Miss A's big move....

Last night, we received an e-mail from the missionary regarding Miss A. From the time that we found out about the mission groups existence until now, we had been praying that Miss A. would be moved from the orphanage into their facility. The orphanages due the best that they can to care for the children, but there is nothing like a "home-like" setting. In a foster home, the kids receive much needed attention, are fed regularly, and experience a variety of different activities to stimulate their little minds. The kids are cared for as if they were a part of a family, which is amazing! Due to space limitations, the group is only allowed a certain number of children under their care.

To our surprise, we found out Miss A. was moved into their care last night at the request of the government. That, in itself is a great sign b/c the gov. often moves kiddo's into foster homes right before placement. We are so happy that they chose this foster home as opposed to another because we can still keep in contact with the missionary. If she was moved somewhere else, we would loose track of her until placement. What a blessing!

The missionary said that Miss A. was very hungry upon admission :(, and was very "keen" to eat. She is settling in very well, and it sounds like she is enjoying herself and her new surroundings. She has roommates...two of which have Downs Syndrome, which we love (I wish we could bring them back, too!)

All of the above circumstances are so AMAZING. I don't believe that anything happens by chance, or by accident. God knits all of these events together. We don't and shouldn't take credit for any of them, because it is all by His hand. Finding this missionary was not an accident. I would implore any of you that are reading this blog to research some of these groups and support them thru prayer, or if you can by donating to their cause. A few that come to mind are International China Concern, China Care, Love without Boundaries, New Day Charities, Shoahannah's Hope, Bethany's Caring Connection, Bethany Christian Services, Brittany's Hope, and so many more. We have so much! These ministries very existence depends on individual donations. They are not supported by governmental programs...just private donations. Again, just something to "chew" on at dinner tonight:).

A busy week....

What a week! Miss M. was feeling kind of "punky" on Tuesday, so I picked her up from school and headed to the doctors office. I wouldn't normally be so paranoid, but she was burning up w/fever. After waiting over 2 hours to be seen (thankfully D' was w/his grandma O. and daddy b/c there is NO way that he would of managed...thank you grandma O. for taking time to help out..xoxox.) we were told that she had a nasty sinus infection and pneumonia. Thankfully, today her fever has subsided and the pink has returned to her cheeks. I think I even caught a smile on her face this morning.

In other McJason news....we receive another extremely positive e-mail from the missionary on Miss A. She said she is improving quite dramatically lately. She is making eye contact, interacting w/people, and her motor skill are getting much better, too. We have a lot to be thankful for!

Other than that....just another fun week on the farm.

Valentine's Day '09

This year I thought that it would be a splendid idea to invite my darling little nieces over to help prepare dinner for their parents and G-pa and G-ma VK. Although they all weren't able to attend (missed the twins and little Miss S....it's a long drive for their momma), we had a great time. We started the day out preparing Valentine's, made a cheesecake for dessert, did a little "free play" outside w/Uncle J.(aka. Mr. J.,sr.), and decorated the table for dinner. I am not a crafty person...AT ALL....so this was a bit of a stretch for me. I think we managed to pull it off though, b/c everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. One of my little nieces (cousin C) was SO into it. She is one determined little lady, and she totally cracks me up! She had all kinds of wonderful ideas. You are one crafty little girl, Cousin C! Maddy was equally as enthusiastic about it all, but she seemed more concerned about playing in the sunshine than watching her mother (aka. me) attempt to make something that looked remotely like a Valentine. Cousin D'ha and D' had a great time running away from Mr. J. (he was pretending to be a monster.) If you aren't catching it from the post so far, it was totally chaotic at my house....kids running every which way, paper flying, glue sticks aplenty, glitter stuck to everything, but we had a blast. I'm hoping that we can make it our new Valentine's Day tradition! The crew. Miss M. has "googlie eyes" stuck to her eyelids. What a goober! From L. to R. D'ha, Cousin C., Mr. J., Darling D, and Miss M.
Miss M. w/her own "interpretation" of what a Valentine should look like:)

The finished projects.

Our table settings....courtesy of Miss M. and Cousin C.

D', Cousin C., and D'ha enjoying a "picnic" in the kitchen.

A message from a dear friend...

A dear friend of mine posted this on her blog the other day, and I just felt like it was blog worthy. They have an amazing little girl from this orphanage, and Kathi spent countless hours helping to set up a much needed nutrition program there. This is real, and the need is so real. Sometimes I feel guilty waking up each day and knowing that we will have three meals on the table and as many snacks as we feel like having. These kiddo's are lucky to get a few bottles a day. They experience what it feels like to go hungry day after day. Something to think about and "chew" on.....

Copied from Kathi's blog.....
Worried
John and I were blessed with opportunity to help start a nutrition program at Brooklyn's orphanage. Prior to this program many of the children were very under weight. It has been amazing to see how God has provided for these little ones.
Thursday afternoon I received an email telling me the orphanage has received 13 new newborns. Many of the babies are premature. All of them have a special need of some kind. The orphanage is having trouble providing for these babies. They are asking for help. The Chinese are very proud and do not often ask for help. Just the act of them asking is highly concerning to me.
I need to find more monthly sponsors. It will take another $150.00 worth of monthly sponsors to provide for these new little ones. We are also hoping to rush a shipment of formula specially made for premature babies to Foshan as soon as possible. I was told it would cost about $500.00 to get them everything they need. How can I not try to give them that.
I am praying that God would place the desire to help these little ones on hearts of many. If anyone would like to help it easy.
All you need to do is to go to http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com
Scroll down to the bottom of the page click on the link that says "Nutrition"
Click on the the link that says "Sponsor A Child"
Scroll down and find "Foshan Shunde, Guangdong"
Click "Donate" and follow the prompts
You can also mail a check to: Love Without Boundaries
PO BOX 25016
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0016
*Please note on the check Foshan Shunde CWI
I know that economy is tough right now. I realize that many people will not be able to help these little ones. Everyone can pray for them. I am asking that you help spread the word about these little ones. I will update the blog if I hear anything regarding their condition.
Please feel free to pass this information onto anyone who you think might want to help.

Mator's garage sale....

Ever since Mr. J (aka. Mator) lost his first tooth (think tooth fairy), he has been fascinated with money because he knows that mommy will take him to his favorite store....the Dollar Tree. He LOVES to pick out priceless treasures like plastic army men, sticky tack, and slime. He is always plotting out ways to earn a little extra cash, whether it be doing chores, wiggling every available tooth to see if he can pry it out, asking if he can sell his dog, his toy tractors, his sister, etc., etc. Should I be worried?:).

Anyway, the other day he went into the kitchen and told me that I couldn't come in until he told me to. I waited patiently, and then he invited me in to see his handiwork. This is what I found.... My little boy was having a "garage sale" right in our kitchen. He had picked out his "gently used" toys, and had labeled them all w/prices. Please take a look at the bottom picture. I love it!

Christmas in January!

As promised, here are some pics of Christmas at my folks this year. The last one cracks me up b/c D' received a kiddie laptop this year, and my mom was having trouble figuring it out. We were all teasing her to give it to D', and he would show her how it worked.

Miss M. opening up her slippers, robe, and jammies from G'ma and G'pa.J' opening up his protective pads from G'ma and G'pa. They went along w/the bike and skateboard that he received from them....very exciting!

G'pa opening up his timing light...woohoo!

G'ma....the techno-queen:).

Catchin' up....

Ok...so if you know my dad, you know that he is extremely "tidy" about everything. He has always taken great pride in keeping his stuff "neat and clean," and his shop is no exception. My dad is a huge car fan and always has been. After all of his children left the nest, he took up a pretty incredible hobby. He has a true passion for restoring old cars. He literally picks them up w/grass growing up through the chassis, and turns them into something beautiful! Below, you will see his latest two "babies" as he calls them, as well as one that is waiting to be transformed into an incredible machine. My dad does amazing work, and I'm so proud of him. . . now...if only I could get him to "donate" one to me:). My dad and Mr. J., sr. in his "reloading room." . . note how everything has a place. Now, you can see where I get it from:).
My daddy's 56' chevy. I wish I had a before picture!

My dad's 39'chevy coupe...again, wish I had a before.

The "babies."

This is one that is awaiting restoration. I'll try to remember to post an "after" when he's done.

Here we are ....again:)

Some of you have inquired recently about where we are at in terms of Miss A. I thought that I'd pull up a previous post to show you all...much easier than re-explaining. The very large bold print at the bottom shows the last two things major things that we are waiting for. We are about 47 days post LID. Currently, based on recent trends it has been taking anywhere between 66-130+ days to receive a LOA. There are no patterns as far as when LOA's are shipped from China. Sometimes, CCAA(center of adoptive affairs) sends them out in large groups to various agencies. Sometimes, they only send out a few LOA's to a handful of agencies. They can come monthly, weekly, bi-monthly, etc. They do try to do them in "order," but sometimes a few will be a lot later than others. That's the part that can make you crazy....especially when people ask, "when are you going to China?" I wish I knew, but truthfully I have know idea, and your guess is as good as mine:). If I had to guess, I would say April, but at this point....don't know. The only thing that we do know is that it will be in the Lord's perfect timing! So, once again here's my previous post.....(you, of course, are welcome to keep asking b/c it doesn't bug me a bit) It's nice to know that Miss A. is already loved by so many!

Pre-application-done...Agency reads thru info and tells you what countries you qualify for. You can specify what country(ies) that you are interested in, and sw(social worker) will give you more detailed info on the parameters of the programs.
Formal-application-Starts the process......"formally".....done
Homestudy-sw prepares a report on your family after she/he has met with you several times in your home. they report every detail of your life in the report...husbands upbringing, wifes upbringing, relationship w/parents, siblings, medical info on family, resources of family, etc., etc....this report goes to USCIS, so it has to be EXACTLY how immigration wants it to be....done
USCIS approval-Request for immigration approval on the prospect of adopting a child from a foreign country. This took FOREVER w/Miss A. because immigration was going thru a huge slowdown at the time. It took only 3 wks to get clearance for D', while it took nearly 5 months for Miss A....from homestudy to approval....done
Dossier-Group of specific papers that China requires that spell out every detail of your lives. We just completed ours!! It can take anywhere from 2-6 months depending on immigration turn around times.....done
Referral-One of the sweetest words you will ever hear while adopting. A referral=baby. We received our referral in May of '08, and she will forever be known on this blog as Miss A.
LOI(letter of intent)-This form is provided by China. The adoptive family fills in the blanks (ie. care plan for the child that you intend to adopt, name of the child you wish to adopt, date of birth of child, where they currently reside, etc.) We sent our LOI for Miss A back in May of '08. ...done
PA(pre-approval)-States that China accepts your LOI, and that as long as you follow thru with the normal protocol, you are approved for the child requested. We received our PA in June. ...done
DTGR-done
DTCC(dossier to Chinese Consulate)-done
DBTGR(dossier back to Grand Rapids)-done
DTC(dossier to China)-done
LID(log-in date)-Dec. 26, 2008....Merry Christmas to us!....done!
LOA(letter of acceptance/approval)-It acknowledges that you are "officially" matched with the child that you have requested....kind of like PA, but the final copy. It is also a form that you must fill out, sign, and mail back to China. You are assuring them that you would STILL like to adopt the child you have PA for.....well, DUH!
TA(travel approval)-China acknowledges that they received your LOA and now you can come and get your child. It has been taking about a 3-6 wks to receive after LOA is mailed back to China.
Gotcha day-The day that you are united with your baby!

An "official" update.....WOOHOO!

About a week, or so ago I had a "meltdown" and felt like I was reaching my breaking point waiting for Miss A. It has been almost a year since we first saw her sweet face, and I am only human:). Let's just say I am starting to feel like an overdue elephant w/our paper "pregnancy." Even though we were getting information from the missionary which I am extremely grateful for (wonderfully kind hearted person!), they still weren't "official" Chinese updates from the adoptive affairs department. We kind of already knew that "official" ones are hard to get, and normally you are only provided with one (which we received in September.) I thought it couldn't hurt to ask, so I requested one from our agency. I kept checking my e-mail every 2-3 hours per day, everyday. With each passing day, I thought our chances were dwindling on hearing back. Much to my surprise, today was the day! China reports that Miss A. is a whopping 22 pounds (ok...not so whopping...she's actually quite petite for her age), and she is just shy of 3 ft. She is verbalizing now, sits up, and stands....so excited!! She just switched over to a solid food diet (please keep in mind that the orphanages do the best that they can, but their resources are very limited. these kiddo's are given the best care that they can provide.) All in all, it was a very positive update, and we are so thankful to know that our little peanut is doing well. Now.....if only mommy could be so lucky:).

Receiving this update was exactly what I needed to get me on my feet again. God knows exactly what we need in life....even the little things:).

We're back.....

After nearly two and a half years of prodding, I convinced my hubby that it was time to take a few days off and head over to see my parents. For those of you who know my husband, this is not an easy task. He is "married" to his job, and rarely leaves. He says it takes too much work to leave, and when he gets back....too much work to get caught up again. The only time he thinks of taking a few days off are 1. for birth/adoption related events, or 2. medically necessary appointments. He will occasionally take a few hours off in the afternoon to spend with the family, but consecutive days off do not happen very often. I'm not complaining...just stating the facts folks. I actually admire his dedication and work ethic. His mommy and daddy taught him well:).

Anyhoo, we traveled over to my parents house for a few days of fun and relaxation. We had a lot to celebrate, too. Miss M. turned 10 (yikes....I have a double digit child!), and my own mommy turned 21 again:). We also did a very belated Christmas party which, of course was a blast! It always makes me giggle to watch my dad open presents. He is just like a child....smiles the entire time, rips the paper in haste, and proudly displays his gifts. I love my dad b/c. he's just a big kid at heart! My mom, as usual, put on one lovely party. I hate to brag, but there is NOTHING like my mom's cooking. I think all we did was eat and drink coffee while we were there. I will spend the rest of the week "detoxing" from all of the yummy treats that she made. So a HUGE thank you to my parents for hosting us for a few days. We had a great time!

As an added bonus, on the way home we were able to stop and see Mr. J., Sr.'s brother, sister-in-law, and our cutie pie nephew that live a few hours away. It is always fun to visit w/them. Thank you M', R', and Austie for the hospitality. We can't wait to meet the newest little VK soon. . . .so excited for you guys! (if you missed the hints....they are expecting baby #2 in May:).

As soon as I find my camera cord, I will download some pics of the trip.