YAY! More fabric & wishes

Last night Tiff came home from church with more fabric & wishes for Ethan. I was in tears with the generosity. Wow!

Fabric from Tiffs friend Ashley


Fabric from Ms. Barb (Ashley's Mom)


Fabric from the Strever Family: Stephanie, Gabby & Kaylee


Thank you so much for giving to Ethan's quilt. We feel so blessed. We can not wait until we can start putting all of the fabric together.

Until next time.....

More Fabric!

I'm so excited to get more fabric for Ethan's quilt. That's 6 squares. We have a long ways to go. 94 more squares to go. Thanks to Kris, John & kids. We truly appreciate the fabric & good wish.

Well, it finally hit me this morning. I'm ready for our son to be home. I'm ready to start taking care of him. I'm ready to get to know him. I think this time around, our 3rd adoption, I am not "as" anxious to get him home, as I was for Abby & Jadyn. I think I was anxious for Abby because she was our 1st baby waiting in China. Jadyn I was anxious because she was older and we had updated photos of her, and we were seeing her grow up without us. But with Ethan, yes I want him home, but the girls are keeping me so busy, I have not had much down time to really think about it. But this morning, it hit me. I need him home!

It's hard not knowing how long it will take to get our dossier translated. With how everything is going, I'm praying its fast. But we just won't know. I have had a lot of paperwork to do in this wait. Paperwork we'll need to bring him home. Once we get RA then we send all of this off. This could add a few weeks to our wait to travel. Again, praying it won't add too much time.

Today as I was going through some people's blogs, I came across this site Ladybugs N Love I think I would like to look into using them after we get our RA. I would like to get updated measurements of Ethan and hopefully even some updated photos. We are not supposed to contact the SWI until after RA, and since that was a question on the one form we had to fill out, then I think we'll wait until after RA. We did sent packages to the girls, and it was expensive to mail. I'm thinking if we use this service, then it will be close to what we would spend if we did it ourselves. AND, we can't get updated info our photos on our own.

Counting the days. Well, trying not to. Time is going by fast, even though some days it does not seem like it. It's been over 3 weeks since referral. Almost 2 weeks since PA.

Praying for some good news in the near future. Thanks for praying with us. And please send us some fabric & a good wish. :-)

Until next time......

Please Watch

Registered

So, I've been busy preparing the forms needed once we get the RA. It's a lot of work, for me. Well, my friend Kris suggested we get out of the house and have some fun. So today, she & I went to Babies R Us and Target and I registered for baby BOY things. It was so much fun looking at all the BLUE! Of course I kept going to pink and then said "No, BLUE" We had fun. Here is a photo of me. Yes, I brought my camera to document the fun. LOL

After we were done at Babies R Us, we went to lunch at the Olive Garden. It has been years since I've been there. We had soup & salad. It was good. Then off to Target. Sorry, no photo of Target. I was too tired. :-)

Tiff & her friend Ashley babysat the kids for us so we could go out. I just had to take this photo of our girls. We call them our triplets. We went shopping last week and they had to each buy this shirt. They are so cute together.


Today was a good day. A fun day! It was fun looking at things for Ethan. We don't need much. Thankfully we still have the "big" items.

Until next time.....

I should not.....

I know, I've been told not to count down from any of the dates that we received. It could cause me to be anxious. But I could not help myself. So I added the tickers to the top of the blog so I, and anyone who is interested can see how long we've been waiting for the next step (which right now is RA).

Hopefully this won't make me too anxious. If it does, I'll take it down.

Until next time.....

Pre-Approval

I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement. We received word today from our agency that China has sent our Pre-Approval (PA). We were told this could take 2-4 weeks. It took 10 DAYS! As you can imagine, we're very excited. Things are going fast and we love it. Now we wait for RA (referral acceptance). We are told this could take 3-5 months, with the average being 4 months. If we go by the "average" we could very well be in China in December. But, how things have been going lately, we could get the RA sooner, which means traveling sooner. We can not be with Ethan until his 1st birthday, because of our homestudy saying we're approved for a 1 year old or older.

Please pray for Ethan as he waits for us in China. Pray for his health, safety, well being. Pray for us as we plan to bring him home. We have a lot to do.

THANK YOU!
Debbie

Quilt Squares are coming in!

THANK YOU to the Olding & Weiland Families for giving us fabric for Ethan's Quilt. We truly appreciate it. I'm so excited to have this made for him. He will see how many people love him and are praying for him.

Just to clarify, we would like 1 or 2 10x10 inch squares of fabric. A fabric that you like, or that represents where you live etc. OR, if you don't want to cut fabric, you can go to a fabric store, like JoAnn's and buy a "fat quarter". This is a quarter of material that is already cut. They have tons to choose from. We will then cut the fabric to make the quilt.

The "good wish" can be typed or written on an index size card (or something similar). It does not have to be a long wish. Maybe a prayer, encouraging words, or your favorite bible verse. Then if you could sign your names (family names) and the city & state where you live, then Ethan will know who the wishes are from and where they came from. We would also like a piece of your fabric on the wish so we can remember which one you gave to him. If you would like, we can add it to your wish later.

I appreciate all the emails. We're looking forward to making this for him. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Love, Debbie

1st Baby Gift for Ethan

What a surprise we had this morning! We received our first baby gift for Ethan. I happily opened it up and was thrilled to see what was inside. A very cool/cute outfit, some toys & a photo album. THANK YOU Weiland Family. This means so much to us.

1st purchase

What a week! One full of surprises. We are still thrilled with the news of little Ethan. We found out yesterday that we have our Log-in-Date. It's July 9, 2009. We were told when we were DTC that it could be a month or two before we find out what this date is. Well, CCAA sent it to our agency right away. Bill keeps saying "Things are happening faster than it's supposed to". :-) We also looked at our homestudy and we're approved for a child 1-14 years. I contacted our agency and they said since we will be in China after he turns 1, then we're okay. I'm so thankful for this. I did not want to have to change our homestudy and pay the extra money to get that done.

The other day we went to the baby store. I'm finding it hard to buy anything. We don't need much. And many friends have offered to give us clothes. We did hit the clearance rack and found this outfit. Of course I had to get it. And it was only $5. I can not resist a good buy. :-)


Yesterday & today we started tackling the bedroom that will become Ethan's. We are putting both girls and all their toys into one room, so Ethan can have his own room. Well our girls have so much STUFF! Stuff they don't play with. Bill was getting overwhelmed with all of the stuff. We made some progress. We'll make it work. I'm ready to start planning colors, themes & getting the room set up.

This week has also been amazing to me. I have found out that 4 of my adoption friends either accepted a referral, started the paperchase for a child, has a child they are waiting to bring home or received their immigration approval. So much excitement this week. I'm also meeting new friends because of Ethan. I love it. New families are being formed. It's awesome!

Until next time.....

100 Wishes Quilt

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in 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 notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

We would like to collect 100 squares of fabric to make a quilt for Ethan. All we ask is that you send us 1 or 2 10x10 inch squares of fabric or a fabric quarter (fat quarter). The fabric can be of your choice. We would like it to be something that could represent your family, or where you live. Or it can just be something that you like. Along with the squares, we ask that you write a little note to Ethan. A "good wish". It can be a note of encouragement, support or a bible verse. Then attach a piece of the fabric to the note, so that when he reads the notes, he'll know what piece of fabric you gave to him. Then sign the note with your name & family name, and what city & state you live in. The wish can be on an index size card/paper. I will put all of the good wishes into a scrapbook for him to keep.

If you need our address, please email me at tiffsmom95@mac.com and I will email it to you. We would like to have the fabric & good wishes as soon as possible. Hopefully by October. I will post updates on the quilt here on the blog.

Here are a few photos of the girls quilts. They absolutely love their quilts. We know Ethan will love his too.

Thank you!
Debbie

Referral Acceptance FAQ

I have had several people ask me "When are you traveling" and "Why does it take so long to go?" Well I received an email from our agency today with the answers. I hope this will help you. It has helped me.

What is the RA (Referral Acceptance)?
The RA confirms that the CCAA (Chinese Center Adoption Affairs) has approved a family’s request to adopt a specific waiting child. It is also known as the Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

What is the average RA wait time?
These estimates are based on trends we have observed for RA’s arriving in 2009 and are not guaranteed timeframes.

Dossiers that have not been reviewed by the CCAA current can anticipate an RA wait time of 2-6 months from the day the EA was submitted.
o The average wait is currently 4 ½ months
o 60% of families are waiting 3-6 months to receive their RA

· Dossiers that were submitted directly to the Special Needs Department can anticipate an RA wait time of 2-6 months after the EA has been submitted.
o The average wait is currently 4 months
o 71% of families are waiting 3-6 months to receive their RA

Why does it take so long to receive the RA?
The CCAA is diligently working to process EA’s from families all over the world. For families who submitted an EA before their dossier was been submitted or submitted an EA soon after their dossier was submitted, it is important to note that a dossier must first be translated before the dossier can be reviewed by the CCAA.

A family receives their PA once the CCAA has translated and reviewed the EA. A family’s dossier is then sent to the CCAA’s Special Needs Department where a family waits for their RA to be issued.

Is there something wrong with my application if I wait longer than the average timeframe?
No. If the CCAA has a question on the information in a family’s dossier or EA they will contact America World directly. In cases where the CCAA asks for additional information or clarification on a family, it is possible that the RA processing could be delayed. Families will be contacted if the CCAA asks for additional information or clarification on a family.

Will the CCAA expedite my approval if my child needs surgery?
Most children adopted through the WC program will require surgery, therapy, or rehabilitation of some kind. The CCAA desires for children with special needs to come home as quickly as possible in order to receive this care. With this in mind the CCAA still needs to have a system in place for issuing approvals.

Why is it possible for a family who accepted a referral after my family to receive their RA first?
As referenced earlier, the RA wait times vary depending on what stage the family’s dossier is in at the time the EA is submitted. Therefore families who submit their EA in the same month will not all receive their RA at the same time.

Also, the content of every EA and dossier is very different from one family to the next. This can change the amount of time it takes the CCAA to process a family’s EA and therefore the RA. While there are similar patterns in how long families can wait for approvals, we encourage families to refrain from setting expectations based on another family’s process.

How does America World receive the RA?
The RA is mailed from the CCAA to America World. The package can arrive any business day and any time of the day.

So, with that said.....Our dossier has not been reviewed. BUT it did go directly to the Special Needs Department. So we can hope that we'll get our Referral Acceptance letter in about 4 months. That would be around November. Then we get our Travel Approval about 2 weeks later. Then we travel about 2 weeks after that. So....we could travel anywhere between Nov-January. Of course we're praying CCAA will work fast for us and that we'll see a quick RA.

For now, we prepare to bring little Ethan home.

Until next time.....

Some info on where Ethan is

I'm trying to do some research on where Ethan is currently. I have found a few good sites. I'm not sure what hotel our agency uses. But it looks like we'll be staying in Fuzhou. I believe this is the capital. Here is some info on the area where Ethan is living now (Zhangzhou).

The City of Zhangzhou is located on the lower parts of the Nine-Dragon River (Jiulong River), the second longest river in the Fujian province. Zhangzhou has over 4 million people. Zhangzhou is known for its production of fruit, flowers, and potted plants.

The weather in Fuzhou (the capital) is very similar to North Florida or South Georgia. So we should be used to this when we travel.

His orphanage is in the southeastern part of Fujian Province near Xiamen. It might be new to international adoptions.

When I find more, I'll post it here.

Until next time....

More info on Ethan

I'm not sure how much info I can share about him on the blog. So if I'm told to take this off, then I will.

Ethan was found on October 20, 2008. They estimated him at being 2 days old. He weighed 5 lbs 7 oz and was 19 inches long. The referral information that we have was done in March 2009. At 5 months old, he was 11 lbs and 20 in long.

He has an unrepaired cleft lip and unrepaired cleft palate (stage III). We are not sure if his cleft lip will be repaired before we arrive in China. If not, then that is okay. We plan to take him to All Childrens to look after the cleft issues.

He is currently in the Zhangzhou City Social Welfare Institute in the Fujian Province. I'm currently doing some looking on the area. We have not been to this province before so we're looking forward to going to another part of China. Here is a map of where his province is. (shaded in green).


I'm looking forward to finding out where we will be staying, and what there is to do in this province. This is going to be an exciting adventure. :-)

Until next time......

REFERRAL!

We are thrilled beyond words to announce that we have a referral! At 10:12 AM this morning, our adoption agency called to tell us that they have locked the file of a little BOY waiting in China.



We can not upload any photos of him to the web. I can tell you he is very cute. Here is some info about him.

His birthday is Oct 18, 2008. YES, 2008. He's 8 months old! He is currently in the Fujian Province of China. He has an unrepaired cleft lip & cleft palate. We are not sure if they will do surgery on his lip before we arrive in China.

We sent our Electronic Acceptance (EA) to China today. Our next step is to wait for the Pre-Approval (PA) from China. Then we wait for the Referral Acceptance (RA) from China. Once we receive the RA, we can post his photo everywhere. After RA, comes Travel Approval (TA). Then we travel. We are hoping to be able to travel by the end of this year.

Thank you for your prayers & support during our journey. We would like to ask that you continue to pray for us as we wait to bring our son home.

I bet you are wondering what his name is. Well, after a lot of thinking we have chosen to name him Ethan William. Ethan means "Firm, Strong". William means "Strong-Willed Warrior". And of course William is after Bill.

Now we need to get ready for a BOY! We're so excited and thrilled. Praising and Thanking God today.

Until next time......

Dream & Life Verse

I had a dream last night that our son was home. We were at the doctor and I told her to check his mouth. His palate was 90% there but he had a tooth sticking out in the middle of his palate (weird dream, I know). I was holding a boy with only a diaper. I could feel his bare skin. Loved it! Then we went to a church function and I had no boy things, only girl things. Then I said "We don't have a name for him! I don't know what to call him!" Then I woke up.

I realized last night as I was going to sleep, that Bill got a t-shirt last year and wore it to camp. It became the camp verse (I think). I ended up buying the same shirt a few months ago. It says in big print "Isaiah 40:31". Then on an eagle it has the verse "But those who HOPE in the LORD will renew their STRENGTH. They will SOAR on wings like Eagles".

I asked Bill today if he realized this when he suggested the name Isaiah yesterday. He said he did. Then I said "I think it would be cool if we use this name. OR, at least have this be his life verse. Because this is the verse that was used at camp because of your shirt, and camp is what started the whole process of us adopting".

Can you tell I'm getting a little anxious? It's the beginning of the month again. This is when I've seen the WC list updated in past months. Could our call be coming within the next 2 weeks? Praying.......
I'll keep you updated.......

Have a Wonderful 4th of July weekend. Be safe & Have fun.
Until next time.....

Still talking Names

So, I've been thinking and thinking of boy names. This is just really hard for me. I think of a name, and then can think of several people we know with that name. I've thrown out ideas to Bill. And he just shrugs.

Well today we were driving and I told him that I was doing some research on name meanings. A few sites I went to told me the name Caleb means "Rage Like a Dog". Well of course that freaked me out. No way could it mean that. I wondered if people who named their son Caleb knew this. Then I just did another search, and found Caleb means "Faithful". So which is it? Rage Like a Dog or Faithful? :-)

As we were driving, Bill said "I like Isaiah". I said "What? I suggested Isaiah and you said NO". He said "Well, I kind of like it. What about Isaiah William?" Well of course that shocked me. Because Bill has never wanted his son to have his name.

The meaning of Isaiah that I found is "God is Salvation". William means "Resolute Protector" or "Strong Willed Warrior".

The other names I looked up (but not sure if these are the real meanings) are:

Isaac- Hebrew- He Will Laugh

Jonah-Hebrew- A Dove

Aiden- Irish- Little Fire

Liam-Irish-Strong-Willed Warrior

Owen-Welsh-Desire Born

Ethan-Hebrew-Strong, Firm, Impetuous

Once we know who the little guy is, it will be easier to name him. I really appreciate the suggestions in the previous post. I did reply to you in the comment section (not sure if you saw that).

Until next time.....