July 31st

Today my Agency has sent out referrals.. So today I prayed that an Update upon Nathan was recieved... I even emailed the agency (I know they were busy) asking for the tracking number for our LOI so I knew when it was received there.. But no response.. Maybe because they were getting all teh referrals out and I can imagine how busy they were...Can you imagine? I am hoping I did not get a reply because they did have an update on Nathan and that they wanted to send the tracking number and Nathan in one email.. I can hope at least that is the reasoning...lol
I keep waiting for someone from our orphanage to go get their bundle...and maybe ask them...No I will flat out ask, pleade, beg, grovel, if they can take a picture of him so I can see what he looks like as a toddler.. I think the pics I have are between 3-5 months old..and he is now 16 months.

I am calling our Church tomorrow and asking to speak with our pastor. To see if they will mention us and maybe allow a bakesale, caeser pizza fundraiser, etc.. To help with our adoption... I am going to a friends house tomorrow to someone who has done alot of fundraising and plan to pick her brain.

My husband wants to do the Golf Tourney to help with the adoption cost (mainly for our trip there and back (and inbetween)) He even mentioned if it had a descent turnout that he would try and organize it every year and send it to orphanages or give grants out... Depending... We still don't know how all of this works yet...
He is really a mostly wonderful man...

My 5 year old likes talking about Nathan. He says that dad, mommy, his sister and his new far away brother are going to be the best family. He talks about Nathan alot and even tells us that we need 3 kids...lol I think he has overheard daddy and I talking about Nathan. As we do not want to get their hopes up if something falls through...Which I pray everything will be okay... So we say that " we pray that God gives Nathan the best family for him, we hope that we are his family" Its funny as Nathan has big round eyes like mine...

I hope tomorrow to have some great news of either a Tracking # or an update... if its both.. I think it will be a cause of celebration!

Have a beautiful Night/Day!!

The "LOI"

Well, finally today I am getting some things done =o)
It is a good day. I am mailing off the LOI Chinese/English version. Along with our application and of course some funds. Then our LOI will be sent to China and I pray that we are approved and that Nate's picture finally says "has a family" on the harrah's waiting child list. I am getting very excited. I think DH is also.. It's hard for him to think about being in another country and having our 3rd child with us. Maybe as time gets a lil closer..



I just checked Fed Ex for the tracking of our LOI paperwork and it should be delivered tomorrow! Yippie! And then I should have the Tracking Number for the Fed Ex sending it to Beijing! So the next step should be the Homestudy! I have it narrowed down but am still trying to figure it out...Oh! I just remembered that we do need to apply for our passports and send in the I600a. I feel better about the financial situation as that scared me alot! But we are going to do some fund raising and hope to be able to cover our trip there and back.

Hold on Nathan mommy, daddy, and your sister and brother are coming to bring you home as soon as we can! We love you.

Our journey to Nate

Just an introduction to start off. I am a happily married mom of 2 children. I had gone through the journey of infertility and the 6 years of heartache. On 6/17/95 while out celebrating our 11th anniversary we had been wanting another child. With the heartache of fertility treatments we could no longer go though that again. So our next thought was adoption... We had started the process years ago and then conceived our firstborn and set aside the adoption thoughts... Well, it was time... SO I started researching and thought Ukraine... but no they were closed at the time...and not knowing when they would open and such... After much research we decided to go for China. A non special needs daughter that was to be named Cadance....I started saving and called and researched some agencies and so forth.... I had found a wonderful adoptive mom..and she lives near me and spoke highly of Harrah's... and some how I landed on their SN yahoo group and this is where I found our future son. I do feel he is our son. Well, I found an agency and then I also found a special needs boy. His name is Xin Xiao Liang...He is referred to as Liang and is 16 months old right now... Harrah's has been wonderful so far! I was not really looking to fall in love. But there was something about Liang that pulled me to him. I was pre-pre-approved by the agency and now I had to do a letter of Intent to the Chinese Adoption people I just finished that today...So yesterday I did a special needs application and a petition letter for Nate (Liang) and today the LOI. So whats next? Ready to join us? During this time I am also going to shed some pounds too.... So I hope that I can be thinner by the time its time to board a plane around January sometime...