Update!!!!

Well, we received an update last Friday! Along with the 20 questions we had asked, they sent three new pictures!!!! She is becoming more beautiful by the day!!! It is so hard waiting and I so want China to come on and send that LSC..... I would never have imagined the wait would have been this hard. It is so treacherous waiting day in day out knowing that your precious daughter just waits.... Needing and deserving of the love that you hold bottled inside to give her!!!! Sometimes I find myself thinking of the song "somewhere over the rainbow" and thinking of my daughter:( Each week seems as though it will never end... I guess that's mostly because I am counting every single day in hopes that the arrival of our LSC is just that much closer to arrival!!! I can't even comprehend the love I hold in my heart for this precious little girl. It's like she grew in my belly but has somehow been displaced and I'm longing to hold her in my arms:) How can the love for this child be so string when I have yet to even meet her? I guess the same as the love you have for the child who grows inside of you but that you have yet to meet and actually touch. God, in His infinite wisdom, created a mother's heart and when He places that child in your heart, your mind, or your body it is a bond that can never be broken!!!!! Thank you Holy Father for the many gifts you have given me. Of those, I find so much thanks and amazement at how you made me a mom, not once, not twice, but three times.... And each time I stand even more amazed at your perfect plan!!!! Hold on my precious Makalynne, we are climbing these walls one at a time to come get you!!! We love you!!! :))

Maybe a little closer???

Well, I heard from Jessa at Great Wall again today. She informed me that she had received the LSC's for those families with a log in date of 11/26/10 and 12/8/10. That means we are the next batch to arrive!!! That's a little exciting although shadowed by the knowledge that we may have to wait another 4 weeks to get it. We are three weeks into our wait since log in and these families waited exactly 7 weeks!!! We are still praying and hoping that our wait won't be this long, but we shall see..... For now, We are holding on!!!!

Still Waiting

Well, we are still waiting... I talked to Jessa at Great Wall Wednesday this past week and she informed me that families logged in on 11/26/10 are still waiting on their LSC's to arrive. Ugh! That's a whole month ahead of us so we are not looking to receive ours anytime soon. That is not the news I wanted to hear, but nothing I can do about it. So I'll just stay on my knees praying that God will deliver it on His time table. So for now, I'll just look forward to hearing back on the update I requested on her. We are hoping to receive it later this week. We will keep our fingers crossed!!! I wanted to post the questions that I asked on the update request. I requested the following:
1. New pictures:)- Gotta have these:))
2. What are her most recent measurements and date taken?- I want to make sure I have a good estimate of her size when we go to get her
3. What are her favorite foods?- I wonder if she will have any?
4. What is her current feeding schedule and is she drinking from a bottle only? What solid foods does she like?- I'm not totally sure what to expect based upon the experiences of others. All these kids seem to be a little different in this respect
5. What is her sleeping pattern?- Should I be prepared for a night owl like her mommy or an early riser???
6. Does she share a crib with another child or sleep alone?- I hope she sleeps alone as I think it will make her transition a little easier. However, if she needs a bed buddy, her mommy will gladly fill that role:)
7. What things is she afraid of?- Good for preparation if she doesnt like musical toys, ect..
8. What comforts her when she is afraid or sad?- Definately good to know!!!
9. How well does she get along with the other children?- This will be helpful in preparing the boys for her
10. What is her favorite toy?
11. Has her palate been repaired and if so, how has she recovered since the surgery?- Her last report said she had a lip/palate repair done in August but it also said she would need a surgery later for her palate so we are unsure if they were referring to the initial surgery or a second repair that is usually needed
12. Is she saying any words?- If the palate has been repaired, we want to know if she has begun learning to develop words.
13. How many teeth does she have?- She had 4 as of the information we received in October
14. How is she doing developmentally? Is she walking?
15. What is her personality like? Is she a happy baby?
16. Does she like to be held?
17. Does she like sleeping with blankets?
18. Does she have a favorite object that she takes with her everywhere?
19. Does she use a pacifier?
20. Does she wear diapers and is she using the potty at all?
All of the questions we believe will help us in preparing to get her and in establishing routines after we get her. We just can't wait!!!!
Maybe we will get this sometime this week!!! I'm sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting!!!! For now, I'm keeping on praying.... Lord, Bring us our Daughter:))

The Ladybug Letter has arrived

Well, I was going to post today and talk about our wait! But, low and behold, I received an email from Jessa at Great Wall informing me that our Ladybug Letter had arrived!!! This is the letter informing us of our log in date with the CCAA! This means that we have officially been accepted by the CCAA as an adoptive family. Now, we just have to wait for the LSC (letter stating confirmation) to arrive. We are hoping to receive it within the next 5-6 weeks although it could take up to 10 weeks. We will see!!! So far we have been tracking along pretty well so we are just going to hold tight! God is good so we will leave it to Him and His time table!!! Once we get the LSC, we will then apply to immigration and the Consulate to obtain final approval. Then we will just wait for travel. We should travel within 3 months of Receiving the LSC so we will have a good guess of travel time once we get that! This has been a great day and we are so excited! I can't believe how close we are to getting our baby girl! I also requested an update today. I'll write more later on the questions I asked them to get answered. But, my biggest desire was definitely to receive more PHOTOS! I can't wait to see how much she has grown....