Settling in...

I would like to be more patient. More gentle. Less frustrated. Less irritable.

Oh! And proper perspective all of the time. Easypeasy.

This last one is key...because overall, Ava-Yin has done AMAZING...and I mean, super, duper amazing. I didn't realize what a blessing the timing of the travel would be, but because it was over the Christmas/New Year season, Lee has not had to return to work yet-that happens on Thursday. Eeeek!

So...we've been able to totally focus on getting her into a routine. Did you know I like routine? It makes me blissfully happy, content, and feel in control when everyone in the household follows THE (aka MY) routine. I was so excited that we recovered from jet lag within a few days. Those 3:45am wake ups were killer! Once we had that hurdle jumped it was time to schedule her naps and bed times. 

She was all for it... HAHAHAHA!!

Look at this picture...aren't they cute?

Yeah, well, this took two hours...from 8-10...to get to this point. Not a part of the routine.

After a couple of nights of wild party in the girl's room, we decided to bunk their beds. Ava-Yin is on the top bunk, bc we figured she'd be less likely to try to climb down. Instead, she fell off five minutes after I walked out of the room. This was the first time she cried from being in pain. Whoops. No serious injuries though, and back up she went. She fell asleep after that.

Since then, at nap time and bed time, I post myself outside of their room until Ava-Yin is asleep. The goal is to not let them get riled up. So in and out I go. It seems like a really long time of persistent, tender-loving good nights...but it's really only been 15-30 minutes tops. <insert above wish list>

We do have immediate tears any time she is told no, or doesn't get her way. But, she suffers quietly,  and it's a great opportunity to snuggle and love on her. Sometimes, she seems to love us right back. Other times, she is barely tolerating us...hard to believe, isn't it? And then other times, she wants nothing to do with anyone...

When we aren't forcing slumber on her, we are playing and doing our daily chores and such. We've only left the house three times for very short in-town trips, and she's done well each time. It is a juggle trying to be sure all four of the kiddos are given good attention. Briton, Zoe and Ava-Yin demand it-usually at the same time, and usually about food. Sometimes I wonder if I've even spoken to Caleb during the day! Poor Bub!

At the end of the day, though, I can look back and be confident that this house is full of JOY. Thank you, Lord for joy.

Lee has just politely reminded me it's 7:02. Wish me luck! I'll be pacing outside a certain bedroom if anyone needs me!

JOY-Caleb and Ava-Yin.

The Day They First Met.

Aunt Mandy brought Caleb, Briton and Zoe home from Ga where they had been staying with Lee's parents for almost three weeks. HUGE SHOUT OUT to Ed and Ellen Kirkland and Mandy Cook for taking excellent care of these three while we were in China. Ed was our full-time care giver day in and day out....he's probably still sleeping and trying to recover. Ellen would work long hours at school and then come home and be the amazing Mamo she is to them all evening and all weekend long. I swear she never gets tired! And then Mandy drove all the way down from Newnan on several occasions to be an extra set of hands. You all are amazing and we thank you so much!

We put Ava-Yin down for an early nap and just let her sleep it out-hoping that would help to reset her clock- maybe then she'd sleep later than 3:15am the next morning. She had gone to sleep around 10am, and it was now 2, so we decided to get her up to get ready to meet her brothers and sister. Trouble is, you don't  actually wake Ava-Yin up. She sleeps so hard, that when forced awake, she's literally in a fog for quite some time.

And this was her state when the siblings arrived. Comatose standing up and eyes open. The boys spoke very gently to her and handed her small toys and did really well entering into her life. I just don't think she was awake to see it. Zoe didn't have too much to do with her. She gave me a huge hug, then ran outside to play. Ava-Yin stood by Lee or me and just watched. For a good hour. 

Then, like a light switch, she woke up out of her daze and began interacting with her new family. It was really fun to watch unfold. Even little Zoe, opened up and began talking to her big sister. The four played with toys, ran up and down the stairs, and played on the playground all afternoon and evening. Lots of joyful sounds.

Then the girls really became fast friends at bedtime! Took me an hour and being stationed outside their room on the stairs to finally get them settled down! I guess that's good for their bonding...even if it is teaming up against me!

Stateside

We couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy! Ava-Yin did great. We left our hotel at 8:30am and flew out of Guangzhou and into Beijing.

SECURITY was thorough at this place. At least four different checkpoints. We even had one on the bridge leading into the aircraft!!

Our flight to Detroit was 13 hours. She played, watched the tv screens, ate, etc. until 2am and then finally crashed for the last couple of hours.

We got put at the front of our very own customs line, so we avoided major wait times and gridlocks. And just like that, she became an American citizen! And we were done with our international travel.

From landing to our hotel shuttle was approximately 30 mins. Waaaay faster than I was expecting;)

We stayed up until 9pm and managed to sleep til 3:15am. Jet lag. Blah.

 We're hanging around the hotel for a while longer and then head to the airport for our final hop home!!

Consulate appt: wet docs and throw up

The day after we arrived in Guangzhou, we met with our guide, Miko, and spent a good hour going over the official documents that would be submitted to the consulate today.

Once we were done filling out and compiling the necessary paperwork, we were to place everything in a plastic envelope, place in the safe and NOT open again. Easy enough...AKA these are very important. DON'T TOUCH!! This much I understand!!

We were also instructed to put child's snack and water in a clear plastic bag. No watches, bags, cameras, or purses allowed in the Consulate. 

It was raining today, so I got the bright idea to put EVERYTHING in our plastic ziplock: official docs folder, snacks and water bottles.

We got to the lobby after jumping puddles and dodging umbrellas only to find that Ava-Yin's water bottle had leaked, in its entirety, all over our official docs. They were dripping wet. We called Miko over so she could assess the situation. Lee, Miko, and our traveling buddy, Jeff, grabbed tissues and start drying off the water. Patting. Not wiping. We wouldn't want to smudge the ink!!

Meanwhile, Ava-Yin is not willing to unleash me since we are outside of the hotel. So I'm knelt down holding her when Miko points and says 'she sick?'

You got it. In the midst of frantically trying to spare our consulate papers, ava-yin throws up in the lobby. Thankfully, it wasn't a lot and I was able to clean us up with baby wipes.

As with everything else in China, we were in a time crunch. Miko put our docs back in correct order, stuffed them back in the plastic envelope and off we went to the consulate. Wet and smelly were we.

Finally, it was our turn at 'the window.' I decided there really was no point in launching into a huge explanation of what had led up to the baptism of our official papers. So I basically handed them to our officer and said, 'ummm...these are wet.' He looked at us with a questioning glance and then began pealing our papers a part. He was very nice, and thankfully the most importance piece of paper was fairly dry, and so he pushed our paperwork through the process.

Miko assured us we are the first family with this issue. She will, from now on, advise families not to place their docs in the same bag as the sippy cup.

Ava-Yin has not thrown up since.

Shopping and naps

Shopping here in Guangzhou is SO fun! Cool stuff everywhere at crazy affordable prices!!

That's what we've done the past couple of mornings. I'm not a very good shopper, but this has been fun. We've bought Jewelry, clothes, scrolls, swords, chopsticks, ornaments, and other odds and ends. All for around $500!!!! CRAAAAZY! This kind of shopping I can get used to!!

We've been getting back to the hotel room around 1 and Ava-Yin takes her nap. She's still been very clingy to me once we leave the hotel room, and today she wanted me to carry her everywhere. So by the time we get back here, we're both pretty tired. It's so nice that she falls right to sleep. Lee and I eat lunch together, then read, Facebook, blog, whatever we want...we feel very spoiled by this little one so far.

This afternoon we have to stay in our rooms from 2-4. We will receive a phone call if there's an issue with her TB test. No phone call is a good thing. We're 45 mins in...

From Beijing to Guangzhou. From dad to mom.

Has it really almost been a week??! How is that even possible??!

We did do a few more tours in Beijing...and then headed down south to Guangzhou.  This was the day that Ava-Yin began to change her alligence somewhat.

Up until this point, Lee was pretty favored. She would still go to me, but she definitely preferred Lee. I knew this was not unusual and So, I would sit and watch them play, he would hold her hand or carry her while we were out. i tried mainly to be available, but also non-threatening and not pushy. I knew it would just be a matter of time before she succumbed to my charm;)

It happened at the airport. I think the environment made her a little nervous-I make her feel safe. Lee's fun to play with...but I provide security. I kinda like it.

She was pretty clingy to me when we went shopping today...should be interesting to see how long this trend goes. 

Gotcha day!

She was waiting for us in the office. All bundled up and sitting in a chair. I knelt down in front of her and wiggled her feet and gently patted her legs. Took out her new stuffed bear from her book bag.  Slowly, I sat beside her and stroked her hair.

I really tried to be non-threatening and to gently insert myself into her life. Her nannies had a different approach. They were very excited and would point and say 'mama! Baba!' Then they had her kiss each of us. Even though I wasn't comfortable with them coercing her like this, we just rolled with it.

I eventually got her on my lap and she soon began to cry. A lot was going on around us, and I think she knew she was leaving soon. I rocked her and we cried together. She got pretty loud at one point, and when we left she really got upset. But the Lord instilled such peace in my heart. I knew this was giving me my first opportunity to bond and comfort her. 

The crying lasted a good while. We tried a lollipop, crackers, juice...she would take it all, but still cry.

At this point we were at the notary office. I brought out the bubbles. HA! SUCCESS! She never smiled, but she would pop the bubbles and she stopped crying. After a while, she gave it all up and fell asleep in my arms. Ahhhh....we're gonna be ok...

The Orphanage visit and chicken pox drama

I really had no idea what we would see once we were inside the orphanage. You hear horror stories about some places, and I had not heard much about Ava-Yin's. I was pleasantly surprised.

There are several buildings that make up this SWI (Social Welfare Institute) and they were surrounded by big playgrounds and a nice-looking garden area.

We didn't get to see where she slept or ate. Instead they took us to the classrooms. Each room was dedicated to a specific area of learning and/or development: music, dancing, art, computers, physical therapy, fine motor skills, math, and more. We couldn't take pictures, but I remember thinking that every room was clean, organized, colorful and fun! I even told Lee "she's gonna be bored at home"!:) There seemed to be 3-5 caregivers for each small group of children. Again, we didn't see every area, or everyone, but what we did see was very positive to me.

Our drama: when we got Ava-Yin, I asked if she was taking any meds. They told me no, and then a few minutes later handed me several medicine samples. I wrote how many times/day she was to take each one...but I never understood what they were for. We foud out later-Chicken pox. She didn't have many on her face and she was all bundled up, so we didn't realize til later that the breakout was all over her back and tummy. Great. Lee and I have already had them, and the family we're traveling with was fine...except for their new daughter-not vaccinated. Helen called folks at our adoption agency and they immediately took steps to separate our two families

:((((...this just stinks because we've really enjoyed the Maddoxs. Totally awesome family.

Anyway...the 'quarantine' has not been a huge deal, BUT, since she's only had the virus since Sunday, we're concerned the doctor who clears us to leave for the US, may want us to stay in-country for a while longer. We won't know til Saturday, I believe. You know what's next: please pray the virus is running its course now and she'll be cleared on Saturday. 

Other than this little hiccup, she is doing so well!!

Orphanage visit and chicken pox drama

How to cross the road:

You could play frogger and run up and down, side to side and hope for the best. But I've never been very good at frogger, so my new and almost proven method of crossing the road is The Human Shield. Yup...find an unsuspecting road-crosser and hide behind him and walk when he walks and stand when he stands. This actually works until The Shield breaks out in a sprint and you're left standing there unprotected. Can you say HOOD ORNAMENT??!

Today was a fun day of touring Tiananmen Square, forbidden city, and temple of heaven. We ate an authentic Chinese meal for lunch, got our money exchanged at the bank and then got back to our hotel by 3pm. We then walked 10 mins down the road and walked all over the mall for the remainder of the evening. 

Jet lag has not been too bad...made it til 9pm tonight!

No bumps in the road

Seriously couldn't have asked for a better, smoother travel day. We left our house at 4:15am on Thursday and arrived in Beijing at 4 on Friday afternoon.  Our guide, Flora, was waiting for us with Mr. Li, the van driver, and we took off for the Inner Mongolia Hotel.

There, we were introduced to a mom and her newly adopted daughter-SO SWEET!! 

Our only glitch was that our hotel wouldn't accept and exchange the brand new $100 bills. So.... We didn't have any money for supper...but honestly, we were both so tired it really didn't matter.

We were both OUT by 7pm...and then awake at 11:30pm...but went back to sleep and slept pretty well until 6 this morning.

We ate a huge breakfast with our new friends. A buffet with cereals, pastries, breads, eggs, meats, fruit and sheep entrails...guess which we didn't eat??!

Midway through the day, I looked at lee and said, can't you just feel the prayers of everyone surrounding us? We really,  truly can. 

One week countdown...

Hard to believe. In just one week we fly out of Charleston, to Detroit and then over to Beijing. 

We will stay in Beijing for the weekend and on Sunday night head to Ava-Yin's orphanage city via the bullet train (240 mph speed train!!)

On Monday, we will go to the orphanage and meet Ava-Yin for the very first time. We are hoping our guide will have an opportunity to ask as many questions as possible about her life at the orphanage. After finishing up some paperwork we will leave with our brand new daughter!

Please take the journey with us!! We will do our best to update this blog daily while in China. Can't wait for all of us to meet her!!

from TA to CA...some more details

 Don't you love acronyms? Totally simplifies life...if you know what they mean;)!!

Today, we got our official TA (travel approval)...which means China is letting Lee and Heather Kirkland come on over for a visit! They say the Chinese get the biggest kick out of American Southerners trying to speak their language!!

We already have our passports and visas, so our next item to check off the list is securing a CA (Consulate Appointment) in Guangzhou, China. We can either request first available or most preferred date. There's a pretty long list of families wanting first available (around Nov 16), so we feel comfortable in asking for a later appointment, Dec 9.

The CA is the last thing we will do in China. So if we get approved for the 9th, we will need to be in Ava-Yin's province city two weeks ahead of time. Our gotcha day (day we first meet...and take...Ava-Yin) would be Dec 2nd, and we would actually leave for China on Thanksgiving Day.

So...in 48 hours we should know whether or not we have a confirmed CA (aren't you proud you know what that means now??), we will then book our flights and press on...4 weeks and counting .
GOOD GRACIOUS!!

Getting ready to get ready

We're doing what we can to get ready. 

Our goal is to take as little luggage as possible since we have to move around a good bit. So this past weekend we actually went did a run-through of packing our suitcase (Lee's idea of course;))!)

 We think we can get it all into one checked bag, a carry on and two backpacks! It would be less, except Bejing's temp and Guangzhou's temp varies the same as NY to FL in November! So we have to be prepared for cold and warm temps. 

The girl's room is all ready. My sister and a good friend came and painted a mural on the wall, and Mamo bought new bedding. It looks amazing and makes me smile so so big!!

Please pray that all the final details get knit together as smoothly as everything else has gone so far, that the final $1500 will be raised in time, and that all 6 of our hearts be prepared for the big changes coming up! 

Today. A year ago.

It just feels so weird to think back to a year ago today.

Lee and I had packed Caleb, Briton and Zoe off  to Ga with their grandparents for the weekend. We were going to a Marriage Conference on Friday and Saturday morning. After the conference, we would spend an evening with another couple. A fun-filled, child-free weekend! WHOOP WHOOP!

During the Friday evening session, a mother, who had recently adopted from Ethiopia, was sharing her story and promoting an adoption/foster care organization she and her husband had developed. It truly was an amazing, heart-warming presentation.

I remember sensing a physical change in Lee during her talk, but didn't think much about it. I moved on to the rest of the conference. I thought he had too.

It wasn't until after the seminar was over that Lee shared with me the very direct calling he had felt during the adoption testimony. He knew, beyond any doubt, that we were to adopt an orphan.

That was a year ago today. It's been a year? or, it's only been a year? I'm not sure which. It seems like a really long time ago...and then it seems like, 'wait a minute! we just started this!'

But clearly, the best thing to reflect on is the way God has gone before us during the entire process. From choosing an adoption agency, to the way our paperwork flowed, to our matching with Ava-Yin, to the fundraising...He has been there all along...several steps ahead of us, and in remarkable ways.

I suspect we still have much to see of Him as the rest of the story is written.

The above and beyond yard sale

I have to blog about the yard sale. We knew it was going to be successful...but WOW...Saturday was amazing.

Let me start by saying that Lee and I put one item, of our own, in the yard sale. One. And it didn't sell:). And yet, we loaded two vans, three trucks and a pull-behind trailer full of donated items and took it to our neighborhood-wide yard sale.

Between us and the neighbors, we had advertised on facebook, Craig's list and word of mouth.

We arrived at 5:20am to begin setting up. We knew it would take a while. At 6:20, seasoned yard-salers with their little flashlights began arriving and away we went! Cars were parked everywhere for several hours. I couldn't believe the turnout.

My mother-in-law had made these signs for us to display around our tables. It worked.

Complete strangers paid above what we were asking, and refused change. One sweet girl handed us an envelope that said 'extra giving', neighbors gave donations, other tables gave out of what they had earned that day.

There's no way to even calculate the amount of people involved in making that day as successful as it was. From the people who donated the items to sell, to the people who prayed, to the people who bought, to the people who gave. We are humbled. And we thank you.

We were hoping for $600-$700. We cleared $1,000.00.

Where's all the money going? PART II

The first time I posted this particular blog in September, we had $8,000 of the  "Travel Costs" listed below. Those have all now been raised and we are steadily working on Out-of-Pocket expenses. It's really cool to see how much has happened in less than a month!

 We forget how surprised we were at how much an adoption costs. When people ask us, we're reminded, by the look on their faces, that not everybody knows how much it costs to adopt a child. People are genuinely shocked by the amount.

Our estimated total is :$29,905.50

Our agency fees run around $10,500-they handle the home study, documents to China, and all the legwork between us, China, and both governments. THIS HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL!!

U.S. out-of-pocket expenses are $2,500-classes, fingerprinting, training, visas, certifications. THIS HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL!!

Travel Costs for China are $11,220.00-this covers official costs, hotels, guides, in-country flights and tips. WE HAVE RAISED $11,220.00 SO FAR..

Out-of-Pocket Costs run around $5,800 and include international flights, food, spending money.
 WE HAVE RAISED $3300 SO FAR...
I hope this helps to answer any funding questions. We were blessed to be able to fund the beginning of the adoption out of our own resources. Some families fund-raise every.single.dollar! That's amazing to me!!  Can you see how close we are?? Truly, God does not add dollars HE MULTIPLIES them together!!

Thanks for reading...

Heather's Gotcha' Day Jitters

Yesterday, our adoption agency hosted a webinar to walk us through our trip to China. It was quite an informative meeting...to say the least. I thought I'd share some of the process with you...

We actually go to the capital city of Ava-Yin's province. We stay there a week before traveling on to Guangzhou , which is the Ellis Island of China. All immigrants pass through Guangzhou.

I'm not really sure what I expected about Gotcha' Day (the day we are given our daughter), but hearing it verbalized put some butterflies in my tummy, for sure.

We go to the Civil Affairs building with our tour guide/translator. There, Ava-Yin is brought to us by one of her caregivers. While we are introducing ourselves to Ava-Yin, our translator will ask a list of questions to the caregiver, in an attempt to find out anything and everything he can about little Ava-Yin.

And that's it. We fill out some paperwork, say goodbye to the caregiver.  And off we go with Ava-Yin. Just the three of us.

 The thought puts a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes-to imagine how scared this little person must be at these strangers taking her away from her life.

I'm a little scared, too, Ava-Yin. But, finally, we can be scared together.

PART II: So what's the big hurry anyway??

The other reason we are in a hurry to get Ava-Yin home is she is special needs. She requires specialized medical treatment that is not available to her in China. The longer she waits for medical attention, the greater the potential for permanent damage to her little body.

But! Guess what??!...

We have an International Adoption Clinic just 20 minutes away from us, with a team of specialists and experts who help adoptive families with the transition of coming home. As soon as we get her here, Ava-Yin will be evaluated medically, developmentally and behaviorally. The medical staff will be the centralized team that will provide referral and coordination of her care. We will not be on our own when it comes to her unique special needs.

So much awaits her when she gets home! We can get her on the right track to a full and wonderful life. She doesn't have to be in pain and discomfort. Her body doesn't have to deteriorate. We can put a stop to all of it and get her healthy and well.

Your donations are ending a life of isolation and neglect and beginning a life of health and happiness. We cannot thank you enough.

PART I: So what's the big hurry anyway??

It's not just that we are excited and anxious to meet Ava-Yin. To finally have her in our arms. To learn who she is and how she responds to us, her parents, and to Caleb, Briton (oh my!), and Zoe (double oh my!;)). It's not just all of that.

It's this:

" A well-tended child is fed, cradled, and soothed when she cries from hunger and crankiness. This scene plays out hundreds of times in the first month of life alone...Deprived of a caretaker who touches and cradles her, the growing child cannot learn to bond with other people or even process sights, sounds, and sensations...without vital sensory input, a child's brain circuitry becomes impaired. Children who were neglected early in life so often display delayed learning, social ineptness, attachment difficulties...Isolation is more damaging to an infant than early mistreatment."

The Connected Child by Karen Purivs

Ava-Yin has been in an orphanage since she was found at the gate of a gas basin factory when she was three days old. In her orphanage there are 105 beds occupied by 96 abandoned infants. 

96 infants!!??!! How could a caregiver possibly give all of those babies the love and attention they need?

They can't. And that's one reason why we're in such a big hurry. Three years is already too long to not have a soothing voice to comfort her cries, a loving voice to reassure her that she's safe, loved and cared for. It's been too long to not have a family to call her own. It's just been too long. It's time for her to come home.

There's also another reason...

Update from China!!

Once we were matched with Ava-Yin, we were allowed to ask the orphanage 10 questions to give us an idea of her likes, dislikes, personality, etc.

I am pleased to announce she is NOT a picky eater!!! FINALLY...I will get a baby who eats!!!!

However, what scares her are cats and dogs...hmmmm...what to do with Chloe the cat and Smeagol the dog??

She likes to play with dolls and house games, and she still sleeps in a crib.

What makes her the happiest is being played with, and giving her snacks to eat...Papa-as always, snacks are YOUR department:-)...

She doesn't speak any English and she has only ever been out of the orphanage to play at the park a couple of times!

And that sums up what we know of Ava-Yin at this point. Did you see her updated pictures? Lee loves the tights!!

Hasn't she grown so much, already!
Click here to help bring her home!

http://adopttogether.org/thekirklands/

God's Signature

One thing we didn't tell everyone, was that after we issued the $2500 challenge last week, we received an email from our adoption agency telling us we owed an additional $140 fee for the matching notification.

I didn't want to go back and increase the $2500 challenge. That may be discouraging to folks;)... so Lee and I would just have to cover this amount.

When we closed out Friday's challenge we were $100 over our $2500 goal.

We received one donation on Saturday...guess how much?

$40.00

This is the first and only $40 donation we've received to date. God's Signature.

Putting the FUN in FUNdraising!

...well...we're trying to anyway! 'Tis a lot harder than I thought:)

BUT...it's been a fabulous week. We started the 180 to 100 campaign with $400 in our http://adopttogether.org/thekirklands/ account.

Donations started coming in...roughly four per day! The thrill of getting that email notice of another donation is AMAZING!!

By the middle of the week, we had received the official Letter of Acceptance, which meant more paperwork had to be filled out, and our next payment of $2500 was due. We were $580 short of making that payment.

On Thursday, we issued a challenge to our facebook family and friends...to see if we could raise enough money to keep the process moving.

The money came in. We weren't surprised that it did. God is clearly driving this process and so we knew He would provide the funding. But maaaan....whatta rush!!!

We've heard from high school friends, missionaries across the world, college friends, previous coworkers, new friends and coworkers, family, church family, and complete strangers!!

The Lord is knitting together a community for Ava-Yin like none we could ever have imagined. I hope you all are experiencing the joy of being on this journey with us. Love you!

brothers and sister

We didn't tell the children about Ava-Yin right away…just in case something happened in between us submitting the paperwork and receiving acceptance.

But, as you know, all of that happened pretty quickly.

So, we decided to have an all-day outing and pizza. After supper, we showed them the pictures of Ava-Yin for the very first time.

I'm not sure what I was expecting…but the expressions on these little faces made my heart melt.

Take a look…

Briton-"She's so cute!" Caleb- "She's perfect!"

Now..where was Zoe during all of this? Running around the restaurant behind me!

She doesn't understand what is going on…but she's cute, so I had to share a pic of her too!!

WE JUST LOST ANOTHER MONTH!!!!

Holy Cow!! I can't keep up!!! Our phone just rang again with another update...our paperwork is already back from China!! It didn't take 2-4 weeks~it took 4 days. FROM CHINA!!??? How is that even possible???!!!

I know it appears I may be slightly freaking out. I'm not. At all. Well...maybe...just a little!!!

God has got something big going on!! That's all I know...He specializes in the impossible.

Please! Just keep praying and giving. We need your help, and we need it now!

180 to 100 campaign begins

Thank you! Thank you! for all of your wonderful supportive comments! Ava-Yin is truly going to bless all of our lives!

On Wednesday we got the news that the rest of the adoption process has changed up a little bit, and instead of 6 more months before travel, we could potentially leave in 3-4 months!

We are beyond excited at this news. Two weeks ago we didn't even know who our daughter was going to be...and now we are in fast forward mode like crazy!! I gotta get this house cleaned!!

So, this weekend, we kicked off our 180 to 100 campaign. We are asking 180 people to donate $100 to our adoption fund~the link on this blog~over the next 30 days. Reaching this goal would mean bringing Ava-Yin home as soon as we can get her! Will you consider helping us?

Just look at that face;))))

Introducing Ava Yin Kirkland

And here she is. Ms. Ava Yin Kirkland (well...almost:0)

Ava Yin is three and a half years old...just 4 months older than Zoe. She sleeps well, eats well, plays well. She can talk and count to 5!

She was found at the gate of a gas basin factory when she was 3 days old and has been in an orphanage ever since.

We are so incredibly excited to show you these photos of her. She is just too, too precious!!

The Timeline...sorta', kinda'...

After the paperwork you wait. That's it. For a long time.

Our goal, this summer, was to get logged into China's database system, and then our agency would work with China in getting us matched with a special needs girl between the age of 0-4 years old. That matching process takes approximately 3-4 months.

Then, it takes two weeks to get pre approval, then 90 days to get a letter of acceptance, and then 2-3 more months before we travel to go and get her.

On July 12, we were officially logged into China's database! YAY! Only one more year left to go of the process. Now begins the 3-4 months of waiting to find the amazing little girl who will become a part of our family! Maybe we'll know something by Thanksgiving?!!

But less than 3 weeks later, the phone rings, "Heather, we have the file of a little girl we would like for you and Lee to consider for adoption, would you take a look?"

We did take a look. And we fell in love. We had less than 48 hours to make a decision. It wasn't that hard.

I think you'll understand why~

Who We Are. What We're Doing.

So yesterday I was telling you all about the deeply intellectual and spiritual thoughts I was experiencing right after Lee told me we had been called to adoption:

Errrrr. Ummmmmm. HUH???!!

Fortunately, Lee married a calm, quiet, rational girl, who seldom speaks her mind before processing her thoughts (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)!!! Actually, I did pretty well, and decided to wait this out. If it was a true calling, then I would trust Lee to lead the family, and I would willingly help him in any way I could. AKA: I wasn't bringing this up again!!

Side Note: It's amazing how much more gets done when I sit back and keep my mouth shut!

That very next week Lee began making phone calls, began researching adoption agencies, and signed us up for an informational meeting being held at our church.

And that's how it all started. We've done home study, interviews, on-line computer classes, readings, paperwork, paperwork, oh! and more paperwork!

It's actually gone very smoothly, and we've not run into any major glitches. Just moving happily and steadily along the timeline...I'll share the timeline with you tomorrow. That's where things start to get REALLY interesting!

Who We Are. What We're Doing.

So there we were sitting in a Marriage Conference. It was  October of 2012, and a presentation was given by a mom who had adopted several children from Uganda. It was a really neat story. I listened and nodded my head like I usually do, and moved on to the rest of the conference.

Enter Lee. You know, the guy who is really quiet and never says too much in a crowd? The one who prefers behind-the-scenes support roles? The likable, take it easy, let's not ruffle feathers or make too many changes- Lee? Yeah. Him. He tells me that he was really impacted by the adoption presentation and knows clearly and beyond a doubt that our family has been called to adopt.

Errrr. Ummmmm. HUH???!!!