One more day.

Well, folks....this is officially my last blog written as a family of 4.

Tomorrow afternoon around 2pm, we will head to the Civil Affairs Office to get Ellie Kate. That means, by the time all you sleepy heads wake up on Monday morning, we will have a baby.

Shew.

Talk about labor pains. I'm beat.

Today has mostly consisted of resting and doing a little exploring. We promised each other we would try to stay up today to get ourselves on local time. We did cave and take a nap. Which was necessary because I felt a little like I had had too much to drink. Except I don't drink.

But that is what jet lag feels like.

I could have slept for much longer, but forced myself to get up and write this blog post. That's my disclaimer if parts of this don't make sense. I'm only half aware of what is actually going on.

We had breakfast this morning at the hotel's ridiculous breakfast buffet. For me, that was rice noodles and some watermelon juice. Kenny found a pile of bacon and couldn't seem to move past that. I had some bacon too. China bacon is good! (Sorry. No pictures of the bacon. Just know it was good.)

Outside the breakfast area is a beautiful garden. With man-eating koi in the pond. Seriously. They'd probably swallow me whole if I fell in. They are huge!




We took off to explore around the hotel a bit after breakfast. This is our hotel from across the street. We are on the 15th floor. (Note: As we were leaving we ran into a fellow American and introduced ourselves and chatted a little as we walked. He and his wife are on their second week in country and with their 14-month-old daughter. Funny thing is, they are from Missouri and know our Worship Pastor and his wife! Small world.)




Here's where I can tell you our trips to Ethiopia and now China have vastly differed. This is a 5 star hotel. I mean, our room is as big as the first apartment Kenny and I lived in. Not joking. In Ethiopia, we stayed in a guest house and had to wonder each day at what point the power would go out. We knew it was, just a matter of when. In China, I think I've counted 13 light switches just in our room alone. And they all come on when we want them to. It's really the little things, folks.








This is one of the store fronts we passed. Don't know why, but it struck me as funny. Hotwind. No, thanks. Seeing as I started sweating 4.5 seconds after I set foot outside, no need to get anything from anywhere called Hotwind.

We were kinda on our own today since our guide was collecting the rest of our group from the airport and train station. So we took a gamble on a little hole in the wall place and got some noodles for lunch. They spoke no English, we speak no Cantonese. So there was a lot of pointing at pictures and gesturing. But it's noodles. How hard can it be to mess that up??

Let's just call what I had interesting. I ate most of it, but I need to get some help pronto on ordering food.

We woke this afternoon to a rain storm. This is the view from our hotel room. Waiting on it to pass to go find dinner. Here's hoping we have more luck than we did at lunch time.




I make you one promise. The next picture I post here will be of our sweet Ellie Kate!

Who else is ridiculously excited??

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I'm coming home...

You guessed it....TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!!

Ellie Kate, we are coming to get you!

Our agency is applying for the first avaliable consulate appointment for us (and everyone else who just received this fabulous news!).  Because of the pending move, we don't know if we will get to travel before the move......or after.  We will know either tomorrow or Wednesday.

So, get those praying boots back on...pray we can still get an appointment before they move!!!

I'll keep you posted.......



 

Ready. Set. Pray!

Ok, friends.......I've given you updates along the way, but today I have a specific request for you.

First, let me remind you where we are: We are waiting on our TA (aka Travel Approval). This is normally a 2-4 weeks wait, with travel 10-14 days after TA. We are right at 2 weeks.

Now, a little about what's going on over on the other side of the world...

Last week, we got word that the consulate in China is moving. As in, moving their physical location. And while they are doing this, they are suspending services for several weeks. This will happen mid-July and the last date for any consulate appointments before the move will be July 11.

I'm not sure if I've filled you in on this part of the process, but while we are in China, we must have an appointment at the consulate before we are allowed to leave the country with Ellie Kate.

So add up all the info above and you've figured out that if the consulate is closed we can't have that needed appointment. And if we can't have that appointment, then we can't come home with Ellie Kate. And if we can't come home with Ellie Kate, that will delay our travel to go get her.

Huge. Ridiculous. Bummer.

Add that to a computer system update to the CCCWA that has delayed processes over the last two week and something about a Dragon Festival that has things shut down through Wednesday this week...........

Not good news.

Here's what you can pray for. Based on my understanding of things and the current timelines, for us to get an appointment that week in July before they shut down, we need to get our Travel Approval THIS WEEK!!!

I know all these delays are no surprise to God. And that EK will arrive in His perfect timing. But boy, is it a hard pill to swallow when all you want to do is hold your little one in your arms!

And while you are praying, I'll throw one more on ya....I also have mono. Yeah. The doctor said adults don't typically get mono, so I don't know what that says about me. But she also had a mild panic attack when I told her I was hopefully heading to China in the upcoming weeks. Apparently with mono, you feel craptacular for weeks...maybe months...making international travel fantastic. [Insert sarcasm.] And your doctor will flip out and tell you not to go. And when you cry and show her your baby's picture and tell her you have to go, she will cry too. That was quite the office visit. But at this point though, I'd have to be tied down to not get on that plane when we get the call to go!

I was basically told to go to bed and not do anything.....HA! While Kenny is fantastic and we have great friends who have helped out some with the boys and a few meals, Mommies don't get days off! I'm just saying...lets be realistic here. I'm just glad this happened now, instead of after I have an 18-month-old to chase after! I'm certain God's hand was in that!!

And don't worry, I'm only contagious if you eat after me, kiss me or I spit on you. And hopefully if we all mind our manners, those things can be avoided.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

Ok, ok....You know the plan. Lots of prayers. I seek You with all my heart.

Got it.

So, in review:

1. Pray for TA this week.
2. Pray for consulate appointment before the move.
3. Pray I have the world's mildest case of mono ever.

Whew. Thanks for sticking that out with me. Never intended for this post to be that long.

I need a nap now.

A plan. Not my plan. His.

For the last several years, while the boys have been in school, I've been blessed to have a very part time job that allowed me to work school hours, in the same building where the boys were at school and was extremely flexible during school breaks and summer. It was a huge blessing to us during that season of life, but we knew when we started the adoption process again that I would likely not be able to keep that set up. As flexible as it was, doing it with an 18 month old in tow wasn't going to be an option.

So we begin praying that the Lord would provide a new or different opportunity, while continuing to provide for our families needs. And while I thought for a long time that it would look different, He always provides and answers those prayers in the most perfect way and in His most perfect timing.

In addition to working with Children's Ministry at Redemption Hill, starting this week, I will also be adding administrative duties to my to-do list. But the best part....I'll be home 100% of the time with Ellie Kate!! (And the boys too, but I was referring to the school year!)

We make excuses, worry and fret over what might happen, using things like jobs or other circumstances we think are too big for God to handle to skirt around His plan for our lives. But in the end, my God knew my desire to be at home with our little ones. He knew what we needed to provide for our family. And while being basically a one income family (ok, one and a third) requires creativity and sacrifices on our part, it's all totally worth it.

Today I am thankful for His provisions, His creativity and His plans. Even when my faith was little.

He had a plan.

Amazed. Yes, again.

Today was another one of those days you can't help but see God at work and know He has a special plan for our family...

Our church family put together an Adoption Fundraiser in the form of a church wide yard sale and many (many!) people spent many hours organizing and sorting and planning and pricing and donating. And then spent their entire Saturday at the church welcoming people, selling stuff and then packing up all the leftovers to take to Goodwill.




Our family and another at our church in the process of bringing home a little one from Ethiopia benefitted from over $3100 in profits from the fruits of this effort!!




I'm continuously blown away by the generosity of people! But incredibly grateful to be given this opportunity to make adoption a real and tangible thing for our church family and community. And to be given the chance to have numerous conversations today with complete strangers about adoption!

Just like with the boys, those around us are falling in love with a little girl they've only seen in pictures. As scripture promises, He knows the plans He has for our little Ellie Kate. He knew on October 9, 2011, that this child He created was His and she would one day be a part of the dysfunctional Cook family in Small Town, Kentucky. It was no accident that she was born in a city in the Guangdong province of China. It's all part of the story our heavenly Father had planned from day one!

Thank you, church family! Thank you for your support, thank you for your caring, thank you for giving sacrificially!

Thank you for loving on our little girl before she even arrives home!!

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Waiting...

When I last left y'all, we were waiting on our Article 5.  The last official sheet of paper needed to allow us to go get Ellie Kate.

Well, it was picked up TODAY from the consulate and sent on to the CCCWA........which means we are officially waiting for Travel Approval!!!

Yeah.  You can get excited!

Technically it's a 3-4 week wait for Travel Approval, but I would be lying if I didn't say most of the blogs I'm stalking have gotten their TA's in roughly 2 weeks.  And I'm hoping for a similar timeline.  Or maybe a touch longer since they are working on a computer upgrade next week at the CCCWA.

And last night we received out final update on Ellie Kate....along with pictures!!  I just about fell off the couch trying get the email opened and pictures downloaded....only to find out that it was the same pictures they sent us a few weeks ago.  Boo.

But they did say she weighs 17 pounds (I think someone most have been off on the 14 pounds at the end of April), she is 28 inches tall, has 16 teeth and is walking while holding onto someones hands!

It's officially time to begin packing mode!

Momma's Boy

The boys have been home almost 4 years.  Coming up in August.

And as cliche as it sounds, it's hard to remember life without them around.  And at the same time doesn't seem like it's been 4 years at all. 

We've seem tremendous growth in both of them over the course of time, but the thing I've enjoyed the most is Sam turning into a total Momma's boy over the last year. 

He needs to be where I am, know what I'm doing, see what I've got going on all the time.  I've cooked dinner with him wrapped around my waist, done paperwork with him sitting in my lap and pooped with him laying outside the bathroom door....too much information??  Occasionally I have to banish him to the basement playroom to have an adult conversation...

He also worries me the most.

I know he is head over heels in love with his little sister who he hasn't even met.  But he's also currently getting more than half of mommy's attention.  (Charlie's not quite so needy.  He's also a 10-year-old boy.  Who thinks he knows everything.  News flash...  He doesn't.)

His tiny world will most definitely be turned upside down when we bring home his little sister.  Although the first hurdle I'm worried about is leaving him here while we are in China.  I'm hoping the ability to Facetime and Skype with the boys will help, but I preparing myself for tears.

From both of us.

He loves to watch the video of Ellie Kate and imitate everything she is doing...

Although I can imagine her smacking him if he keeps that up once she gets home.

We spent a half hour yesterday looking through our American Sign Language dictionary because he was convinced she was signing something to him in this picture...

Turns out she is saying "beard".

Probably not really.  But he was satisfied with that answer.

Just pray for his little heart.  Pray he knows his status as Momma's boy doesn't change.  Pray for his little heart to understand when Mommy needs to spend more time with baby sister.  Pray he will continue to love his little sister even when she is competing for attention that used to be his.

And pray that Kenny and I will both be intentional about making sure we are giving him quality attention and time.

Things are about to change around here. 

But I'm soooo ready for it!

Cheap shaving gel & PDF's.

I got a little giddy today while I was at Kroger...

And no, it wasn't good deals or fantastic coupons (although I did save 43% today and got Gillette shaving gel for 57 cents!) ...but today we received the email with the attached PDF that files one of the last three steps we need to go get Ellie Kate!

Article 5.

No, I don't really know what that means, except we are getting pretty darn close!

The giddiness came in when I got an email that said we could be traveling to China in 6 weeks! Yes, Sarah, I got that you put ESTIMATED in bold and all caps, but you could have yelled it at me in a really mean voice and it wouldn't have matter...

We are headed to China SOON!!

New pictures, remembering God is in control and paperwork.

I should have posted this last week, but time always gives us a better perspective and a more positive outlook on things.  So, today I can write a more upbeat-typical-Jana post instead of a down-in-the-dumps-out-of-sorts post.

Last week we got an update on Ellie Kate from the care package we sent.

Monday morning started bright and early at 5:45am with an email from China with pictures and a video of our little girl. I was even actually able to get Kenny awake the first time I tried by telling him I had a video of his daughter!

April 24, 2013.  I am 18 months old!!
 

Sister needs a toy...doesn't know what to do with her hands!!

I was thrilled to see our baby girl's face again and to see her actually move in a video (although not walking, not completely sure if she is doing that on her own or not).  We also were able to ask a few questions about her routine, how she is communicating and her size.

It was the answers to those questions that really did me in.

I know her basic needs are being met, but I just have this mental image of her sitting in a crib all day, no one interacting with her because they don't know how since she can't hear them.  And she is currently losing weight/barely holding steady at her current weight (14 lbs and 27 inches, 1 lb less than her 15 lbs in November), which just adds to that Mommy worry.

I had a few days of emotional train-wreckage while I freaked out about all the different scenarios I was playing out in my head.  Plain and simple, I was worried about her.  It took me a few days to shake that and come back around to my senses, remember all the pep talks I've given other adoptive families when they are worried about development, weight gain, etc, and most of all remember that God is in control.  He knows what she needs and when she needs it.  He knows when it will be the perfect time for her to come home.  He knows every hair on that precious little head.  And He knows how to calm an overanxious Mommy separated from her baby.

It's hard knowing your child is without you and you can't do anything about it.  It's hard seeing a sad, pitiful video, void of anyone trying to interact with and talk to your child, when you know how far a little love and attention would go.  It's hard when you are 11,451 miles away and are trusting government agencies to process your paperwork in a timely manner.

(Side note:  I did a Google map search to see how many miles away we were.  It gave me turn by turn directions, including "Sail across the Pacific Ocean for 2,756 miles".  That made me smile.  We are going the airplane route instead of sailing though.  My name is not Christopher Columbus.  That's just nuts.)

But the good news that came out of last week...

• Our passports returned with Chinese visas securely affixed inside.  Technically I can go to China now.  So if I come up missing....you'll know where to look.


• We also received notice of our preliminary I800 approval on Saturday.  The boys came busting into the bathroom while I was taking a shower to tell me.  (I didn't mind being interrupted for that!)  It had actually been approved on Tuesday, April 30, but took that long for us to get notification.


• Which meant today I called the National Visa Center to check on the status of our cable letter.  The nice lady gave me a case number and said our file was being processed to call back in a day or two.  Which translates to me sending another email and calling again on Wednesday to see what kind of progress they've made!

What happens next?  We get that letter from NVC and it's cabled to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China.  After that we are waiting on a letter called the Article 5 and after it is received by the CCCWA (China's Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption), we wait for Travel Approval.

I'm still crossing my fingers for travel the end of June.  So far all of our paperwork has beaten or been on the short end of what they gave us for timelines.  I'm just praying we continue to kick butt in the paperwork department and we can work on travel plans sooner rather than later!

Care packages and visas.

When your child is half way around the world and you can't see them, touch them, talk to them...you'll go to great lengths to have some sort of contact.
 
Which is why on Tuesday we had a small package sent to EK.  It wasn't much, but I hope it's enough to provide her with some idea of what is soon to come.  We used a service in China that provides care packages for children in the orphanages.  Our contact, Helen, put together a package for us that included a blanket and a photo album with pictures I sent to her of our family.  I'm hoping they bring these items with her on Gotcha Day and the blanket will be something that feels familiar, smells familiar, when all else in her little life has been turned upside down.  And the faces in the pictures will soon be familiar as well.
 
We also got to ask several questions which I'm hoping will help us learn a little more about the newest member of our family.  And the best part...I should get a few pictures and a video of her as well!  I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm wearing out the phone checking my email for new pictures.  Even though Helen said it would be 3-5 days after sending for it to be delivered to the orphanage...and it was just sent Tuesday...
 
She sent me this picture below before she mailed it...

Yeah.  That's me on Kenny's shoulders.  At least she'll know we are fun!

We also got an email Tuesday that our visa applications had been delivered to the Chinese consulate in Chicago.  They will be picked up this coming Monday and then visas and passports overnighted back to us.  And at that point...I can technically travel to China...so I'm gonna need the rest of these folks dealing with our paperwork to step it up.

I got places to go, people!

An Update on EK

Okay, let's go bullet point on this.  Because that's how I think.  Bullet point style.

And we'll start with the most important first...

• We received our LOA (remember the fondness for accronymms...that's Letter of Acceptance) on Friday!!!  This is HUGE news!  It's the coveted piece of paper that all Chinese adoptive parents wait for because it means you are traveling in 8-10 weeks.  (I've also seen 2-3 months, but I prefer to measure in weeks.  It much less daunting.)  We received ours on day 40 of waiting.  It can take up to 90 days or longer, but praise the LORD, He saw fit to bring us that approval in only 40 days!  SIDE NOTE:  I think I originally said we were waiting on our LOA from our LID, but later found out that you don't get to start counting days until PA.  Which was a huge bummer for me.  But doesn't matter now because now we have it!  (I'm also wondering how many of you are trying to figure out what all those accronymms mean...)

LOA!!!!

I've never been so happy to see a FedEx package at the door before!!

• Charlie was with me when I got the call Friday morning about LOA because he had a doctor's appointment.  I did get a single yell of excitement from him.  But I decided to go interupt Sam's class after I dropped Charlie back off at school and I got a full-blown dance, screams and running up and down the hallway from him!  Both equally excited we are one step closer to bringing our 'lil Ji home...but with very different ways of showing it!

• Speaking of 'lil Ji, we chose to leave Ji in her name as part of her Chinese heritage.  So her name will be Elizabeth Kathryn Ji.  Ji is actually her family name or last name, but after some research we discovered Ji means wisdom and has roots in Korea, which is neat since when we started this whole process, we started in South Korea.  Plus, once Sam dubbed her 'lil Ji, it has just stuck!  No way that couldn't be part of her name!

• Our signed LOA and supporting documents (a TON of paperwork) was placed in the capable hands of FedEx last night at 7:15pm.  And when I checked this morning, had been delivered at 9:56am to the Birmingham Lifeline office.  Now, our I-800 will be sent to USCIS for processing and I am working on getting Kenny and I travel visa's to get into China.  There are several more big paperwork steps between now and us getting our travel approval.  Just pray everything moves along smoothly and with no hitches!  Note from the editor:  As I was typing this, our social worker texted and said our 800 is going out today!!  YAY!  We should here back on that in about 3 weeks!

• I'm shooting for us to travel mid/late June.  Please know that no one has officially told me that's what's going to happen.  But in my bullet-point-style-need-to-have-a-plan-thinking, I've decided that's when it will be.  Just add that to your prayer list.  June would be perfect timing, allowing us to have the rest of the summer with EK and the boys to just chill while everyone gets to know each other.

• She now has a painted room complete with a crib!!  There has never been a crib in this house since it has been Cook territory, so that makes me incredibly excited and a tad bit emotional all at the same time.  My mom is working on several pieces...curtains, crib skirt, quilt...that will make it look very girly.  Cause that also doesn't happen much around here!  And I painted the room White Scallion (read as a pale, pale green).  Sam swears it's just white, but it's really not.  I also am in the process of refinishing a piece of furniture I found on the side of the road (yes, the side of the road).  It was perfect changing table size.  I couldn't pass it up.  It's looking very shabby chic...

This was really to show the color of the room.  Dad was putting the crib together and having some technical difficulties...

This is after two coats.  It kinda looks like a giant gumball here.  But I'm going to dry brush a coat that's lighter in color and distress it.  I'll try to remember to put a picture of the finished product.

I had a little help with some art projects for her room.  The boys painted owls and Tristan painted some wooden owls that I found at Micheals.  They were all very cute and the boys loved having something to do to help us with her room.

• I also found out we will be in Guangzhou for the majority of our trip to China, instead of being split between her city and Guangzhou.  Because she is so close to Guangzhou (close being about 5 hours), they will bring her to us and we will have an opportunity to visit her city sometime later while we are in China.  On one hand, this cuts down on our traveling and I'm sure being able to just set up camp in one place for the whole trip will be nice, but honestly, I wanted to see as much as China as I could.  I'm a little sad our whole trip will be mainly spent in one city.  But the Lord usually has a reason for all that He does, so I'm gonna just go with the flow and know that we will be in Guangzhou the whole time because that's part of His plan!

• This is not really an EK specific update, but since we are adding more hineys to the family, it's been a topic of conversation.  We need to make a decision about what to do about our aging cars.  Kenny's is still kicking along and we recently had some work done to it that should sustain it for a while.  I am still driving Big Blue the Explorer.  But Blue has a few faults.  One, he only seats five.  And yes, there will only be five in our family, but that's gonna seriously hamper the school carpooling situation which is a huge help to us and the friends we carpool with.  And two, Blue needs a new transmission (among other things).  Badly.  So, do we put a new transmission in Blue so he runs smoother?  (As smooth as a 9-year-old car with 140,000+ miles can run.)  Or bite the bullet and let 'ol Blue go for something a little newer and bigger?  (Yes, I'm thinking mini-van.  But that's a whole other topic worthy of it's own post.  Mainly because I never thought I would utter the words "want" and "mini-van" in the same sentence.)  I'll tell you the issue.  Blue is paid for.  I despise having a car payment.  Don't want one.  Don't need one.  I know it's just a car, but we need wisdom about the best thing to do.......and I don't think we know yet what that will be.....  If you see anyone giving away mini-vans on the side of the road, just let me know!!

That's all I know.  I realize (as my sweet husband pointed out) that if I posted more often, the post wouldn't have to be a mini-novel.  Either way, you now know what I know.

Just keep praying all keeps moving along fast! 

What now??

So you’ve gotten the low-down on referral day for our sweet Ellie Kate and what the boys think about the whole thing, so what happens next?

Remember when I told you that China is fond of their acronyms….well, I’m gonna throw some more at you!

Since getting our PA in record time (still can’t believe that happen in 3 days!!), we are waiting on our LOA.  Also know as the Letter of Acceptance.  LOA typically comes 90 days-ish after LID.  Remember, LID is log-in date.

We were LID on January 14 and are currently on Day 50 of waiting. 

Basically we want to get LOA ASAP!  You got all that??  OK!

Travel to go pick EK up is usually 2-3 months after LOA, so we are hopefully looking at traveling sometime this summer.  Obviously, the sooner the better.  Duh.

Now, acronyms aside, on to little Miss Ellie Kate……

Besides being fantastically precious, she’s a tiny little squirt!  The info we have on her is from the end of November (almost 14 months old) and at that point she was measuring between 6-9 months.  Basically all we know at this point is that she has been deaf since birth.  We were blessed to have actually received a hearing test and tons of medical info.  I say tons because the info we received on the boys was literally nothing short of their names and a picture, so having all this info for EK is a tad bit overwhelming!  Other than her hearing and being tiny, she appears to be perfectly healthy!  She is currently in HuaZhou City in the Guangdong Province. 

 

EK is somewhere near that Huazhou arrow! We will spend about a week there and then travel to Guangzhou to spend another week before coming home.

I’ve been able to talk with an audiologist and get her opinion and talk about what steps we should take once we get her home.  We also have some friends that have two little fellas who are deaf and have the same type of hearing loss that EK has.  I’m certain they will be an invaluable resource to us as we navigate our way into this new world.  (I may annoy her to death before this is all over with…)

And I’m sure it’s just another piece of this puzzle that God has had in the works for many years, but Louisville is a fantastic place to be (or be close to!) when raising a child who is deaf.  There are so many resources available!  Because of my early intervention background, some of those I knew already, others I am finding out as we go along.

The last week and a half has been looked at through very different eyes.  I’ve been acutely aware of what things will be different for Ellie Kate.  And for us.  Like music…we are a music-loving bunch of fools around here, dancing to the likes of New Kids on the Block (our latest obsession) and hitting up some praise and worship music every chance we get.  To think about her possibly not being able to hear what the boys hear, to praise our God through music, hurts my heart. 

It will be an adjustment for all of us, but honestly, it’s one I’m looking forward to.  I’m excited to learn sign language and teach the boys.  And I can only think that it would make us more intentional about things that we say and think a little more before just opening our mouths and letting hurtful words fly.  And the good Lord knows that I always need a little more time to think before just blurting out what I’m thinking!  (Please, no comments needed here.)

So…how can you pray??

1.  Pray that LOA comes soon!  The sooner that coveted document arrives, the sooner we can start moving towards travel plans!!

2.  Timing.  I’m just going to leave it at that.  God knows already how the timing of EK’s arrival will happen and His timing will be the best for our family! 

3.  Wisdom.  We are jumping into something totally new to us.  There will be decisions to be made, schedules that will change, routines that will just all around look different.  I’m sure much of it will be challenging, but I’m ready to dive in feet first!

God thunders wondrously with his voice;  He does great things that we cannot comprehend. 

Job 37:5

I’m holding onto to this verse right now.  If I’ve learned nothing else from the adoption process, it’s that I serve a God way bigger than me……..

What do the boys think??

That whole ride into school after getting the email about EK was with the boys.  I fought hard to maintain composure!  I didn’t want to lose it in front of them and as much as I wanted to tell them, I wanted to make sure this was a done deal before sharing with them!

Kenny came home a little early from work that afternoon and I wrapped up a present with her picture in it.  I told the boys it was an early birthday present for them, but with several disclaimers…it wasn’t a toy, but something we could play with and something we all had been wanting for a while.  I realized we were off base a little when I heard Charlie tell Sam, “I bet it’s an iPad!!”

Ummm, not quite.

Watch the reveal below…

 

They have been soooooo excited!!  We told them from the beginning that God made Ellie Kate’s ears so that they didn’t hear and one of the ways we could talk to her would be with our hands.  They never missed a beat and have dove head first into learning sign language! 

It has turned into quite the challenge (as in, against each other!) and less than a week in, they both know the whole alphabet and Sam actually kicked Charlie’s butt when I was quizzing them the other day!  Although he struggles with getting those fingers in the right place.  He’s flipped us off on more than one occasion! 

I’ve overheard Sam tell several people… “I have a new baby sister and she can’t hear and I’m gonna talk to her with my hands!!”  He has her picture printed out and carries it around the house with him, giving her kisses or hugs.  The other day I caught him staring at her picture on the fridge and asked him what he was doing… “She is just so cute, Mommy!”

Charlie asked if he could take her picture to school, has fiercely studied the ABC’s sheet on the fridge and is asking for more to learn!

Her given name is Ji Xisha (pronounced Gee Shesha…according to the "translate" app on my phone!) and Sam has dubbed her ‘Lil Ji, which I think fits perfectly with Chuck and Ham Bone.

Chuck, Ham Bone and ‘Lil Ji.  I like it.

 

 

THE day!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

I was trying to get the boys out the door and to school.  Sam and I had a field trip to go on that day.  We were running a little late, but as I check my phone to see what time it was, I realized I had a missed call and voicemail.

From our social worker at Lifeline.

It was before 7am.  Social workers from adoption agencies generally don’t just call to shoot the breeze with families on a regular basis before 7 in the morning.

Her voicemail just said to call her, so I herded everyone out the door, ran and told Kenny I had a voicemail from Sarah, but that I had to go and headed out the door to the car.

You know that feeling you get when something good is about to happen?  Yeah, that’s what was going on.

I called Sarah back and she told me she had a file for us to look at for a little girl who was born on October 9, 2011.  She is 16 months old.  And that she is congenitally deaf.  (If you haven’t read this POST, now would be the time to do so.)

I was so excited (on the inside!) I actually had her repeat what she said because I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly.  Kenny and I have this deal worked out where I don’t agree to see any files with out discussing the details with him first because I just get myself too worked up and want to bring every child in China home.  And in this tiny house, I’m not sure we’d be approved to bring home that many more.  So I called him, gave him the scoop and we agreed to let Sarah send us her file.

If you are at all paying attention, you realize by now that I’m telling you we have been matched!

I’ll give you a second to let that sink in………………….

WAAAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I knew almost the second that Sarah told me that she was deaf that this was our Ellie Kate.  I hadn’t even seen her picture yet, but a Mommy’s heart just knows things like that!  And apparently so did her Daddy because when I called him back he said “Yes!” before I barely said a word to him.

SIDE NOTE:  I don’t know how to explain it other than it just being God, but when we started this process I told Kenny something along the lines of hoping that her special need was hearing loss.  I know, that sounds like an absurd thing to “hope” for!  I even tinkered with the idea of telling our social worker to look specifically for a child who was deaf, but decided to leave that in God’s hands.  How cool is it when God aligns your heart and desires with what He already has in store for you??  I get chills just thinking about it!!

Praise the Lord for traffic that morning!  I came to a rolling stop about 10 minutes after Sarah sent the email and was finally able to look at her picture.  Sitting there in the middle of morning rush hour traffic.

Due to the ill timing of a kindergarten field trip, I wasn’t really where I could talk to Sarah, so I sent her a text telling her “YES!” and spent the next FOUR hours watching a play about a frog (and maybe a toad or a snail…I wasn’t actually paying attention!) and sneaking looks at my phone to look at her picture.  Sneaking, because I was sitting with Sam’s teacher and she had made multiple comments about how she had asked the parent’s to put their phones away during the play, but no one was listening. 

Yeah, I was that parent.  The one disobeying the teacher.  But at that point I didn’t care.

As soon as I was able, I touched base with Sarah and she sent me the documents I needed to file our PA (pre-approval).  We submitted that paperwork first thing on Wednesday morning.  It usually takes about 2-3 weeks to get back and one of the things that it allows us to do is share her picture publicly (hence the blog post). 

I got a phone call just this morning that our PA had come back…a mere 3 days after being filed!!!!  As if we needed more confirmation that this child was ours, God gave it to us in a short 3 days!

So, without prolonging this any further…

Meet Ellie Kate!! 

I know!  She’s about the cutest thing I’ve seen since December 1, 2008 when I opened the email of two handsome Ethiopians staring back at me!

Happy Referral Day!!

More later on telling the boys and what happens next…

Hard paperwork.

This post has been half written in my head for quite sometime.  But after several recent conversations with people, I thought I’d just throw it all out there.  

I’m gonna fill you guys in on a little something most of you don’t know.  

The program we are in with Lifeline Children’s Services is a Special Needs Program through China.  I know the term “special needs” gives some people the hibby jibbies, so I’m gonna educate you.  

What does that mean? 

Well, that means that our little girl from China will have some sort of medical or developmental special need.  It could be something mild.  It could be correctable.  Or it could be something major.  Or something that affects her for the rest of her life.  It could be any combination of those things.  Or it could be something that barely qualifies as a problem. 

But what really matters is that God has already chosen Ellie Kate for us.  He knows her needs and the path her life will take.  He knows what our little dysfunctional family can handle and what we can’t.   

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was fill out paperwork indicating which special needs we were open to.  I just kept thinking… “If I was pregnant, I would have no choice in this.  This really isn’t fair.” 

I’m gonna be real transparent here.  As we filled that paper out, I was having an inner struggle.  One side of me said to just mark “yes” to everything because that would kinda be like us having no choice in the matter.  But the fleshly, sinful side of me wanted to kick the other side’s butt and mark “no” because I didn’t want my little girl to have to go through life being picked on or with a disability that would hinder her.  And if you want to get real honest about it, there were a lot of things I (me…JANA!) didn’t want to have to deal with! 

In the end, we did our research, did some praying, lots of thinking and filled out the paper based on what we felt like our family could handle.

And then I sat.  And worried about it.  And prayed about it.  And worried some more. 

I mean, nobody WANTS for there to be something wrong with their child.  Yet, that’s what we had just done.  We had requested to adopt a child, who by the world’s standards would be less than perfect.

Until one day the Lord told me to cool my jets, He had it all under control.  Well, maybe not in those exact words, but you get the point.

Huge sigh.  Thank you, Jesus.  I needed that reminder.

I’ve worked with children with special needs most of my adult life.  I always knew in the back of my head somewhere that we would one day adopt a child with special needs.  It almost just seemed like the natural thing to do.  I have this background and this education, it would be silly to ignore it.  I’m not sure I had let Kenny in on that little nugget of truth until much later, but he is totally on board with me.

One of the reasons I haven’t told many people this info is because they tend to give you a pity reaction.  Or you get the “oh, that’s such a wonderful thing for you to do” reaction.  Neither of which I want. 

God doesn’t put parameters on caring only for the healthy orphans or only the super cute orphans.  The command was to care for the orphans.  All the orphans. 

This is how God has chosen to grow our family.  Regardless of those worldly standards, Ellie Kate will be perfect because she was chosen for our family.

 

The year of the snake?

Today is the Chinese New Year.  The year of the snake apparently.

Interesting fact. The CNY is not always on the same day each year. And it's not like our Thanksgiving, where its the fourth Thursday of November. There seems to be no pattern.

Kenny acted like he knew this already, so I almost pretended I did too. But I guess I'm not that smart.

I've been doing a little research on CNY. We celebrate Ethiopian Christmas with the boys, so since this is the big Chinese holiday, we'll incorporate it into our routine.  I mean, adding holidays??  Sounds like a win-win for all involved!

Here's my understanding of part of CNY...they give each other red envelopes with cash in even dollar amounts.  And the most common number is $8.  Just don't slip up and give them $9.  Cause you give odd dollar amounts for funerals. 

Talk about awkward...

Happy Chinese New Year!  Wish our EK was here to celebrate with us...hopefully next year!

 

 

 

Top 10 Non-resolutions for 2013. Emphasis on NON.

10.  Teach Sam to tie his shoes.

I'm not even sure where to start with this. Kenny has tried several time, without any luck. Stupid bunny ears...

9.  Go a whole year without having surgery.  Or an ambulance ride.  Or any other weird, medical anomaly that no one else would ever have.

We've lived in KY for 7 and half years and I've had 5 surgeries, popcorn infections in my throat, torn ligaments in my thumb while doing laundry, several ambulance rides for stupid things like picking up babies, etc...all that to say, I'm a fairly healthy person.  Promise.  Weird things just happen to me.

I'm going for even MORE healthy this year!

8.  Renovate the laundry room.

Sounds silly, I know. Right now, it's a concrete floor, one concrete wall, 3 almost walls with floor joist and insulation taunting me by falling on my head every once in a while for a ceiling. All I need is some drywall, a little paint, some of that peel and stick tile, some cute hooks and shelves and it would make that tiny space much more likable. We've been talking about doing it for several years, just need to make it happen. 

7.  Take the boys to their first Alabama football game.

Alabama plays Kentucky this year in Lexington, so the plan is to hit them up while they are close to home. The boys have really gotten into football this year and I made the mistake of asking them if they wanted to go to the AL vs. KY game this coming fall. Which means I spent the next 3 weeks explaining to Sam that NO, we weren't going to a football game today and NO, not tomorrow and NO, I have no idea what you will eat.

I know better than to tell him stuff more than 3 and a half seconds before it happens...

6.  Buy a hair bow.

This one is totally up to China.  So no dragging your feet on this one, ok?

5.  Fix baby girl's hair with said hair bow.

Wanna know a secret?  I was in 8th grade before I did my own hair.  Yes.  Really.  I've never had a great affinity for styling hair.  Which is why the boys get a buzz cut every 3 weeks and I've had the same general hairstyle since...oh, about 8th grade. 

Some one's gonna need to give me a pigtails lesson...

4.  Refinish the ever growing collection of old furniture that is piling up in the basement.

The side of the road is an excellent place to shop for furniture, but also a really good place to frustrate your husband when your collection starts to overflow into his man-space.  I have a small chest that I'm going to turn into a changing table.  I also have two non-matching chairs that need a little repair and refinishing and then they will be used at my new farmhouse table.  Oh, you haven't seen my new table....me either...

Hey Dad!  Quit falling off ladders and get to work on my table!  Chop, chop!  And thanks, by the way...

3.  Paint a room.

Little girls room is currently referred to as the "yellow room".  Also, Kenny's room, Daddy's closet, the junk room, guest bedroom ...I could go on, but you get the picture.  It's the catch all and currently where all of Kenny's clothes are since our "master bedroom" isn't really all that masterful and only has about a quarter of the amount of closet space I would like.  So, some reorganizing is in order.  And painting, etc to make the "yellow room", yellow no more. 

And more fit for a precious little girl!

2.  Go to China.

Again, I have no control over this one.  But I'm going one way or another.  I'm planning on marking this one off the list sometime this summer!

1.  Read the entire Bible.

I'm ashamed to say it, but there are actually parts of the Bible I've never read.  So, I'm throwing it out on a public forum...please feel free to hold me accountable and ask me if I'm sticking to this one.  The first week has gone great.  I found an app that lays it all out day by day.  It jumps around a bit instead of just picking it up in Genesis and hitting it for the long haul.  At the current rate, I actually should finish the first part of November.  I'm just praying I make it through week 2 without losing focus.

---------------------------------------------

So, there you have it.  My non-resolutions.  Because if I called them resolutions, it would just be something else to add to the list of things I won't get done this year.  I'm going with goals... 

The lofty goals of 2013, most of which involve getting home our newest family member or getting the house ready to bring her home.

You could say I have tunnel vision.....

It's okay.  I agree.

Lifesong for Orphans strikes again!

The masses have requested and we are happy to oblige...

I'm happy to share with you that we have finally been approved yet again by Lifesong for Orphans for an account for fundraising!  Lifesong helped us tremendously with the financial side of things with the boy's adoption and they are stepping up again and have set up an account to receive funds for Ellie Kate.

Any funds donated to Lifesong for Orphans on our behalf will be given to help cover our adoption expenses. LifeSong is a 501(c)3 organization and your gift will be tax deductible. 100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover our adoption costs--nothing will be taken out for Lifesong for Orphans administrative costs.

If you would like to contribute to our account and help us bring home Ellie Kate, you can donate several ways.

If you write a check, make it out to Lifesong for Orphans, but make certain you put "Cook Adoption, #3038" on the subject line.  You can mail checks directly to Lifesong:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744

You can also give online via Lifesong's PayPal account HERE, but know that a 2.9% fee + $0.30 per transaction will be charged by PayPal and taken out of your donation.  If you choose this route, follow these steps...

• Select "One Time Donation"
• Select "Adoption Funding" as your Gift Preference
• Select "Family Specific" as your Adoption Gift Preference
• Family ID Number:  #3038, Family Name:  Cook

Now, I know all my independently wealthy friends are looking for the perfect place to make their 2012 end-of-the-year donations, and we are glad to provide you with an avenue to do so. 

No, no...don't thank us. 

We should thank you. 

P.S.  In all seriousness (which is actually quite difficult for me to pull off), we appreciate each cent donated on our behalf to bring home our little sister.  As most of you know, adoption requires a huge step of faith, and that step of faith is also wrapped up in your finances as well.  We had a great push in the right direction this time around and had no doubt that it was God's most perfect timing for us to begin the process again, but are still trusting Him to see to each tiny detail.

God's just cool like that.

Where do we stand?

Who wants an update on our little Ellie Kate??  I thought so.

Monday we received our I-800A approval!!  You know, the approval we've been waiting on since October. 

Yeah.  It's kinda a big deal.  I've been stalking the mailbox waiting for it.  Of course Monday was the day I forgot to check the mail until 10pm. 

Fun fact:  they actually received our paperwork on October 16, which is our anniversary!

So what does all this mean? 

Well, that was the last piece of our dossier that we were waiting on.  The rest of it was already in Alabama at our agency just waiting on this approval.  Over the next two or three weeks our little packet of papers known as our dossier, that is basically a summary of our entire lives, will make its rounds to the county and state for seals.  Then on to the consulate in Texas.

And then...drum roll, please...on to China!!  Woohoo!

We are pretty pumped too!  It's a big step.  I'll let you know when it officially heads to China!

Name calling.

Baby girl does have a name.

Other than baby girl.  We call her by her name around her, so I guess it’s time to share with the rest of the world.

A little background on how we come up with names around here.  Both the boys’ names are family names.  And their middle names are their given Ethiopian names, giving us Charles Nuredin and Samuel Edaso.  Merging their two heritages together.  Yes, their names are fairly traditional.  On purpose.  We are fairly traditional people.  Well, most of the time.  Their names are also shortened to what we actually call them…hence, Charlie and Sam.  Keep that in mind.

Fast forward to discussions about what to name baby girl.  We soon found ourselves agreeing on only one choice.  Really there was no actual discussion.  It was suggested and agreed upon almost in the same breath.

Most of you know that I lost my little sister in a car accident about two and half years ago.  Her name was Katie Elizabeth.  In her honor, our third born will bear Katie’s name as…

Elizabeth Kathryn

AKA Ellie Kate

See…traditional, yet easily shortened and honoring her aunt and the sweet sister that she was to me!  And yes, we will take her given Chinese name into consideration and add it to her name in some fashion.  She just may hate us come standardized testing time when she has to bubble in four names…

The only downside…the last few times someone has asked me about her name, I’ve been unable to actually answer the question because I don’t have full emotional control over myself.

But that's Katie's fault. 

Now you have a name...so join us in praying for Ellie Kate to be safe and happy and healthy and to join her family SOON!