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Saturday, September 15, 2007

Wow...

Why?
"On the street I saw a small girl,cold and shivering in a thin dress,with little hope of a decent meal.
I became angry and said to God:"Why did you permit this?Why don't you do something about it?"
For a while God said nothing.
That night he replied, quite subtlety
"I certainly did do something about it.
I made you.'"
Author Unknown

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

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  • He looks just like his dad
  • The way he smells when he gets out of the tub
  • His belly laughs
  • The way he calls me "girly-girl"
  • He tells everyone that he meets that he is going to China because that is where his baby sister is
  • He has an amazing personality
  • His hugs
  • His kisses
  • When he holds my hand for no reason
  • The freckle right above his lip
  • His flat feet
  • He bites his fingernails
  • The amazing things he makes out of Lego's
  • His memory is unbelievable
  • His sense of direction
  • When he sings "You're Beautiful" to me
  • He is a social butterfly

There are so many reasons why I love this kid. He is so funny! I didn't mean to let all of our business in the street, but any of you that know Elias know what he is capable of! He's just the class clown... Let's just face it now people. This kid ROCKS!!!!!!!

P.S.



Have any of you read the strong willed child by James Dobson???
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Elias got 4 frogs pulled at school today. This is NOT a good thing! They start out with 4 frogs in the "pond". Once this year, in the last 4 weeks I mean, he had no frogs pulled. On this particular day he also got a bloody nose... but I digress... He usually gets one or two taken away. Occasionally 3. When he gets frogs taken away we punish him by not letting him watch TV, no swimming, no playing, and he usually *gulp* he gets a spanking. Now any one of you that know my child, know that none of the above "re directions" help. Nothing phases this child. Today he got 4 frogs taken and we got a red note sent home that wasn't too good. He was:
  • Not following directions
  • defiant behavior
  • talking too much
  • Disrupting class

He got in trouble at lunch for crawling under the table (???). Shannon asked him why he was crawling under the table and his response was: "Dad all my friends thought it was so funny and they were laughing?? Why is that so wrong??"

Ugh. I just don't know what to do. In my next post I will give you all reasons why my child is so amazing. Because he really is. I just don't know what to do!

So I say all of this to ask for your help. Any of you with kids, anyone who wants kids, and even if you don't I need some advise! I am at my wits end with this situation! Any help would ROCK!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

New Favorite Song!

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This song just speaks volumes to me! I listen to it everyday at least a few dozen times and I feel so loved! If you haven't already, check out Casting Crowns at http://www.castingcrowns.com/ They are amazing! So here it is.... Praise You In This Storm

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember whenI stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

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Well, I talked to E's assistant principal today and I honestly just can't say enough nice things about her. I went to her with concerns that I had about E and his teacher. Well, we got a note home on Friday that stated there would be a new teacher coming to the school and they would have to take about 2 or 3 kids out of each class to make her a new class. Instead of filling out the paper that his teacher sent home, I just thought I would call the Assistant Principal directly. She said that the best thing to do right now would be to move him to the new class. She apologized over and over about things that have happened this past week, and to be honest I feel so much better. I hope that he has a great rest of the school year this year and I am sure he will LOVE his new teacher! XOXO

Horrid!

I checked out www.chinaadoptionforcast.com and look what I found! This just makes me want to throw up! 5 years! That is just crazy talk! Poor Elias will be 10! Let's just sit back and enjoy the ride, shall we? (I guess if I keep telling myself that I will hop on board!) Hope time flies by!

Our best guess - a weighted average of recent CCAA velocities, guessing that CCAA will perform about as well in the future as they are performing now, but might return to previous trends: 2012-08-25

We are LID!

We were DTC on 8/16 (my sister's birthday!) and got an email about a week and a half later that we were LID on 8/20! We are so excited! We are one step closer to Norah and we couldn't be happier! It finally hit me that this very room that I am sitting in right now typing will be my DAUGHTER'S room! Daughter.... wow! I am so blessed to have a God that loves me and gives me the desires of my heart! And all of the friends that I have met along the way are awesome! Well, I am off to look at baby stuff.... that's all I do these days! XOXO

China F.A.Q.

Why China??? The Answers To Your Questions:

China is a country whose culture dates back to the earliest records known to man. At first glance, some of China's beliefs may seem quite different than those we hold. One example of this is the culture preference for a male child. There are several reasons why Chinese families might prefer a boy over a girl. In rural provinces, a family's livelihood depends directly in the output of it's family members. Because of this, a family with sons would be at a considerable advantage than one with daughters. Historically, it is also the son's honored responsibility to take care of his parents in their old age, so they never leave their home. A daughter, however, would be expected to care for her husband's parents rather than her own. In this regard, the Chinese believe that having a son is crucial to their livelihood, as well as a form of social security for the parents when they grow older. Although in recent years, China has done much to change these belief systems, many families, especially in rural areas, still strongly favor the birth of a male child. This situation if further complicated by China's One-Child Policy, which prohibits families from having more than one child. As a result of this policy, there are thousands of abandoned children throughout China, with the vast majority of them being healthy baby girls.

Important Traditions and Terms Found In The Chinese Adoption Community:

The Red Thread- " "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

Ladybugs- Believed to be good luck in the adoption community. One spring while everyone waited for their referrals, there was a huge infiltration of ladybugs across the nation and immediately following these sightings a flood of referrals came. Or so the story goes....

100 Good Wishes Quilt- To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or " 100 Good Wishes Quilt." It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. Waiting families often collect the wishes along with a scrapbook for their child.

Dossier- The set of documents that represents the adopted family. It includes the medical reports, birth certificates, employment letters, police clearances, financial statements, home study, etc.

DTC- Dossier to China. This is the milestone day when the Chinese government logs in the receipt of a dossier to adopt a child. This represents the end of the "paper chase" for the adoptive parents, and the beginning of "the wait" for the referral of a child by the Chinese government.

LID- Log in date. This is the date that CCAA logs in your Dossier on arrival in China.

CCAA- China Center of Adoption Affairs. That's where the dossiers are processed and the children, who live in China's SWI's (Social Welfare Institutions) and/or foster care, are matched with families.

Referral- Notification from the CCAA that they have matched a family with a child. Referral information usually includes the child's Chinese name, date of birth, height/weight, a medical report, one or more photographs, and a few notes about the child's nature.

LOI- Letter of Intent. This is a letter that the adoptive family writes to China stating their intent to adopt a child on the Waiting Child list.

PA- Pre-Approval. This is what the family receives from China after they have reviewed the
LOI from the adoptive family. It means they give the family pre-approval to adopt the child.

TA- Travel Approval. This is received when China gives the family Travel Approval to come to China to bring home their child.

WC-Waiting Child. A child is put on a WC list because of a medical condition or age.

HS- Home Study. A home study is done by a licensed social worker who says whether a family is capable of adopting a child.