Journey to Ava

We're home!

2010-04-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! We're home already! Ava is doing really well. She didn't have any further problems with her oxygen once she left recovery. A little too drugged up I guess! She is drinking pretty well and of course wants to eat, but doesn't usually eat much due to the pain in her mouth. The doctors in jax are not as restrictive on her diet as we have had previously, but we are obviously very careful about what we give her. I haven't looked in her mouth yet but I guess she has real raw area on her cheek where they disconnected the flap. She has another flap that was done previously in her throat that I guess is not in the right place and has a lot of scar tissue. They will address this in another surgery as they didnt want to do too much at once and have nothing work. We are cautiously optimistic, but last time her palate looked good for about a month then pulled apart. So please continue to pray for healing. We really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers!

Surgery #4.

2010-04-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ava is out of surgery and in the recovery room. They are keeping her a little longer because her o2 saturation keeps dropping when she falls asleep. The surgeon said there were some issues that will require a follow up surgery or two, but he is optimistic that this one will close the holes and heal correctly. We will update again when she gets settled into a room. Thanks again for all the prayers.

We're Home!!!

2009-09-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to be able to go home today!! I guess after our 2 week stay last time, it was a shock that we could go home so quickly. Ava is doing really well, although we really won't know for a while whether the surgery was successful. As of now, our biggest obstacle is trying to distract Ava from wanting to eat. This is even harder while at home since the rest of us are eating normal food. She will have to be on clear liquids (broth, gatorade, etc) until Tuesday. Then she will be able to start on "full" liquids for three weeks, which is basically anything that could be sucked through a straw (although she is not allowed to use straws, sippy cups, or the like). This means basically stage 1 baby food, ensure, or milkshakes. I am being completely obsessive about these restrictions, because I don't want to look back and think that I could have done more to make her palate heal better. In the few hours we've been home she's said "want snack" about a thousand times. These diet restrictions are not usually an issue for this surgery in the U.S. because 99% of kids that have it are 6 months and under and have never eaten any food other than milk. It makes me sad and angry at times that she had to spend so much time in the orphanage when 2 years ago we were waiting to adopt and she was waiting to be adopted. I don't understand why her paperwork was not sent in earlier by the orphanage so that she could have had the care she needed earlier. I know God is in control and there is a reason for the way things happen. We are just praying that she has temporary amnesia about cheeseburgers and lollipops!

Post op day 1

2009-09-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Last night Ava was very sleepy and actually very calm compared to the last time. I knew she would snap out of it sooner or later! She has done pretty well today, just a little whiny at times (understandable-but most of the time just drama) and one full out fit. The fit occurred while on a walk throughout the hospital when she spotted some food at a coffee shop and realized she couldn't have it. With her focus on food since we've had her, keeping her distracted from the fact that she can't eat has probably been one of the hardest tasks. During her screaming fit today, I got a good look inside her mouth and what I saw (with my untrained eye) did not look very good. Knowing the surgeon would be gone all weekend, I immediately asked the nurse to page him to come look at her mouth (she was sleeping this morning when he came by so he didn't look). His associate came by and said it looked about the same as when they closed yesterday, they just had to redistribute what little tissue she did have toward the back of the palate, where it's more essential. In any case, he said we may be able to go home tomorrow or Sunday if all goes well. Yay!! We're already sick of the hospital. We appreciate all your prayers and ask you to continue to pray that she would heal without difficulty or complications. She really has been such a trooper and has made incredible progress in so many areas since we brought her home from China. I really would hate for her to have to go through this again any time soon!

Surgery #3

2009-09-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Becky and I have been sitting in the waiting room for the last 3 1/2 hours, and the doctor finally called. The surgical team is finishing up and Ava should be headed to recovery soon. We didn't get the "it went great" speech we really wanted...the doc was able to close the palate, but had to use a little bit of artificial tissue. The artificial tissue died off last time, which is why we are here for this third surgery. At this point, it's just wait and see. We will know more over the next couple of days.

Gavin

Ava Today

2009-06-24T16:55:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since we updated this, mainly because we have been busy, busy with Ava. She is doing great, trying to say new words all the time and back to her old self. On July 28th she will be back at Shands for her third (and hopefully last) operation to fix her palate. She has healed up from the last operation and the gap in her palate has closed significantly. Pray that she holds up better after this surgery than she did the last two..both physically and mentally. We will try to keep this more current.

Gavin

Amazing.

2009-03-02T05:53:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update. Becky has managed to work some kind of miracle and was able to get Ava to take her pain medication. She then somehow convinced her to start taking liquids, even a popsicle! This is HUGE progress and if she keeps it up, we hope to have Ava home in a day or two. Almost there...almost there.

Gavin

There she is!

2009-02-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like the nutrition is doing it's job. Ava was almost back to her normal opinionated self today, albeit for short periods between naps. She went for a couple of walks around the floor and refused to go back into the room. She braced herself and began shaking her head 'no' while pointing to the doors leading off the unit. We spent the day looking at books and playing little games in the room. The main problem to overcome at this point is the pain in Ava's throat, where the flap tissue was taken from. She has a hard time swallowing and most of the time just refuses to take anything at all. This evening she did a little better after getting some pain medication...so now it's just a wait for her pain level to go down. Her new thing is to have me put my hand through the crib slats so she can hold my hand when she takes a nap...yeah, I'm wrapped.

Gavin

Light at the end of the tunnel

2009-02-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

Ava has been moved to a regular floor and is doing much better. Her breathing has improved, although she is still very lethargic (after having no nutrition for about 10 days). She is getting special nutritional fluids now and should be perking up. Ava's personality is returning and she is becoming more opinionated about what goes on around her as time passes. If things continue to improve, we hope to get her home this weekend or more likely..Monday.

Gavin

Wake up sleepy head

2009-02-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

This afternoon the doctors took Ava off the ventilator to see if she could handle breathing on her own. The first little while was pins and needles, but she managed and is improving by the hour. She still has a lot of junk in her airway and some in her lungs, but is expelling that pretty well. I knew she had begun to turn the corner when I asked her to "give me five" and she reached out to smack my hand. We are extremely relieved and are happy that the nurses are very attentive. The plan is to continue to monitor Ava in the ICU for the time being and to work on improving her breathing, then we hope to get her down to a regular floor. We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support and ask for continued prayers for a good recovery.

Gavin

Update

2009-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Ava is still in ICU on the ventilator and the doctors are having a little trouble keeping her sedated (a little TOO strong willed..this kid is). The biggest worry right now is that the breathing tube could mess up the surgery they just did. The current plan is to take her off the vent tomorrow, but leave the tube and see how she does...right now it's a wait and see kind of thing and all we can really do is pray things turn out well in the end. Thank you all for your kind words of support. I will update again tomorrow.

Gavin

Second surgery

2009-02-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. Becky called and it appears that Ava's second procedure did not go too well. She is curently in ICU on a breathing machine because she was having to much trouble breathing on her own due to swelling in her mouth and throat. They are giving her steroids in the hopes of reducing the swelling, however that may also hinder the healing process and keep the last procedure from having the desired result. I got back in town yesterday, but may be dropping the other kids off and heading back down, depending on the prognosis. Becky is taking it very hard, so please pray for her and Ava.

Gavin

Good news/bad news

2009-02-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

The good news: Ava is feeling somewhat better. She is requiring less pain meds, is taking fluids pretty well, and is sleeping better. She has been playing some and taking tours around the hospital. The bad news: the tissue on half of her palate is dead. I knew it didn't look good, but I knew it was bad news when the physician's assistant wouldn't answer my questions about it and said "I'll have the surgeon come talk to you about that". Honestly, with all the nightmares I've read about on my cleft yahoo group over the past 6 months it doesn't come as a huge surprise to me, especially since she had such a wide cleft. I feel so bad for her-the top of her mouth looks and smells horrible-it just looks like rotten flesh (sorry to be gross). The doctor said we can just wait it out and let it slough off on it's own or just go back in and debride it and see if there is any good tissue underneath. Since we are from out of town and we would probably end up back here in a few weeks, he suggested we just go ahead and do the surgery now-now meaning Monday which is the earliest he can do. So we will stay through the weekend and start all over again on Monday. I am heartbroken for her and I feel torn being away from Natalie and Emily. Gavin will stay with her the next couple of days and I will go back to Tallahassee with the girls. Then I will come back on Sunday. We are fervently praying that this surgery will work-I'm not sure what they can do if it doesn't. We are also praying that this doesn't affect her bonding with us-she was kind of mad when Gavin and I were switching off last night. Please pray that God gives us strength and patience, and comfort for Ava. And that he guides the doctors' hands during the surgery on Monday. We appreciate you all!

One day postop

2009-02-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

We had a really, really tough night (along with everyone in hearing distance of Ava!). I think she cried for about 20 of the first 24 hours after surgery. Thankfully, as of about an hour ago (knock on wood) she is doing much better. She is finally taking some liquids and will sit and play a little bit. The doctors came this afternoon to take a good look at her palate and I guess what I thought looked like a giant blood clot on her palate may actually be some of the tissue sloughing off-not really a good thing. But the doctor says that we just have to wait and see-you really can't tell how it's going to end up by how the surgery went. It all depends on how it heals and if the tissue "takes". We are praying that the surgery is a success and that she will not end up with any fistulas (or holes) in her palate. She is still bleeding a lot out of her mouth and nose (and onto the sheets, me, and everything else!). I told Gavin that this is not for the faint of heart-I knew there would be some blood but I didn't think this much! As of this morning I didn't think we'd get to go home tomorrow since she was refusing to drink, but hopefully now that she is drinking we may be able to. They are usually more cautious with out of town patients like us, so we may end up having to stay until Friday. We appreciate all your prayers, thoughts, and encouragement-it means so much to us!

Surgery + 7 hours

2009-02-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well, the procedure was done Tuesday the 17th and took about 3 hours longer than planned. Ava's cleft was wider than anticipated and some graft material had to be used. Please pray for Becky, since she is essentially stuck at the hospital and has not been able to get any rest. Ava is in a lot of pain and has a large amount of swelling and bleeding. She will not let Becky put her down, even after being given a fairly large dose of pain medication. As long as the graft takes, there is no infection and Ava doesn't get her fingers into her mouth...things should start healing up. The pictures Becky has been sending me by phone are pretty distressing...poor kid. I will try to keep the blog updated until Becky can get back on the computer. Pray also that Becky is able to get some sleep at some point, since she is going to have to drive home when Ava is released in a day or two.

Gavin

Ava's surgery

2009-02-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Ava's surgery on her palate is tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb 17th). She was originally scheduled for Thursday, but the doctor's office called today to reschedule us for tomorrow. AAAAHHHHH! We were actually in Niceville visiting Gavin's parents (2 hours further from Gainesville) telling us we needed to be at Shand's at 6:30 am. Needless to say, we rushed back home so I could leave with Ava tonight-we will stay in a hotel tonight so we won't have to get up at 3:00 in the morning to make it there. Please pray that the surgery will be successful and that she will tolerate the recovery well. Recovery will include a liquid diet for 2 weeks and then just pureed food for several more weeks-she is not going to be happy about that! This kid loves to eat! Also, she will have to wear arm braces to keep her from putting anything in her mouth-she may have to wear these for 4-6 weeks! The most stressful thing is that she could totally ruin the surgery by putting something she shouldn't in her mouth-even food that isn't soft enough. We will definitely have to watch her like a hawk. I guess this is why they usually do this surgery when they are 7 or 8 months old and not 2!! We are so thankful that she is adjusting so well to being in our family. She is such a sweetheart and a goofball and we can't imagine life without her. She is also 2, so she does try our nerves at times!! I will attempt to keep you all updated on her progress if I can figure out the computer/wi-fi at the hospital without Gavin's help. :)

Home SWEET Home!!!!

2009-01-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever been so happy to be home in my whole life!! Between plane rides and layovers, we were travelling for about 27 hours and finally arrived home New Year's Day at 3 am. It was sooooo good to see our girls-we missed them so much! We are now getting adjusted to life at home and trying to get on US time. Ava is doing great with her new sisters and of course her sisters dote on her-sometimes too much! Yesterday Ava was trying to touch the TV and I told her no, and she went running in to the arms of Natalie to save her from her mean mommy! We are trying to stay close to home as much as possible for a while so she gets the idea that this is her permanent home (she has already done so much moving around with us) and figures out that we are her family. It has to be very strange for her all of a sudden not to see any Chinese people or to hear anyone speak in Chinese when that's all she's been exposed to her whole life. She is adjusting well, but she definitely has some bad habits (as previously mentioned in an earlier post :) ) that need to be worked on. It's amazing though how quickly she has learned that she doesn't need to hoard food and her temper tantrums are losing some of their fervor! A 2 year old is a challenge by themselves, but add all her other issues and we are in for a long road. But we know she was chosen by God to be a part of our family and we love her so much! And she CAN be the sweetest, cutest little angel when it suits her! :) Thanks again for all your prayers and thoughts-we know it helped us survive a very long 2 weeks!!

The battle of wills has begun.

2008-12-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

Ava on Christmas day!

Getting a sugar high at the "kindergarten" at the orphanage.

Us with Ava's foster mother (holding her) and the orphanage director.

We picked a stubborn, willful child for sure. Sweet, but stubborn. And spoiled. Let me start by saying that we visited Ava's orphanage on Thursday. We were told by our agency that we would most likely not visit the orphange, so when our guide told us we were going to visit, I had some mixed feelings. Since we visited 3 days after we got her, I was really worried about her seeing her "grandmother" (her nanny that basically has raised her since she was an infant) and her foster mother. She assured us that it would be okay. Well , you know the first thing she did when she saw her nanny was, right? She went straight to her all happy and giggling and then didn't want to come back to mama when it was time to leave. We were definitely able to tell that she got very good care at the orphanage and was very loved. Everyone knew LiLi. Now I'm not sure if it was because she is so cute or because she was a terror! I think she definitely had the run of the orphanage! Yes, she's had some full on throw herself on the floor, kick feet, wave hands, bang head kind of tantrums. Most of the time it's if Daddy has to hold her, or she has to sit in a stroller, or go to bed in her crib, or pretty much anything else she doesn't feel like doing. On the other hand, she can be the sweetest, cutest, little life of the party. We know she is going through a very traumatic time right now, and it seems worse since we got to Guangzhou (yeah! one step closer to home!). I think she's comfused, not sure if she's going to stay with us, isn't sure why she keeps moving around, etc. Please keep praying for us as we learn how to deal with these issues. It's really sad that we know a lot of these behaviors are related to being in an orphanage and trying to get attention. She also eats nonstop. And this is true for almost all the toddlers in our group. It's like this is the first time in their lives they've had unlimited access to food and haven't had to fight for it. We know these things will pass as she gets used to us and learns to trust us. It's just really hard right now, especially for Gavin. We know pretty soon she will be a daddy's girl. Four days and counting until we leave for home!!!

Ok, so the Walmart in China isn't the same...

2008-12-24T00:59:00.000-08:00

But McDonald's food is pretty darn close! We braved the city (and I do mean brave) last night to go to Walmart and McDonalds on our own (meaning without our guide). First, try to get a taxi, then try to survive the drive to wherever you're going-there are no rules. I just have to close my eyes and hope we make it alive. We have seen a total of one other non-Asian person in Hefei. And let me tell you, everywhere we go, we are definitely a novelty. Not only are we the only caucasian people here (with freckles and red hair no less!), but caucasian people with a Chinese baby. We had about ten people gathered around us at Walmart talking and pointing when we were in the electronics section watching a little kid's video. It's probably best we don't understand any Chinese. We asked our guide today how to say "NO" in Chinese if that gives you any idea of how our day is going. :) Ava is doing well, although her stubborn personality is definitely coming through today. Today she has decided to not let Gavin hold her, but she will let him feed her and play with her. We were prepared for her to favor one of us-it is very common in Chinese adoptions and they usually prefer the mom because they are not used to seeing very many men. This too shall pass. Like I said in a previous post, she is very sharp and seems to be developmentally on track, with the exception of her speech, which is expected with her cleft palate. Although she IS saying a few phrases, none of which we can understand of course since she only knows Chinese. She is very sweet and as you will see in the video, has started laughing and smiling a lot more. We are very thankful that God has brought her into our lives. We miss our sweet girls at home and can't wait to be back in the US.

"Gotcha" Day

2008-12-22T03:56:00.000-08:00

Today we met Ava for the first time! She was called Li Li by her nannies and foster parents, so that is what we are calling her for the time being. She is really a sweet baby and very smart (of course!). She was actually in foster care at the orphanage where about 6 babies live with one family. This is one of the best situations she could have been in because she probably got a lot more attention. She seems pretty much on track for her age, while most babies from orphanages are usually somewhat developmentally behind. The meeting went alot better than I anticipated (Thank the Lord!) but I know we have a ways to go in bonding with her. She did have a couple of meltdowns, but overall lets us play with her and hold her. At times, she withdraws a little by ducking her head down and not looking at us. Being in Hefei is MUCH different than being in Beijing. Since Beijing is very much a tourist area, the employees of most restaurants and stores speak some English. Here in Hefei, none of the signs have English and barely anyone speaks English! We are the only family from our group here so we have the guide to ourselves, but beside all the paperwork and appointments, we are pretty much on our own. On the way back to hotel, I saw an actual Walmart and a McDonalds-in the same building! We are so going there tomorrow. We went to a "noodle restaurant" tonight recommended by our guide. We weren't exactly sure what they were going to bring us when we ordered dinner. We are making good use of our electronic translator here-you would think soy sauce would be an English phrase they would know but I guess not. I think Li Li would have kept eating all night if we had not left the restaurant. She was very animated at dinner and is always pointing at stuff. We actually got a few smiles out of her at dinner. And she is definitely not a picky eater so far-she was eating fried rice, noodles, congee, lamb, and those fruit puffs from the US. I know this whole situation is traumatic to her, but she is doing very well so far. We are so thankful that God has brought her into our family and I know each day she will feel more and more at home with us. I have posted a few pictures and a video and will try to post more tomorrow after our appointments when we get the rest uploaded.

Our last day in Beijing

2008-12-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Today we did more sightseeing. Did I mention that it is extremely cold here? Well, on top of the Great Wall it was probably below 0 degrees with the windchill. With the frigid cold and me being out of shape, I didn't even make it to the first tower. I'm sure I don't even have to tell you how far Gavin got. Yes, he went further than anyone else in our group. Would you expect anything less? We went to an international church service this morning. It was really neat-it was actually like being back in the states for an hour or so. It's interesting because we had to show our passports to be able to get in-Chinese nationals are not allowed to go. It really made me think about all the freedoms I take for granted living in the US. We also went to the jade factory which was very cool. And, you guessed it, more Chinese food for lunch and dinner. Tomorrow we leave at 5:30 am to go to the airport and in the afternoon we will meet Ava. Please, please pray for us. I know God has brought her into our lives and we are very grateful that she will be able to be a part of our family. On the other hand, we are nervous and anxious about all the unknowns. What we do know is that God is in control and he has chosen this little girl for our family. We would also appreciate your prayers for Natalie and Emily at home. Emily is sick with a high fever and it is so hard to be here and not able to see the girls. I know they are being well taken care of and are probably having the time of their lives without Mom and Dad! We will try to post pictures tomorrow night after we get Ava. Thanks again for all your prayers and support!

A few things I've learned in China so far...

2008-12-20T03:18:00.000-08:00

1. It is PAINFULLY cold in Beijing in December!!

2. I've added one more word to my extensive Chinese vocabulary (which includes ni hao (hello) and xie xie (thank you)). "Bu yao", which means "no thanks, I don't need any", which is essential to know when you are constantly bombarded with people on the street trying to sell you stuff.

3. I figured I wouldn't be able to convince any of my travel mates that I turned 29 today when you have to be at least 30 to adopt from China.

4. There will be a long wait to go to the bathroom in public restrooms unless you are brave enough to try the "squatty potties" (I haven't been brave enough yet).

5. How to divide by 7 quickly in my head (to convert chinese yuan to US dollars) to find out how much stuff REALLY costs.

6. I miss Chick fil a already!

Seriously, we've also learned a lot of other very interesting things about Chinese history and culture. Today we went to a bunch of neat places (of which we have a zillion pics because Gavin insisted on bringing his own camera so he wouldn't have to share with me!). We went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Pearl market, the Summer Palace, and the silk museum/market. Oh, and the "Chinese Walmart". We really wanted ice cream but at $10 a pint, we thought we'd pass. We still don't know for sure when we leave on Monday to go to Ava's province. I can't believe the time is almost here!

We're in China (finally)!!!

2008-12-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

I thought we would never make it here, but one missed flight, one lost suitcase, and one cup of coke spilled on Gavin 30 minutes into our 14 hour flight (I didn't do it on purpose!) and we made it to our hotel at about midnight Thursday. For those of you that don't know, we are 13 hours ahead of you (EST). Today we have "optional" (read "not optional" according to Gavin if it has anything to do with history) tour to old Beijing. We will ride in a rickshaw, visit a local person's house, and eat in one of the oldest restaurants in Beijing. It has definitely been interesting already, especially trying to figure out how to call anyone from Tokyo when we missed our flight. A Japanese girl was actually asking ME how to use the payphone-uh...I have no clue. My sister-in-law was the lucky one to get awakened by me in the middle of the night when I did figure out how to use it to help get a hold of our agency (thanks Dawn!). Anyway, we miss everyone already and will try to post pictures later today.

We're going to China!!

2008-12-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

Today we are furiously packing for our trip to China! I can't believe the time has actually come. We are leaving tomorrow morning and returning on New Year's Eve. We will be meeting Ava for the first time on Monday, December 22. We are excited, nervous, stressed, and a million other emotions! Please continue to pray for us as we travel and as we meet her for the first time. We are so thankful to all our friends and family who have prayed for us and supported us during this whole process. Check back for pictures and updates!

New Picture!

2008-11-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

We just received a new picture of Ava! Isn't she adorable? A cookie in each hand-that's my kind of girl! I am part of a Yahoo group for the orphanage that Ava is at and one of the families that visited the orphanage offered to take pictures. We are so thankful to this sweet family for taking the time to do this!

Referral Acceptance!

2008-11-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

October 31, 2008- Today we received our Referral Acceptance from the China Center for Adoption Affairs! This is the letter officially giving us permission to adopt Lu Rong Li. According to our agency, we will probably be traveling sometime in December! Please pray for us as we prepare to travel and get all the last minute details in order. Unfortunately, we have no control over when we are allowed to travel so we may have to be in China over Christmas. We are sad we may have to be away from Natalie and Emily during Christmas, but excited that Ava will finally be with us. We are now waiting (what else is new?) for our travel approval. This usually comes within 2-6 weeks of our RA. Once we have this and our agency makes an appointment for us at the US consulate in China, we can finally buy our plane tickets!

A little bit more info.

2008-09-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Some of you are probably wondering why we haven't given any more information on Ava or posted pictures. Until we receive our Referral Acceptance (RA), we are not allowed to post pictures or detailed information on public forums. Our agency and the CCAA (the China Center for Adoption Affairs) stress the importance of protecting the children at all costs and frown on posting too much information until she is officially ours. We can tell you a few things about her though! She was born on March 1, 2007 (estimated) and she has a repaired cleft lip and an unrepaired cleft palate. She will have surgery on her palate sometime after she arrives home in the US. When we received our referral, the information and pictures were very outdated, but have since received updated pictures and even a little video of her! She is so beautiful and looks healthy (although not happy about having her picture taken by strangers :) )! From what we have heard, she is in one of the best orphanages in China. We are so thankful to God that she is in a place that has allowed her to be safe and healthy! Pray with us that we will receive our approvals quickly so we can bring her home!

PA!

2008-09-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

September 3, 2008- Today we received our Pre-Approval from China! It sounds a lot more exciting that it actually is. It really just says that they received our request and that they will "look into it". The next thing we will be waiting for is the RA or the Referral Acceptance. This means that the Chinese government has officially given us permission to adopt Ava. Come on RA!!

Referral!

2008-09-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

August 18, 2008 - Finally on Saturday, after what seems like forever, we were matched with a beautiful little girl in China! Today we sent the paper work to ask China permission to adopt her. We are so excited! God has definitely taught us patience through this whole process, but we know that He has been preparing us for the little girl that is perfect for our family. What do they say about asking God to teach you patience? Now on to some more waiting...