Merry Christmas!

It was a great Christmas, this year!  Sterling and Arabella definitely bring much joy & many blessings to the Christmas season.  It was extra special in the way that all of us were home together.  Earl took vacation time that allowed us to be home as a family!  We didn't do a lot but the simple fact we were together, was all that we needed.  We decorated, had family and friends over to share in the warmth of the season but didn't do our yearly open house.  I regretted it after the fact but honestly, at the time, was very happy to not worry with all the details involved and to simply enjoy doing a lot of nothing.  Great time recharging ourselves.    The greatest excitement is knowing this time next year, we will have 2 more little boys, running around, sharing in the excitement of Christmas and Jolly the Elf coming to stay for a short while and the new addition this year,  the miniature reindeers that came from the North Pole to visit.  They are friends with Jolly.  Sterling was filled with joy to learn that now we have reindeers to join the Christmas bunch.  Sterling named his reindeer Christmas and Arabella named hers Star.  So, now we have a Jolly the Elf on the Shelf and 2 reindeer, Christmas and Star.  I think they chose very clever names.  The kids LOVE the Christmas season and Earl and I LOVE watching the kids excitement and joy, each year.  Of course, while all the elves and reindeer and Santa Clause are fun, we must always keep the real reason for the season our priority--the birth of Jesus Christ!  Sterling thinks it's extra special that his birthday is only 2 days after Jesus's birthday.  :-)

Here are pictures from our Christmas:

Why is it, the lights all work when testing them but one week after installation, a whole lotta lights quite working!

Wow, he looks so mature in this picture..he's growing up too fast!

Arabella & Sterling are best friends and spend every moment together, when they are home! Christmas break was non-stop action for them and after Christmas day, they were buried in each other's gifts, sharing each and every one of them with the other.  Sweet moments & sweet siblings!

                                               Arabella asked Santa for lots of crafts, this year!

 

 

 

It's The Simple Things That Bring The Most Pleasure!

Tuesday, 12/16  was a day of joy, blessings and answered prayers!!  It's a day that will remain in our memories as a milestone of growth and progression for Sterling.

Earl and I had a parent-teacher conference scheduled and were very blessed to have a few moments with Sterling at lunch, before meeting with his teachers.  It was an amazing 10 minutes!  First, I must comment, it cracked me up that all the boys were at one end of the table and all girls at the other end.  Funny how they naturally group themselves.  Sterling was there in the middle of the boys, joining in the conversations with fellow peers who were as excited to share with Sterling as he was with them. 

Okay, did you catch that?!  Yep, I said, "Sterling was in conversation with his classmates!!!" 

This is the first school year that Sterling has had the language, articulation and awareness to carry on a meaningful conversation, express thoughts and to have intelligible speech to those outside our family!  I felt blessed to my inner core....no words can describe the joy this mama felt, to see her boy, completely engaged in conversation with his peers!!!  Sterling has made giant steps over these past 5 years and an enormous leap in the last 6 months!!! 

Then, during our teacher-parent conference, we learned that Sterling is now showing to be on level in reading...reading at a 2nd grade level!!!  Did you hear me....I said, "HE IS ON LEVEL" 

He started the school year off, about 1 year behind his peers.  Sterling has worked very hard to achieve an on-level reading goal...he is a determined little boy.... a real trooper!!!  He is also, the poster child for textbook research. 

When returning to school to further my education in the area of Deaf Education, it was a requirement to take  several speech and language courses and with each class, it discussed the affects of language & literacy skills and how these two areas are closely related.  Early language delays are predetermining flags for upcoming struggles in reading and writing. We've seen this in the past few years of Sterling's schooling.  Sterling had no language at 4 years old...he slowly started to gain receptive language by 5 years old....had to repeat Kindergarten because he was totally unaware of skills that other children learned in Kindergarten and years prior.

We are so thankful for the fabulous speech therapists that are in his life today and thankful for all the hard work they are doing with Sterling.  We are eternally grateful for these amazing ladies!! We never understood all that was involved with speech and language issues until we became parents to Sterling, and language became a lifestyle, not just something we did in speech therapy. 

We are also grateful to the many, many exceptional teachers that have come alongside Sterling to encourage and support his learning.  We are forever grateful to these amazing teachers that have been a determining factor in Sterling's success.

It's the simple things in life that bring the most pleasure, such as hearing your son having conversation with his peers, giggling and laughing, just like any other average 2nd grader!!

We are thankful to God's loving grace and His continued work in Sterling!  God is good....all the time!!

Below are some fun, random pictures of Sterling:

October 2012-Pumpkin Patch-6 years old 

 

Summer 2010-4 years old

August 2014--One handsome boy!

 

Chinese New Year Family Celebration-Making Dumplings

Sterling's 5 Year Family Anniversary!

 Back in November, we celebrated the joy of being Sterling's parents for 5 years!  While I posted a few pictures, I left out the current pictures of Sterling....so here was our family anniversary celebration, in pictures!  Yours truly, STERLING!

This picture really captures how much he has grown the how much older he looks, these days!

 

 

 

 

 

 

He chose an ice cream cake for this year's celebration!

 

 

 

 

I love the way his eyes close when he giggles or laughs!  Too cute!!

 

 

 

We've always talked about adoption, since day one of Sterling coming home.  His language development was no where near ready to comprehend but regardless, it's always been a topic in our home and when Arabella came home, it even increased because she was an older adoption and had first hand experiences and memories.  So, adoption is nothing new to Sterling, he knows he is Chinese, he knows he was born in China, knows he has a China mama, but still, "knowing" and completely comprehending is two different things.  Sterling seems to think he has always been with Earl and I.  We will continue to talk adoption in our home, will continue to be honest with our children but it's very sweet that Sterling feels he has always been in our family.  Very sweet, not as in we want to dissuade Sterling from understanding the truth, because we will always talk adoption with Sterling but when he says he has always been with us, we remind him, in simple, not too in-depth terms, the truth.  It is very sweet in the way that our boy that was a complete mess when he first came home--very malnourished, on the level of a 6 month old infant at 4 years old, no language, abuse, neglect and the list goes on--yet, he now feels a depth of security and love, that is indescribable.  We are very blessed by this sweet, sensitive and loving boy!!!  We look forward to watching how God will use this mighty warrior!!!  

Letter of Approval + Signatures = Closer to Bringing our Boys Home

We received the hard copy of our LOA (Letter of Approval) yesterday, 12/10!!!!!

The Letter of Approval is the "official" China document that connects us with our boys!  It's the document that confirms we have China's approval to adopt, love on & bring them home!!  Exciting times!!!!

Also special, the documents were processed in China and stamped with approval on November 25, our younger son Elijah's 3rd birthday!  A double blessing on this day!!!!

We signed both letters, and checked the boxes that state: "we accept the adoptee mentioned above."  The documents are already at the Fed Ex office, waiting to be returned to our agency, so in turn, they may forward them to China.  These documents cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

This has been the LONGEST adoption process, EVER!!!!  China's defense, most of the delay has been our family or in particular, ME!  When approaching Earl with consideration of adopting again,  part of the deal was that it wouldn't be a quick adoption and we would allow time for it to progress, without "yours truly" ME, pushing it along, as quickly as possible.  Well, I agreed on that day in April of 2013, anticipated the adoption taking a little over a year and estimate travel by the following summer, 2014.  Well, let's just say the obvious...it didn't happen.  Between starting a new job, family adjustments with the adoption of our daughter (which took well over a year) and some other hiccups along the way,  summer came and went. 

Then around the holiday season, when out on school break, I had planned to finish the paperwork before both children contracted strep throat and Sterling continued to go down hill throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday.  He ended up in the emergency room, twice before he turned the corner and was healthy again, in January.  There went my plans of completing paperwork during the school break.  Needless to say, it was a great joy when submitting our dossier to China, in August 2014!!!!!! Whew, so glad all the initial paperwork is done!

Now that we have the LOA,  the pressure, fun, stress, joy & anticipation with a bit of anxiety begins!!!!  I had put this all aside,  waiting until our LOA before starting my next series of lists and things to do before travel.  We are still at a loss where exactly Ming will find the delicate and much needed neurosurgeon but we continue to walk in faith and during this time of preparation, will once again, search out a Shriners or Scottish Rite facility that has the necessary facility needed to perform his delicate surgery.  It's a life threatening surgery however, there is no choice, Ming's life will be greatly shortened without the surgery.  We appreciate continued prayers, as we search out the needed medical facilities and doctor's needed to perform Ming's surgery.

Most families travel within 2-3 months of receiving their LOA but in our case, we are not traveling until the May time frame.  Given my new position at work and child care, we need to wait until end of the school year to travel.  But, these next several months will pass quickly and May will be here in no time at all!

Praise God for the Letter of Approval!

Next Steps:

Complete the I800 US Immigration paperwork: approximately 2 weeks processing time.

Once I800 approval is received, it will be forward to China

Article 5: not sure the exact time line

TA-Travel Approval: The final step before travel--after submitting LOA & I800: 8-10 weeks

End of April/Beginning of May: Earl & Sharee depart for China!!!

Please be in prayer with us, as we continue to process paperwork, locate proper medical facilities for Ming's surgery and for the transition of our new family dynamics!

How can you NOT fall in love with these precious faces!!!! Just look at them....Ming has the most beautiful smile and Eli, oh my goodness, those kissable cheeks!!!  I just want to wrap my arms around these boys and tell them, NEVER will you go without a mom & dad tucking into bed at night, giving you kisses and hugs and telling you how much you are loved!!!   I just want to hold them and reassure them of our love!!!

God is good......all the time!

5 Years A Family Blessed By Sterling!

5 years ago, on 11/23/2009, our lives were radically changed, in an unbelievable way!  Earl & I were in Nanjing, China to meet Sterling!  He is one of the best gifts we could have asked for, especially as our first child when embarking on the journey of adoption! 

It was a cold day, when we arrived at the CCWA office but Sterling had not yet made it, so we anxiously waited and watched out the window for signs of him.  It was a small room,  filled with three other families also meeting their children.  It was electrifying; emotions running high as we all shared the blessing of becoming a family, together! 

I remember the moment we spotted him...the gray van pulling into the front of the building.  My sweet tiny boy, in a large passenger van, seated all alone.  The orphanage representatives were seated together, in a different row.  It was heartbreaking & exciting, all in the same moment.  I remember thinking, why must he sit alone?  It was his final ride away from the orphanage and he was all alone. We were soon to learn, it was a representation of life in the orphanage-lonely, alone & empty.  I cried tears of sadness & of joy!  That was my boy, there in the window!

He bravely walked into the room with no idea what was happening.  A lady brought him to the couch and I reached out, picked him up and placed him on my lap.  He was, "lifeless."  He had no emotion and no life about him, only a blank stare that was full of emptiness & deep sadness.

In preparation of Sterling's adoption, I talked with other adoptive parents & read the book, "The Connected Child." This is a great book when preparing for an adoption but nothing....absolutely nothing....completely prepares you for that moment you meet your child.....your child who is extremely small for his age, extremely behind developmentally, absolutely no emotions & didn't know how to be held. We brought cheerios with us and he ate them, non stop, and with each grasp, it was as if someone was going to take it away from him.  He ate hastily with determination.  I felt a deep sense of sadness and yet, in complete awe that he was in my lap and from this day forward, he was ours!

Sterling came to us with no language, no speech, no verbal sounds what-so-ever, unable to walk stairs, unable to walk more than a very short distance, without tiring; crying himself to sleep for 4 hours a night-for months to come, eating with such determination that he would eat food off the floor at restaurants & eat until he was sick (or until mom & dad removed the food to prevent him from getting sick) and the list goes on.....HOWEVER, fast-forward 5 years & WOW, the transformation is incredible!  Sterling works hard in speech therapy and continues to make tremendous progress, is a loving, caring boy who has great compassion for others and especially small children & babies, works hard at his studies in second grade, loves his family and would rather be with family than anyone else, has grown by leaps and bounds and the list goes on...he is an incredible boy!

We cannot imagine our lives without his contagious smile, unconditional compassion for others (despite a history of abuse, neglect and malnourishment), a kind and gentle spirit you don't see everyday, a bundle of nerves and a personality of sweetness & sarcasm all rolled into one precious boy! Sterling has radically changed our lives in a way that is indescribable and God has used this little boy to teach us lessons in life, that no other experience could ever teach us!

Sterling, we love you to the end of the earth and there are no mountains or barriers that will EVER keep us apart or keep us from protecting you! You are a direct blessing from God & we are anxious to watch the big plans that God has in store for you!

Sterling at the orphanage, before adoption

Daddy & Sterling meet for the first time! Monday, 11/23/09

 

Daddy walking Sterling out of the CCWA office

 

 

Back at the hotel, mama undressed Sterling's multiple layer of clothing but left the bottom layer of clothing on him.  Sterling, trying to make sense of his new family/his new world.

Sterling sitting in his baby bed at the hotel.  Trying to process what was happening to him.

Wednesday-11/25/09: Signing local province paperwork, that states Sterling is our son!  In the eyes of China, Sterling is ours but not until we travel to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, will the US consider him our child.

 

More family photos at the China CCWA Office, after signing the Chinese Province paperwork!

THANKSGIVING-2009: The following day, Thursday, 11/26/09-we spent our first Thanksgiving together as a family, in Nanjing, China!  We walked across the street on Thanksgiving day and ate at a local restaurant!  It was Rice & Chicken for us that year and we enjoyed every moment!  How blessed we are to have been chosen as Sterling's parents!  We are truly blessed!!

 

Not There Yet.....But Another Step Closer!

We received word that our LID status changed and is now, "Match Review!"  The next step will be a status of, "Matched," and from there, "LOA"!!!  LOA is extremely close to receiving permission to bring our boys home!!!  Our agency said that once our status becomes, "Matched," it is typically about 2 weeks when the LOA is issued!  Y-E-A!!!!

Okay, what does this all mean?  Match Review means that someone is reviewing our request to bring the boys home and that person, whoever they may be, will send a request to both orphanages requesting them to forward the documentation on our boys! Once the officials receive the information from the two orphanages, the LOA can be issued!!!!

LOA= Letter of Approval to adopt our boys!!!!

I know, I know-- about now-- you are thinking.....the "PA" (Pre-approval) means your approved to bring these boys home, right?! ......and oh yea, what about the Dossier, the mounds and mounds of paperwork that tells every last detail of our family, doesn't that mean we can bring our boys home. 

Well, no & no. 

Yes, we submitted a Letter of Intent to China requesting permission to adopt the boys and from there, a PA (pre-approval) was issued, which allows us to submit our dossier with the "intent" to bring the boys home, but not until China reviews our Dossier and verifies that we do meet all the requirements to adopt from China, does China make it official that we are approved to adopt these precious boys! 

LOA= Letter of Approval to Adopt, Ming & Eli!!!

Okay, we're not there yet!  LOA, simply states that yes, we submitted all our paperwork up to this point, yes we meet requirements to adopt from China and yes, Eli & Ming will be our children BUT, several more steps must occur.  The I800 or US Immigration paperwork, that will allow both boys to be US citizens, the moment the plane touches down on US soil, then the Article 5 is issued, which my understanding is paperwork that says, China received the I800 from the US Immigration and it's approved from the US Government, for us to bring the boys home.  THEN and only then, the Travel Approval will be issued.

Travel Approval: Allows us permission to travel to China.  China is a communist country and a travel approval is required (along with a valid passport & visa) to travel to China.

Now, don't get too anxious, we're not there yet.......when China issues the TA (travel approval),we request a visa from the US government.  But, a visa cannot be requested or issued without the TA (Travel approval)

Are you completely lost now?????  Yep, probably so, and  we were too the first time we adopted.  Now that we are on our 4th adoption, it's starting to make more sense.  I say "sort of" only because China is always changing things and with each adoption, something has been slightly different than the previous adoption.

Either way, it's a joy and a blessing that we are further along and another step closer to bringing the boys home to their family!!!!   We are singing praises of thanks!!!! 

Adoption Update!

Here's an update on our adoption!

First and foremost, a huge blessing to share-- God brought us together with someone special, who agreed to come into our home and stay with Arabella and Sterling while we travel!!  That my friends, is a true God story!  This adoption has been very different than our three previous adoptions and while each has its own story, this one by far, is the biggest leap of faith! 

One leap of faith, was trusting God to work it out for us to travel, together-ie: childcare for 3+ weeks with someone we trust. He did so in a big way, finding someone that we've known for years, through a friend & neighbor.  She's a caring and loving, Christian lady who is a grandmother and a retired school teacher! We appreciate her and the love and kindness she will show our children while we are gone!

When starting this adoption, the plan was for Earl to travel solo and this was our plan for a good long while, until we were blessed with the approval to adopt 2 boys at the same time.  At first, we were comfortable with Earl traveling solo; but the more we thought, the more we felt the need for both to travel.  Adopting one child, no problem; while extremely stressful, Earl is more than capable and willing but with 2 children, it completely changes the dynamics.  I felt it was not fair for Earl to manage 2 new children, on his own.  BUT, the biggest issue with us traveling together, was finding someone to care for Sterling and Arabella.  We had no one and knew if it were to happen, it would be a faith walk and trusting God to work out the details.  Praise God, he did and in a super big way!! 

We continue to wait for the Letter of Approval/Letter Seeking Confirmation (LOA/LSC).  We've been counting & waiting since September 11, when our dossier (mounds of paper) was logged into China's computer system.  Last night, we learned that another family adopting, received their LOA after an 80 day wait.  Their log-in date of August 11,  is exactly one month, before us--so, this helps to better gauge when our LOA/LSC will potentially arrive.  We guess around the end of November to the first of December time frame, we will receive our Letter of Approval from China, "officially" approving us to adopt Eli & Ming! 

Below are updated pictures of Eli.  We received a report that said Eli is having a rather difficult time adjusting to his newest foster family.  In less than a year, this is his third foster family.  We can't wait to travel and bring him home so that he will learn to understand the true dynamics of a family and that families are forever.   Please continue to pray with us that our boys remain in God's loving care and remain healthy and safe.