outside the window, flying around and trying to get in...it finally landed...and I could see that it was a LADYBUG!! I have been feeling a certain anticipation lately, and there have been a few coincidences that have happened that I think are all signs that we are going to hear something "very" soon. Let's hope.

New footage of our sweet girl

We haven't heard anything yet about when our travel approval will arrive. This whole week is a holiday in China...so I figure by the time they all get back to work...it could be 2 to 3 more weeks before we receive it :o(...(my best guess...but what do I know!). I did have a dream last night though, that we did receive it....we were sooo happy, and it had a great big shiney seal of approval on it!...it was actually the best nights sleep I've had in a long time, I only woke up around midnight and then not again until the alarm went off at 6:10...I am usually awake every hour! So obviously my dream gave me some peace.

We did receive a package in the mail today though! It was a DVD from one of the other families that adopted from the same orphanage. Someone had given them this DVD when they visited the orphanage last February...just before Mei Lin's first birthday. It was so great to see, and obviously will be priceless for Mei Lin when she is older and has questions about where she lived the first 2 years of her life. I want to go get her now more than ever! I first sighted her little legs and feet, as she was sleeping with the blanket over her head and her legs sticking out the side of the crib, it was really loud and babies were crying, I couldn't believe she was sleeping through all of that...but she did wake up eventually! She did smile at the video camera, she has a really cute smile, ...but she had the chicken pox and a huge booger in her nose! My mommy instincts kicked in and I just wanted to wipe her nose for her!

Just wanted to share my news with you. Have a good weekend!

New Pics I found of Mei Lin!

Here are some new pictures I found of our daughter at the orphanage. They are from Feb 2006, around her 1st birthday. She is kind of in the background of them all....but none the less, they are pictures of our baby!!




















In this picture she is in the crib on the right.














In this picture she is in the crib at the back by the wall.















Again...the crib in the back, by the wall...why is she always in the background????

Day 80...(sigh)

Today is 80 days since we sent our letter to China telling them we would adopt Qu Le Xuan (Mei Lin). Only about 50-70 more days before we see her little face! I dreamed about her last night. In my dream she had just arrived home with us, she was happy, smiling and walking. Her hair was short and she was very petite. Everyone wanted to hold her, but she was very attached to mommy, and I was trying to explain to her that mommy had to go to work but I was coming back, not to worry! She was staying with her grammy for the day! I love dreaming about her. I always wake up feeling happy and energized!

Today we are going to Charlottetown to do some shopping for the trip and then we are going to have supper and then go to the book launch - "Chinese Islanders" by Hung-Min Chiang. It should be very interesting.

A friend of mine who has adopted from China twice was able to finally get the correct pronounciation of Mei Lin's chinese name for us! (Thanks Sue!) Her chinese name is Le Xuan, pronounced Lee Swan in cantonese - my baby's a Swan!

As for the amendment that we need from the province...(we are only approved for a child 20 months of age...Mei Lin will be 21 months when we adopt her)...last Friday, when I called to request it from the provincial government...they actually said "No, Problem!"...can you imagine??? And I was ready for a fight! Although, they did say they would do it on Monday of this week, and would call us when it is ready. Well...it's Saturday, haven't heard from them. (not surprised) They haven't responded to any of my email either...I'm not too worried about it though, as our agency has informed us - China does not require this amendment. (It is only PEI that thinks we need such a thing)!!!

Have a good weekend everyone...here are some more baby shower pics!

Ultimate Ladybug Siting!

I forgot to tell you about the ladybug siting at my baby shower! When my mom was decorating for the shower in the afternoon and she was putting flowers in the vases she found a ladybug in the flowers!!

Later that night when we were packing up, I went to put my camera back in my camera case (which was sitting there open all night) and as soon as I went to stick the camera in....this lady bug immediatly crawled out and up my arm! This little ladybug that was in the flowers earlier had found it's way to my camera case. I was stunned! We had spoken to our agency just hours before the shower and they had told us that we would receive our TA soon! And on Friday, we learned that travel would be in November! These ladybugs are CRAZY! I love it! More ladybugs please!

A little blurry...but here is our lucky ladybug...and some more pics!



The ladybug crawled all the way up my arm and onto my shoulder!


She received lots of new teddy bears at the shower! No worries of her bumping her head on anything in this room...it's well padded!

The 3 little bears waiting for Mei Lin to come home and join them at their tea party!




One of the most special gifts that we received was this little rocking chairs. It was given to me by my uncle and aunt. My mom had given them this chair when they had their first child. They now have 4 children and they have all used this little chair. The reason it is so special to me, is that this was "my" rocking chair when I was little. I was speechless when I saw it! This chair brings back fond memories ...like the time I wrote all over it with marker and my uncle told me that I was going to be in really big trouble (my uncle was about 10...I was probably 3)...but he proceeded to give me some really good advice and told me that peanut butter would surely take off all that marker! So out came the peanut butter and I covered the chair with it (I can still picture it). Just so you all know...peanut butter does not remove marker...it just gets you into bigger trouble!! Bad uncle...bad, bad uncle!

That's all for now...everyone say your TA prayers!

The Baby Shower!

I can't believe we had a baby shower! I never dreamed the day would ever come. It's like little girls dreaming of their wedding day. I have been dreaming for years about my baby shower!

My mom and sister did alot of work making decorations and it was absolutely beautiful, their new found interest in the chinese culture was refreshing. It meant so much to me. Daniel's family helped decorate the day of the shower and were a great help to my mom. So thank you to all of them!!

I don't have many pictures yet (my camera is terrible, all my pics turn out blurry) but the lovely Bonnie Farrell took many pictures and she will get them to me so I can post them. So...as soon as I can. But here are a few...
This is my sister in law Angela and niece Tristen, they are sitting at the guest book, letting everyone know about the 100 wishes quilt and giving everyone their chopsticks and fortune cookies!



There was roughly 40 to 50 guests that came. It was so nice to see everyone and know that they are thinking of us. So thank you everyone that came. There are so many wonderful people just waiting for Mei Lin to come home!

The last gift we received was from my fellow co-workers at Hemphill GM. A tricycle suped up "Hemphill Style" with ALL the bells and whistles. It has a canopy, streamers, bell, stickers and most important...it has "Princess" written on the side. Little Mei Lin is already a princess in our eyes...so this tricycle was so fitting! Thank you to everyone at Hemphill GM!


It was down pouring rain that night, so it was nice that everyone still wanted to put on their rainboots and come out and wish us well. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Our Decision...

Well Friday was a stressful day, trying to make the right decision. Thank you all who gave their .02! We are very greatful to have had another point of view.

We have spoken with our agency and we are told that October travel is likely impossible because of this recent delay with the money order (what can go wrong with a money order???), and then there is the Chinese holiday the first week of October, so by the time the money order situation is rectified, TA is issued and signed and sent out...it will probably be mid October before we receive it. That being said, we have told our agency that we do not wish to travel any later than November. So, November travel it is! (cross you fingers for no more snags)

We truly hope that the other family will receive their TA soon after we do and we will still be able to travel together in late November.

It just feels so good to know for sure when we are going. Now if we could only get a specific date!!

I am feeling more relaxed now that the likelyhood of another delay is non-existant...and the excitement is really starting to kick in. The poor girls at work I am sure are sick of listening to me. I talk non-stop about baby!!! It's like verbal diarrhea...I can't help it.

Have a good week!

Another delay...and a decision to make!...Help!

We received response from our agency on whether or not we should go forward with asking the province for another amendment (ugh!).

Our agency contacted CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) and asked them where our file was in the process. They told her that everything is done...but apparently our file has been sitting in the financial department due to a money order that we sent last November (yes, that's right...2005), that apparently is no good for some reason. Can you believe this...yes...another delay. So tomorrow, we have to rush a money order to our agency to replace the old one, as she is going to China on Tuesday and plans to rectify the situation then. So not a big one...she's going to fix it for us.

She said we should receive TA soon!

She will push for things to happen soon for us so that we can travel in October before Mei Lin is 20 months, as this would avoid us having to deal with the province again for yet another amendment. (you all know how that went last time) (province only approved us for a child 20 months "at time of placement".)

She asked if we wanted to wait (I know, I know) so that we could travel at the same time as the other family that is adopting the other little girl in Mei Lin's orphanage (the one in the picture). This would be great for their transition into their new environments...and I know that is the best for the girls...but, do we really want to take the risk of dealing with the province again? It took them forever to do the last amendment or should I say amendmentsssss. We've been through so much, I am terrified to go down that road again as I am afraid it will set us up again for other delays. But I would so love for these girls to be adopted together. And that's what it's all about...these two little girls.

So help me out here people...what do we do? To wait or not to wait? We have to make a decision quickly as the lady at our agency is going to CCAA on Tuesday. She said that she will not push for things to happen quickly if we decide to wait. This one is tugging on my heart!

Help!!

Oh, by the way...the baby shower was wonderful...I will post about it later, when I calm down!

Day 69! We are "Out of the Review Room"

Yeah! Sorry to all of those who don't know the adoption lingo...but this means that our file has finished being reviewed in China. Normally the next step would be for our file to go into another room called the "matching room", where it would probably sit for another 6 months at least before we were matched with a baby. Because we are already matched with Mei Lin...this means we could possibly get our Travel Approval letter...very, very soon! This is potentially "GOOD" news!

I have emailed our agency to find out what this means for us at this point. I will let you know what I find out!

Our family is holding a baby shower for us at the Miscouche Firehall tomorrow night at 7:30, I am so excited! I never dreamed I would ever have a baby shower! Would love to see you all there! Gifts aren't necessary, I would just love to have you all there...my family has gone through alot of work to make everything chinese /adoption / ladybug related with lovely decorations, food and music. I will be showing a short video on our adoption, which will include where Mei Lin lives and pictures and video of her.

What an exciting week! Stay tuned!

Day 60...now it's getting hard!

Okay...I don't want to wait anymore. I have tried my very best for the past month or so, to stay calm...everything happens for a reason...good things come to those who wait...yada yada yada! I just don't want to wait anymore (insert feet stomping and temper tantrum here)! This is as far as my patience will take me. Everyday...I rush home to check my email...and the answering machine. I just want to know WHEN!! I have started to NOT look forward to the weekend...because, there is never any news on the weekend! We are dreaming about Mei Lin regularly...I have written 20 different packing lists and I am marking days off the calendar that haven't even gone by yet (anything to get there quicker)...I'm starting to lose my sanity!

(Sigh) Thanks for the vent!

Daniel and I are doing fine...just getting a little antsy...doing lots of retail therapy though. We are ready to go get our girl. The house is starting to feel like she already lives here. Praying every night that the next day will be the day we get "the call"!

Have a good week everyone!

Latest news from our agency in Ottawa

Well, I thought I would fire an email off to our agency to see if they knew anymore. Got some good feedback on Mei Lin's cleft palate. Not sure what to make of the rest of it...some good news about approval from CCAA...but still uncertain of when we will be travelling...I was hoping for an estimate...but didn't get it! Oh well...I'm just happy to know we are going soon! Here is my email...followed with their response:

Hi Bob and Yulin,

Hope you had a nice long weekend.

Just wondering if there is any new development with our file, last we heard was that it was found. Do you know yet if we have been approved, or is it still too soon?

And also, when the video was taken of Le Xuan, was any information given about her cleft palate? We are so very grateful for the video, we watch it several times a day...everyday! Thank you so much.

Take care,
Natalie & Daniel

Their response:

Natalie, Daniel;

Yulin says you are not to worry about being approved but when you will hear is unknown -- "Even they [CCAA] doesn't know".

Yulin says her cleft is very small, "You can almost not see it".

Yulin did not ask if the lip had been repaired, or had not been affected.

Bob

(just so you all know...Mei Lin's lip is not affected...as you can all tell by her pictures)

Annie's pics!

Here are a few pictures my sister sent me that she took while she was home for the summer.

Me, Angele (sis), and Caraleise (niece)

Angele and my Dad

And oh!...here is another picture I found of Mei Lin on the Love without Boundries website. She is the last one on the right...her orphanage had just received a donation of baby formula.

Nothing to report...so here's some pics

Hi guys! I have no new news for you. Except that they did eventually find our file in China...but everything was already "re-done" by that time anyway. So we are still waiting to hear hopefully some "good" (dare I say that word?) news soon! Here are some pictures of her room...(still a work in progress) and some of the clothes I have bought for her. Not sure of her size yet...so I am not going to buy too, too much clothing just yet.



She has a lovely collection of Teddies already started!

Her crib bedding shipped to us all the way from the UK!

...and we have started her first collection of shoes.

The dress was the first outfit I bought (got it last xmas!...has ladybugs on it!) and the other little outfit is from Auntie Megan!

Uh oh...I think Momma's got a purple fetish!

Hooded jammies with matching rattle slippers! (ToysRUs)

Good News?!! Really? Can it be??

We received another email from our agency over the weekend. I really didn't want to post this yet and jinx ourselves...but I can't keep it to myself! Lets cross our fingers that things don't change!


Natalie, Daniel;

I talked again to Yulin and she is quite certain you will not be delayed because of the dossier problem.

I have given your names and phone number to XXXXX XXXXXX (blocked name for privacy)who is committed to XXX XX XX (blocked name for privacy) who is the child you saw on the last of the set of videos. The expectation is that you will travel with XXXXXX to Shaoguan.

Bob

















Everything happens for a reason....and now I believe I finally know the reason! People come into our lives when we need them the most. These 2 little girls must need each other right now. So although the timing was right for us...it just wasn't for these two little girls. These two little girls are only a couple of weeks apart in age and have the same special need (cleft palate). They may have entered the orphanage at the same time, and now...they are going to leave at the same time. I think it is beautiful!

Those are my thoughts...and I am going to hold onto that!

Agency reply...

I emailed our agency to ask if planning for December travel would be out of the question and if we are literally starting our wait to travel approval all over again. I also asked when we should contact our province to make another amendment...as the province only approved us for 20 months at placement...our girl will be 20 months in October. Here is their reply:

Natalie;

I can't answer the question. Yulin will certainly advocate for special processing since the fault lies at CCAA. We'll know better when the dossier lands again in China.

Lets see if we get a sympathetic audience with a CCAA director when the dossiers lands in China before we approach the PEI government. In any case, PEI knows what happened and should be a bit flexible.

Bob


CCAA stands for China Center for Adoption Affairs.

This isn't good news for us...but it isn't all bad either...I guess we will just wait and see what happens. Hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks we will know more.

Latest update

Here is the latest update on our misplaced paperwork (dossier):

Natalie;

As of yesterday, CCAA has not found your dossier. We are preparing a second dossier. It will be "authenticated" by the Chinese embassy by the end of next week at the latest.

Bob

To those of you who aren't familiar with this process...this means that they have to re-do, re-notorize, and re-translate our paperwork. This is done in Ottawa. It will be then sent to China. I have asked for more info as to how long we can expect to wait until we travel. (I hope I get some good news for a change!)

Some pictures

Here are some pictures I took from the video that was sent to us.

Smiles and Giggles

Hi everyone,

Yulin from our agency called this afternoon and informed us to resend some of our paperwork as CCAA can not find our documents (she only asked for our letter of intent...and not our amendment...not sure why that is? hmmm). And she said she doesn't think we will make it to China by October. (Please, please, please be before xmas!).

But on a happier note, we received video today of Mei Lin at the orphanage. Yulin informs me this is the nicest orphanage she has seen and that Mei Lin is very happy and healthy so not to worry (but how can I not). This is the first child they have adopted out of this orphanage. So it is encouraging to know that even though our daughter is not with us...she is somewhere decent and being well taken care of.

The disc contains 4 short videos. Not great footage, but the longer of the 4 shows her out of her crib crawling, walking, smiling and giggling! Wow, did this make me feel better.

I would love to send it to you all, but it is too big to send via email and I have no idea how to add it to my blog....sorry guys! I have all this video...and nobody to show it to!

So not a great day news wise...but my heart has been warmed and I have hope that we will still see Mei Lin opening her presents on Xmas morning!

We chose China...because of the streamlined process and little surprises...

Hi everyone,

Do I have a black cloud hanging over my head or something? Why does bad luck follow me everywhere I go? I would just like to give you guys a whole month of good news for a change!

Here is the update my agency gave me this morning - Looks like we may have to resend. not sure what this means for us yet, as we were only approved for a child under 20 months at placement and our provincial government is very strict with dates. Our daughter will be 20 months in October. Travel Approval takes 2 to 4 months and then you wait a few weeks before you even travel. We are running very short on time.

Dear Daniel and Natalie:

I talked to CCAA, they had not found your dossier yet, I was told that they will continue to look for it.Could you ask your government to send a copy with the signature of receiver in CCAA?Please send another Letter of Intend with your signature. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Yulin

Day 34...or day 0??

Hi everyone. Here is the update I received from our agency today. They are doing all that they can for us. I hope everything works out for us!

Dear Daniel and Natalie:

I talked to CCAA last night. At the moment they still cannot find your dossier. The day the dossier arrived was the day they started their move. I was told that they would look through all the dossiers arrived those couple of days to see if yours was misplaced. I will talk to you after I have got back a report from CCAA.

Have a good day.

Yulin

Paperwork still M.I.A

Well, the province did send the paperwork to China (lucky for them) on July 12th and they confirmed that the receptionist at China's Center for Adoption Affairs did sign for it. The only thing is that it was sent to the old CCAA building. CCAA started their move to a new location right around the same time. So, our papers may have been lost in the move. Our agency said they will make another call tonight (time difference is about 12 hours in China) to see what they can find out. So we sit...and we wait. I can't believe another month has been lost. We really should have been in China by now. I can't even say I'm surprised that this has happened.

I'm really bummed out today. But I still have faith that things may work in our favour in the end.

Bye for now...

Spoke to our agency

Our agency in Ottawa called today to let us know what the phone message was all about. Apparently they (China) were trying to process our file...but they realized that they have not received our documents from PEI Government yet.

They (PEI) "apparently" were supposed to have sent these documents to China a month ago. Tomorrow I have to contact PEI Gov. and ask them if they even sent the documents (Letter of Intent and amendment we spent months doing). And if they did...get the tracking number, to see if we can find out where it is. If I find out they forgot to send our documents...I am going to freak out!

If it's going to happen...It'll happen to us!

On a happier note....our agency was able to obtain some video footage of Mei Lin...and is sending it to us in the mail. They tried to send via email...but it was too big of a file :o( But that's okay...this kind of makes the bad news a little more bareable!

I am going to try to look at this bad news as a possible blessing in disguise...as now...China is waiting for the documents...we resend...say here you go...and hopefully they do it up right away!

Lets cross our fingers for that scenario!

I will let you all know tomorrow what I find out from PEI Gov.

Ciao!

Day 32...bad news

Hi everyone,

I have been outside all nite with my survivor challenge birthday party..having a good time...until I just discovered a message on my answering machine left by my agency.

Two weeks ago, I asked my agency if they could get an update on our daughters file...they just left me a message saying that China doesn't have our file. And that we need to call our government (PEI).

We have just waited 32 days thinking that all our documents were in China being processes...come to find out...they don't have anything.

I hope this is all a mistake or just a misunderstanding.

Please pray for us.

I will call our agency in the morning and let you know what I find out. Happy Birthday to me.

Anyway...we did have a good time tonite...here is a pic of my mom...she WON the survivor challenge...Yeah! Go Momma! (just so you know, this is not her usual attire!...it was part of the survivor challenge!)

Natalie

What's the caption???

Here's a funny picture from our family reunion...in the wee hours of the morning! I'm looking for a good caption to go with it...any takers?

Sorry Debbie...wish you were right!

Well today is day 29. Debbie guessed that today would be the day we receive our TA...wishful thinking I guess.

Oh well...I've become an old pro with the waiting game! (I say that now, gimme 30 more days and I'll be pulling my hair out!)

Thanks for the good thoughts Deb!

Nat

Day 28 of wait to TA

Well it is day 28! Still very early in the wait, so I guess I won't start freaking out just yet. Got a package in the mail today from Amazon.com! Got the DVD's and book I ordered! Yahoo! I love getting mail! I ordered National Geographics "China's Lost Daughters"...watched it and bawled my eyes out. I also ordered "Big Bird Goes to China"...cute!...yes, it was the first one I watched! And I also got a book called "Not the Hippopotomus". I love this book...I used to read it to my niece when she was little. Just a fun book to read.

I have been busy all week preparing for my B'day party on Saturday (yes, I have parties for myself!) I have hilarious games prepared for a survivor challenge...where all my guests will entertain me all nite!!! Ha Ha!

Well that's all for now!
Nat

Day 22

Day 22 and all is quiet! No news here!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been busy I guess. Last week I went camping with my sister, her friend Nick and my niece Caraleise at the Cymbria campground. We enjoyed a day at the beach in bloomingpoint (which later I found out may have been a nude beach OMG!...I didn't see anything though!) Then we went back to the campground and had some seafood cooked on the fire and some smores. It was a nice relaxing evening around the campfire...until Mr. Skunk decided to join us. He came right over and sniffed all of our toes...we all just froze and had to put our hands over our nieces mouth so she wouldn't scream!...then he just wondered off to the next site! Holy heartattack!

The next day my sister and I drove to Tignish and had our tea leaves read. I am pretty skeptical of these things...but wow! this lady blew me away. She was dead on with everything. She said I had two very important people in my life that I am very fond of. She told me their initials were C (which would be my niece Caraleise) and R (which would be my nephew Rory)! She also said that she could see me taking very good care of someone that needed help...anonymously...and making sure that they were safe, clothed and had a roof over their head. Isn't that amazing? She said one other thing that was even more amazing...but I'm going to keep that one to myself for now.

On Saturday, I went to a beautiful outdoor wedding for my friend Krista and her new hubby Hans. Then it was off to a stagette (for 15 minutes) and finally to my family reunion party, where I sang karaoke all nite (I can't sing by the way!) I guess the next day, they were laughing about how I was singing karaoke even when nobody was there to listen. Needless to say...I had a sore throat for the next 3 days!

And here we are at another 3 day weekend!

I have decided the theme of this years birthday party (I always have a big bash every year) will be a Survivor Challenge -with hilarious relays for teams to complete. I can't wait!

I have pics to add to this post but I will add them later...my computer is really slow right now.

Chow for now!
Nat

Travel Approval Pool

Make a guess as to when we will receive our approval to travel and we will buy a little present for the winner while we are in China. We will add all guesses to this very post and you can follow along on the fun!

We have officially counted July 13th as day 1 of our wait!

This part of the process usually takes 2-4 months. But the current statistics for the average number of days to wait for travel approval are as follows:

average = 69 days
Least= 27 days
Most = 133 days

Here are the guesses to date:

Debbie Howatt-Gallant.....August 10th.....29 days

Jennifer Brant.....August 15th.....34 days

Jeff Gillis.....August 17th.....36 days

John Peters.....August 19th.....38 days

Lorraine Irvine-Roberts.....August 21st.....40 days

Kim Bowes.....August 22nd.....41 days

Lisa Mitchell.....August 28th.....47 days

Carolyn Clow.....August 31st.....50 days

Leonard Gallant.....September 3rd.....53 days

Shelda McVey.....September 6th.....56 days

Peggy Farrell.....September 7th.....57 days

Caraleise Laughlin.....September 10th.....60 days

David Blacquiere.....September 12th.....62 days

Sam & Matt.....September 14th.....64 days

Yvonne Terry.....September 18th.....68 days

Lori Bulger.....September 19th.....69 days

Susan Howatt.....September 20th.....70 days

Dale Muttart.....September 22nd.....72 days

Tammy MacDougall.....September 24th.....74 days

Caileigh Mitchell.....September 25th.....75 days

Nicole Richard.....September 26th.....76 days

Heather Pitre.....September 28th.....78 days

Adele Arsenault.....September 29th.....79 days

Claudette Arsenault.....October 7th.....87 days

Angele Gamble.....October 12th.....92 days

Debbie Howatt-Gallant.....October 14th.....94 days

Laurie Aylward.....October 17th.....97 days

Bill MacLellan.....October 20th.....100 days

Victor Gamble.....October 21st.....101 days

Heather Pitre.....November 1st.....112 days

Day 4 of our wait!

We had a get together at our house today for all of the families on the island (and some visiting the island) that have adopted from China or are in the process. It was a perfect day and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The kids really enjoyed the water balloons! Here is a pic of all the kiddies!

As for our process...we are told that it will take 2 to 4 months for us to receive our approval to travel from china. As of today the average number of days anyone has waited being 69 the least being 27 and the most being 133.

So I will keep a separate post of everyones guesses and add to it each time someone submits one to me. If you have already made a guess...and would like to change it...(because of the 2-4month thingy) let me know.

Have a great week everyone...I will keep you updated!

It's on it's way!

Our letter has been sent to China today. This is our letter stating that we wish to adopt Mei Lin. Currently the average wait before you hear back from China as to when we can travel is 65 days...but it could be as soon as 30 days or as long as 120 days....so, the average wait of 65 days brings us to somewhere around the middle of September before we can even start making travel arrangements. We are guessing that we will travel to China in October. If it happens sooner...GREAT! If it happens later...I WILL SCREAM!


To celebrate the day, I bought Mei Lin this new blankie off of Ebay! Isn't it cute!

Tomorrow will officially be day 1 of our wait to travel approval. Anyone want to start a pool to guess when our travel approval will come!? Could be fun. Maybe I will buy the winner something from China when we are there!

Day at the Beach

It was a beautiful weekend for weather. Friday nite we had a bonfire and saturday a hot tub party at my sisters. Very relaxing weekend. We needed it! Today, I went to the beach with my niece and sister that is home from Korea. Here are some pics of the day... some relaxing yoga on the beach was tried but balance was lacking...(probably from laughing so hard!). My sister is going to kill me for putting this picture of her on here - of her in her bikini...but I don't care...I think she is beautiful!

We also went for a walk on the beach and there were bunches of flowers along the beach that were just covered with ladybugs! Here's my sis and niece checking them out.

For those of you have never been to PEI...we have some beautiful views and white sand beaches!

We started painting Mei Lin's room tonite...we have the bottom half done (yellow)...we'll attempt the top half and the border tomorrow! Have a great week everyone!

Waiting for our Letter to be sent

Hello everyone! We have spoken to the IWK children's hospital in regards to Mei Lin's cleft palate and have completed our letter stating that we choose to adopt Mei Lin. The letter includes an indepth care and nurture plan that covers everything from cleft surgery to insurance to schooling and mentors! I think we done right good with it! ha ha!...(I'm in a silly mood!)

So Daniel dropped off the letter on Tuesday morning to the province and they told us they aren't sure yet if they want to meet with us first before sending the letter to China. Today is Thursday...they still haven't given me an answer...just send the letter people...we've chatted the death out of this one!

Our agency said that they would try to get us an update on Mei Lin...as the info we have on her is 8 months old. We aren't sure if her palate has been repaired or not. Often they are, but we have to prepare for it if it isn't. With the file being outdated...we also have no idea what size of clothing to buy for her...so an update will be good.

There is actually a family that just arrived in China today that are adopting a little girl from the same orphanage. They promised to get me as much info and pictures as they can of Mei Lin!...I can't wait! It's like Christmas!

Anyway...I just wanted to update you all on what is happening right now.

Once this letter is sent to China...we just sit and wait for them to send us a letter back (called a TA) that gives us approval to travel to China...and roughly two weeks after that...we go!

Take care! ~ Nat

In the arms of the angels

I just spent the last two and a half days at my grandfathers bedside with my family. He passed away peacefully at 6pm surrounded by those he loved dearly. We were all able to say our goodbyes and he said he was going home now. I told him to watch over our little girl in China and he nodded his head yes. He paused and looked at each of us one at a time, though he couldn't say much...he spoke to each of us with his eyes. We love you Dad. Rest peacefully now.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pasture,
He leadeth me beside still waters, he restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalms 23

I can't believe this day finally came!

I would like to "officially" introduce to you all
"Mei Lin Lexuan Arsenault", born February 28th, 2005. She is 16 months old today!

My mom had a lady bug land on her hand the other day! Here is our little lady bug!

She has been in the Qu Jiang orphanage in Guangdong province, China since April 30th, 2005 and is about 7-8 months old in these pictures.

I was able to sign up with the yahoo group for her orphange and guess what I found in the photo section? Someone else who adopted from the same orphange had taken her picture while they were there. Isn't that amazing!




We think she is beautiful! She has a cleft palate, but we have been in contact with the IWK and they are going to set up an appointment for when we get back to see what type of procedures she will need.

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers, if it were not for you...I don't know how I would have gotten through this past little while. And you are right...I was all worth it. So from here...we write a letter to China stating that we accept the referral and we wait for them to send us a letter back telling us when we can go. Right now, the average wait is two months...so we are planning for October travel at the latest!

What kind of test was that?

Everybody breathe!...especially me! After sitting by the phone all day, I finally received a phone call from the agency and they didn't send the file back to China. What actually happened is that the file was put away in a safe place so that it wouldn't get sent back to China - but not all parties were aware of this. The person that was aware...of course was not there today...so everybody panicked!

The person that put this file away, kept telling me the amendment hadn't arrived because the person who received the package...sent it off for notorization and translation...not realizing someone was waiting for it. Everybody confused? No matter...all is okay...and Mei Lin's file is on it's way to PEI.

Our agency is concerned still with the age range on the amendment as it may be over 4 months before we get her...and that would make her over the 20 months as requested. I guess I will have to plead with the province once more.

We've been through this much...I'm sure we'll get there eventually!

See - your prayers worked again!

Prayers now more than ever...

Today I contacted the province to ask them about our paperwork because our agency says they have not received it yet. The province said they sent it by purolator and after tracking it, were able to tell us that our agency received the package last Tuesday. So I called our agency and they informed me that yes, they do have it and it is being translated and notorized. I said okay...so when will you be sending Mei Lin's file to the province? They said...it was already sent on June 11th. I told them that this was not possible because they did not even recieve the paperwork from PEI until last week....so they looked a little closer...Mei Lin's file was sent back to CHINA on June 11th!

How can this have happened?! It's like trying to grab a ball from the ground that keeps getting away from you. This is unacceptable! I was ready to blame the province and this time it was our agency.

What does this mean for us? I don't know. The agency is trying to track down the file and will get back to us. Her file could be anywhere. Or maybe she is now matched with another family, who knows. We sit...and we wait and we pray. Can it really get any worse than this. I just hope the lady at our agency is as much of a miracle worker as everyone says she is. Because we are now waiting on a miracle!

Please keep us in your prayers.
Natalie

Up all night...

It is 5:45am and I have been up all night. Received word back from our agency late last night that they still have not received anything from the province. It will be two weeks tomorrow since the director signed it off. It is now one month and one day...since they turned Mei Lin's file down and we have been waiting very patiently for them to FIX it. I am going to call the province today, not sure yet what I'm going to say (but I've been rehearsing all night). I have had enough of this and I am tired of being a puppet on a string. This whole month has been torture, with dealing with mistake after mistake by the province. It is not our fault they have communication problems, but Daniel, Mei Lin and I are the ones paying for it. I feel like they are punishing us for some reason. I have little to no confidence left in the province, and it is really unfortunate that everything is left in their hands. My luck - I will call the province today and they will conveniently be on vacation for the next two weeks.

Sorry - had to vent (and cry)...I better try to get some sleep before I start hallucinating (sp?), as being dilusional...wouldn't make for a very good phone call to the province...

or would it??....hmmm. no, I'm kidding. (very tired)
Have a good day everyone!

Welcome home lil sis! :o)

My little sister will be arriving in Charlottetown at 9pm tonite. She has been living in Korea for the past few years and I am glad that she will be here for the summer to keep my mind off of all the waiting! She is also starting up a camp to teach english on the island. She has 15 or so Korean students coming in July to stay for 3 weeks! She's so brave! Welcome home Angele!

I took a look at my blog and read some of my posts....god this waiting thing is getting OLD!

Hurry up!

We have decided to call our little girl Mei Lin. And we have been referring to her as Mei Lin for a few weeks now and not "the little girl" or "the baby" and it feels soooo right to say her name, like she is already ours. Love it!

Wonder if our agency received the amendment yet??....I think I'll send them another email!

I'll let you know!

Yard Sale was a GREAT success!

The yard sale went well and the rain held off for us! Between the yard sale, ticket sales and some very generous donations, we made $1000.00 for our adoption fund. Thank you to EVERYONE who contributed their time selling tickets, donated items to the yardsale, made cash donations and to all those who came out for the sale. We greatly appreciate it!

A special thank you to my niece Caraleise who helped us get ready for the sale the night before and helped sell tickets.

The winner of the 2 Concert Tickets was Nicole Perry. Congratulations Nicole!

Time for a nap!....we are EXHAUSTED!!!

Boo! Can't believe I have to say this...

I can't believe I have to say once again..."Next Week"!?? I contacted our agency in Ottawa today and they informed me that they haven't even received the amended paperwork yet! I hope they get it before she is considered "too old" again!

Geesh!
Nat

No news yet!

I have no news for you yet! I'm getting nervous again!...there are still two more days left in the week though. We haven't heard from our agency or the province. I'll try not to panic until Friday! Ha Ha!

Our yard sale is this Saturday. We are selling hot dogs, and there will be a draw for 2 tickets to see Theory of a Deadman, 3 Days Grace and Hedley on July 2nd in Charlottetown for the Canada Day festival. We also have lots of good quality items for sale...alot of it has never ever been used. My mom donated her fridge and stove (she redecorated her kitchen). Lots of tools, exercise equipment, books...etc. Hope to see you there!

We started selling tickets for the draw at dinner time today 3 for $2.00...and made almost $100 in 4 hours!~Wow! At the yard sale we will be giving extra tickets away for every $5 you spend.

This is a picture of me and my nephew Rory, he's quite a ham! He is only 4 months old in the picture, but he is now 18 mos.

Take care all!...hope to have some news for you before the week is out!

For those whom we have not met...

With our new computer...I am adding some pictures (finally...so excited) to make our blog a little more personal, so all those who follow along, but have never met us (yet) can put a face to the story.

These are some pictures that we sent with our file to China. - would anyone care to add a caption to this picture?...funny story behind that one! Picture was taken on a trip to the Dominican for our cousin's double wedding.

This is the keeper of the house "Murray" - our 6 year old Spinger Spaniel. He is the baby of the house right now. Hope he isn't too put out when the baby comes!

We bought our house in December of 2004 and have been enjoying the view of the cows out the back window while eating breakfast. Love watching the baby calves running and playing together. I can't wait to fill the back yard with swingsets and sandboxes!

This is me and my beautiful niece Caraleise whom I love very much! She is very excited and keeps asking "When is my China cousin coming?"

We were watching a kids movie in 3D...we kept the glasses on for the whole thing...and we both agreed that the glasses were no good and didn't do a thing for us...later when putting the disk back in the case to return it, we realized that there was a second disk for 3D viewing!...Needless to say, we felt pretty silly! We put the 3D version in and fast forwarded to all the good parts and watched them in 3D and the glasses worked fine!

We are almost there...

I received an email from the province today telling us "Everything is in order and I will be in touch when I receive a child proposal from your agency." Whoo Hoo!...I have been saying NEXT week forever it seems. Now I can really say NEXT WEEK....FOR SURE!!! :o)



Your prayers and thoughts have worked! Keep em coming!

We just received our new computer today (the old one is really sucking) and that means I should be able to load her picture on the website for you all to see!

I can't wait to show you!

Natalie

One more week to go!

Our amendment should be signed and hopefully sent off to our agency tomorrow. The province has been communicating with us quite a bit over the last week, so I see it as a good sign!

We have bumped our Yard Sale up to Saturday, June 24th instead of the 17th....(because we procrastinated and we aren't ready!!)

We are going to sell hot dogs and juice at the yard sale to raise extra funds...if anyone else has any great ideas of things we could do....suggestions are welcome! We were thinking of selling tickets on a basket...or a 50/50 or something to add to the cause!

Let me know if you think of something good! Ha Ha!

Well...I have to go clean out a room for the yard sale...one room at a time!

Take care!
Nat

Thank you!

Just wanted to thank all of you that have been following our blog and sending us their support and prayers. It is a great help to know there are people behind us that care soooo much!

Our agency (Family Outreach International in Ottawa) has been very supportive as well, and I think were just as devastated as we were when our little girls file got sent back to them. They never dreamed that it would ever be rejected. I am thankful that they are willing to hold onto it for just a while longer for us!

And yes, everything happens for a reason. I think I am being taught how to be patient...a characteristic I will definitely need to be a new mommy!

We are still planning to travel sometime between late August and mid October! We don't have any doubts that we will not get there in that timeframe.

Thanks again everyone!
- Nat

2 More Weeks??

I contacted the province today to ask if they could contact us when they mail our amendment to our adoption agency in Ottawa. (My way of saying "did you even look at the piece of paper yet?")

She replied with "The director is not able to sign the letter until next Wednesday" Ugh! - "and we need you to write another letter of request (our 4th one)" - double Ugh!

She followed with - "Rest assured we will deal with this as expeditiously as possible" Uh, you said that 4 weeks ago lady! Who knows...maybe she means it this time. - Let's hope!

So it looks like we are looking at up to two more weeks before we finally have our little girls file.

I replied to the province stating that "we will have your new letter of request to you on Monday morning, and I will be calling you Wednesday afternoon to follow up and make sure everything is going as planned"

So I sent an email to our agency to inform them and beg them to hold the file for us until then.

I just keep telling myself...she's getting older by the week, but this will happen!

I am dealing with this through sarcasm...and laughter (and a few tears)

Have a great weekend everyone!

What do you mean another amendment?

Well..a week had past since our social worker had submitted our amendment, so I contacted her today and she said she is meeting with the province on Friday and would ask them about it as she had heard nothing either.

Not being satisfied with waiting until Friday (just cruel if you ask me), I decided to then email the province...

The province had our social worker call us to tell us that they want to do another amendment! This is our third amendment in 4 weeks! Get it together people!! We are waiting and so is our girl!

My goodness! This is so cruel!

Anyway...maybe next week we will get her file??!! They were so worried about her being 3 weeks too old...well...she's getting older!

I'm getting cranky!...(get very sarcastic when I'm cranky)

Soon...I hope! we would like to have her by end of summer (god willing).

Everybody say more prayers!

Love you all...and thanks for the support!

The waiting blues :o(

I am getting the waiting blues! Still no word...except for an email from our agency stating that they have the file ready to go...just waiting for the province to tell them when.

If the province has known since last Friday that they are going to accept the file...why couldn't they just call them and have them send it...why do we have to wait? and why does it take so long to sign a letter?? La lA la La LA!

(sigh)...on a more chipper note...Daniel and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary today with lobster and 4 different kinds of cakes!...Yep...4 of them! We had turtle cheesecake, boston cream cake, stawberry shortcake, and some kind of cream puff (Daniel couldn't decide, so he bought em all)! I didn't eat them all...but I sure do feel like I did! Guess I'll be digging the bike out of the barn this weekend!

Well that's my update for today...so it looks like it won't be until next week that we have our official referral!

Yep!...we're still waiting!

Our social worker dropped our "new" ammendment off to the province yesterday morning. And we haven't heard anything yet. I expected them to take care of it...right away!...given the circumstances!

You would think I would have learned by now that things usually sit on desks for a week before they are "taken care of"!

I am hoping our agency will let us know when they get the call to send our little girls file back to PEI!!

Don't worry...I will let you all know!

Ciao for now!
Nat

Good News!

We have great news! Our social worker was able to speak to the adoption coordinator and convince her that she is being too strict with dates and so now they are going to approve our little girls file. So now..we await for yet another ammendment and a call to our agency to send the file back to the province again. Internatinal adoption is unpredictable, and China will refer you a child but it may not always be the age you request so the province needs to be flexable. I hope that the pain that we suffered is a means of paving the way for those who are waiting behind us, because if that is the way the province is going to work...then they are going to be turning down a lot of files and disappointing alot of families.

There is more to our story...but everytime I talk about it, I feel so sick to my stomach, I am just better off looking forward. We are just so relieved. I am still trying to catch my breath. I suffered much anxiety over it all and had to leave work on Friday, as it all caught up to me at once and the reality of it all set in. I felt faint and had pain in my chest and nausea. I really thought I was having a heart attack! I still have the nausea and anxious feeling...but thankfully...the chest pains have left!

Thank you to all who prayed for us and sent kind words. A big thank you to those who made phone calls and spoke on our behalf. You don't know how much it meant to us.

So, if all goes well this week...perhaps I will have some pictures to show you all. That would really make a wonderful 10th anniversary present wouldn't it. Daniel and I have been married 10 years this Thursday. And we started our adoption process 1 year ago this Friday. I think we have come full circle.

Take care.
Natalie

A Fury of Emotion

Hello everyone,

It is with sadness and tears that I write to tell you all that the province received our little girls file and has returned it to our agency. They told our agency that she is older than the 14 months requested and we will not be allowed to adopt her.

We are truly frustrated, as we just spent the last two months trying to hurry up the province, while papers sat on desks, vacations were taken...etc., etc. Our little girls file is now 3 weeks past the 14 months requested.

Where is the compassion...and who's interest are they looking out for? Is it ours? How? Is it the little girls? How? Is it better to send this little girls file back and have her wait maybe another year before someone else can adopt her? All because of 3 weeks. For the time that was spent on getting this together, 2 weeks were waisted writing a "one page" letter, and another week that letter spent sitting on a desk...signed...just not sent out...there's 3 weeks. This little girls special need is not that she has a cleft palate...it is because she is 3 weeks too old.

But we are not giving up. We have a strong group of friends that are helping us fight this horrible nightmare. And we are going to fight for our daughter. I have spoken with our social worker and she said she will speak to the Adoption Coordinator on our behalf.

Everyone please say a prayer for us...and our little girl.

The Baby's Room

We have bought the paint for the baby's room, it will be a pale purple on the top and a pale yellow on the bottom with a border in between. I have bought pictures to match from Walmart, and Mom has donated some of Caraleise's old dolls and teddybears. Julie has given us a crib (thank you so much!) and Tracey is giving us Rory's stroller and a mobile to match the room. These things are such a big help to us. There are a million things we need to do and buy to prepare for our trip and every little bit is deeply appreciated.

We are having a yard sale (I think on June 17) to help with some of the cost. If you would like to donate some quality items to the yard sale feel free.

Some other things we have purchased are: Snugli carrier for trekking around China with the baby, a little dress with lady bugs on the trim and little white tights (to pull the outfit together of course! ha), little robeez slippers with Princess on them (Daniel picked them out himself) and a Dora Explorer travel pillow. For Xmas, Nikki gave us a Dora Explorer mini baby backpack (adorable) and Karen gave us a Dora Explorer storybook and socks. Tracey gave us a beautiful knitted afghan (for her neice she can't wait to meet!) and a ladybug painting. Megan gave us an adorable outfit with a red top and blue pants! Can't wait to put her in that!

Well, that's all my news for now...hope to have more updates for you soon! I am sorry to say that I can't add pictures to my site...my computer freezes every time I do! - Bye for now.

Ladybug Siting updates!

Make sure you check the Ladybug sitings!...I have added several

Update on new happenings

Sorry it's been such a long time since we last updated. We were kind of keeping things to ourselves for a while...but now that things are official...I will tell you what the secret is!

Daniel and I started this process last June and our file finally went to China in December/05 - so we have officially been waiting for our child for almost 6 months.

Since submitting our paperwork we have been educating ourselves on another program that China calls their "special needs" program. This program has children available for adoption that have minor correctable special needs such as Cleft, VSD (small hole in heart), extra fingers/toes, birthmarks etc. Daniel and I did not want to leave these kids out of our original request...so we asked the province to make an adjustment to our file (not the easiest thing to do mind you - we have been at it for 2 months). On Friday, we were finally told that we were approved to do this.

Now for the other part of the story....our agency that is in Ottawa, has a file of a little girl born Feb 28/05 with a cleft palate and they are sending it to us as soon as they get the letter from the province saying "yes, we are approved!"

So any day now, we will finally get to see our little girl! (Hopefully the province will not reject her file).

So everyone please say a prayer for us and keep all your fingers and toes crossed too!

100 Good Wishes Quilt (Bai Jia Bei)

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 friends and family to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. Part of the patch of cloth goes into the quilt for the baby, and the other part of the cloth can go into a creative memory scrapbook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the prayers, luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. Select a fabric that is meaningful to you, it doesn’t have to be new- a project you started but didn’t finish, a piece of skirt, something you thought was pretty at Walmart or if you are a parent it can be from a child’s clothing. (In China, these quilts were originally made from garments of family and friends, which would surround the child with luck/good wishes.)The purpose of the 100 Good wishes quilt is to create a quilt with each of the quilting squares associated with a specific person/wish. This type of quilt is common in China and has become popular in the Chinese adoption community. The person sending the piece of fabric also sends a wish on a piece of paper for a scrapbook for the person who will eventually receive the quilt. The wish can be for good health, something religious or some other positive life outcome. The square should be a 6x6 inch piece of fabric (or there about) then we can cut it to the correct size . It is ideal if you place a piece of the fabric on the paper containing the wish so that we can associate the wish with the fabric and the person who sent the fabric.The Wish: Your wish and the way it is presented can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. The wish might be a prayer, favorite poem, a heart felt random thought, a Bible verse or a quote. You can write it on an index card, white paper, stationary, lined paper, acid free paper- whatever you like. You can hand write or use a computer, make it scrap-booky or stamped - whatever you like- this is your wish/prayer for our daughter, we want it to reflect your personality.Some of the wishes I have read include- I wish you more good hair days than bad hair days, I wish for you to find the love of God, I wish for you happiness …… Let your personality shine!

Ladybug Sitings!

Ladybugs are considered good luck. And are very symbolic to families adopting from China.

September 9th, 2005 a ladybug landed on my hand as I was leaving work. This was around the time the social worker was finishing up our homestudy report.

September 13th, 2005 we found a ladybug crawling on the mail when we took it out of the mailbox - our file was sent to the ministry soon after.

February 8th, 2006 Tracey found a ladybug crawling in Rory's Diaper box...she put the ladybug on the fireplace mantle and later found Rory in the dining room playing with it!...maybe today is the day she will be born!...Ladybugs in February??

February 14th, 2006 (An email I received from Joan Murray) - On Valentines Day I was on my computer in my spare room. My computer faces the window and the curtains were drawn. I thought I saw something on the curtain. Imagine my surprise when I looked closer and it was a ladybug crawling up the curtain.Seeing this in the middle of winter and especially on Valentine's Day certainly must add to the chain of good luck. I'm thinking the child who will be lucky enough to be your child has been born on Valentine's. (Close Joan 14 days later...Feb 28/05)

April 23rd, 2006 My mom's friend Darlene Ross, gave me a big stuffed ladybug that she thought would cheer me up after my surgery (Ahh..thanks Dar!) This is at the same time that we are trying to get the province to add special needs children to our file. They have been very discouraging and uncooperative. Today, the social worker was supposed to be coming and after the struggle we had been having with them...I was ready for our meeting! The phone rang and I said "that better not be the social working calling to cancel!" Sure enough...it was...but it was good news!...She was calling to tell us that she was not coming....but only because they had discussed our case and felt that we were fully capable of raising a child with SN and that she was going ahead to write up the changes to our file!....I guess the bigger the lady bug...the bigger the luck!

May 11th, 2006 The province has had our approval letter in their hands for a week now and it still had not been signed and sent to our agency. I have been calling every second day asking "did you do it yet?" On my lunch hour today, I called and asked again...and she said "it's signed and going in the mail Monday!" I was really excited and emailed Daniel at work. He replied to my email immediately as he wanted to tell me that a lady bug had landed on his hand when he was walking to lunch!

May 30th, 2006 (an email to my mom from cousin Tanya) - I read up on Nat and Daniel's web page.....brought tears of joy to my eyes. I'm sooooo very "HAPPY" for them.Funny thing to ...after reading it I too saw "2" beautiful little "lady bugs" that day.(GOD-works in magical ways). Let them know we have them in our thoughts everyday,wishing them all happiness and
beautiful memories to come.

A Letter From Angele...

January 1st, 2006

Hello "Asia"...that's the name that I hope your mommy names you...but if she doesn't, I'll call you that anyway! You see...I spent many years living in Asia and what a beautiful place it is! Just like you...even after I leave Asia, I will have you to keep my memories alive. You're my Asian connection forever. Can't wait to meet you.

Love your Auntie,
Angele

Thoughts of You...

December 31st, 2005

Today is the eve of a new year - and what a great year it will be. It is the year our daughter will be born and we will finally meet her. She will be a beautiful Christmas present in 2006. We think her name will be "Holly" (for Christmas) - the time of year she has been in our hearts the most.

Up Until Now...

June 1st, 2005 was our 9th wedding anniversary. It has been a full eight months since then.

June 2nd - First of many homestudy meetings with the social worker.

June 3rd - Child protection check.

June 7th - Second homestudy meeting with the social worker.

June 12th - Third homestudy meeting.

June 13th - Fingerprints to Interpol.

June 26th - Fourth homestudy meeting.

June 28th - Physicals - what a time we had trying to set these up!

Aug 22nd - Final meeting with the social worker.

Sept 9th - Ladybug siting!

Sept 13th - Another Ladybug siting!

Sept 20th - Social worker sent our file to the Ministry for approval.

Oct 19th - Ministry approval!

Nov 1st - Tracey's birthday...File sent to agency (FOI) for translation and notorization!

Nov 22nd - Our Dossier has been sent to China!

Jan 26th - Have recieved official notification from the province that our file was logged in to the system in China on December 6th, 2005 - the date from which we wait!

Jan 27th - Filed immigration papers to Sponsor a child

Feb 8th - Ladybug siting! - maybe the day she is born??