Six....

I can't believe that my baby will be six tomorrow :( The time sure has flown by and what a ride it has been! It is amazing how one little life can change YOUR life forever. I can't imagine what I ever did with my time before him. I am sure it must have been boring. He is such a blessing to everyone that he meets and he is incredibly witty and smart! He is amazing. My dream come true! Happy birthday sugarbear!

This Little Piggy.....

Aren't these the sweetest little baby feet you have ever seen???

I mean REALLY!

Thanks Secret Pal :)

I got my secret pal gift from our "ya-ya" group today! We had all originally been part of the August 2007 LID group. We all talked to much together over the months that we started the "ya-ya" group. I love these girls and they have been sanity to me when I have needed it the most! I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Pictures!!!

We got an update!!!

We got an update from Denise today! The SWI sent three pictures of Norah and also some more info on her and her medical development!

Here goes...

As of April 21st:
Age: 1 yr 3 mo
Weight: 7 kg (15.4 lbs)
Head: 44.5 cm
Chest: 42 cm
Height: 71 cm (2 ft 3 inches)
Feet: 11 cm (SIZE 3)
SHE HAS 7 TEETH!!!

She had an Echo done on April 15 and it shows that the hole in her heart has closed on its own and she has normal heart function with no sign of disease!!!!!

Medical/Developmental Update:
She has had no treatment for her hip. Her Left leg is 4 cm (1.6 inches) shorter than the right. She cannot stand or walk due to her hip. She has not had any physical therapy at this time.
She can make the sound of "baba" (daddy) and also "amu" which most likely is what she calls the aunties at the orphanage.

So there ya go! We have gotten alot of information on her! We are truly blessed beyond words! I cannot wait to hold her and make everything okay for her.

we are coming soon angel.....

**I will post pics as soon as I get home tomorrow morning!!!***** You won't want to miss this :)

Wow!

Thursday we got Norah's x-ray in the mail from the agency with a note that reads:

"Hi Shannon and Penny, sometimes we get little miracles- your daughter's hard copy of an x-ray arrived here in the office. Hope it helps!"

Wow! It is the cutest x-ray I think I have ever seen... really. I will be able to take this to work tonight and have one of the pediatric orthopedic surgeons look at it and maybe give us an idea what we are up against.

We feel so blessed :)

First Care Package!!!

Here is Norah's first care package that I will mail out tomorrow! I am so excited about this! It just makes my heart feel so good to know that she will have that blanket and her baby :) We actually slept with that blanket for about four days so that it would have our smell on it :) I sprayed it with the "girly-girl" smell that Elias loves so much (Victoria's Secret Amber Romance) and then fluffed it up in the dryer for a few. We also sent her nannies some chocolate with a label on it in Chinese that says "for your nannies". We sent smarties and soft mints (from nana) for her and her friends and then a label that says "for your friends". And of course cheerios... can't forget those! A disposable camera with her picture on it so her caretakers can take some pictures for us, and an album with her picture, our family picture and then a picture of her GeGe (older brother). The label on the front of her picture says "We love you!". And that we do.
There is also a note in there in Chinese and English that lets the orphanage know that we are her soon to be family and that we will be there to pick her up as soon as we can. It asks that they please begin preparing her for leaving and for our arrival. :) It also asks that they give her a hug and please take care of her until we can get there.
I can't wait. I really can't.

Spring Pictures....

Elias had his spring pics done a few weeks ago! What a cute kid I have! And do you notice the cowboy boots? They have been a staple in his wardrobe since he was 2. And he does not discriminate against seasons either. This kid can rock a pair of cowboy boots, let me tell you!

Norah is probably napping right now. I just love the fact that I pretty much know her daily schedule and I can look at the clock and think about what she is doing. I just can't wait to hold that little girl in my arms.

TP I

We got travel packet 1 today! It basically just gives us a heads up on what to expect for travel and all that good stuff! One more step to our baby girl!

Dirty "Bike" Heaven

My neighbor Ryan was outside today tuning up his truck. Elias was outside riding his bike and decided to stroll on over and talk to Ryan. So they began talking and because Elias is a "man's man" he was in his element with all of the oil and dirty. Ryan put some air in Elias' tires and gave it a tune up. BIG points for Ryan! Elias could not get the smile off of his face! So Ryan tuned it up and then brought out his dirt bike helmet for Elias to wear. Yet more points! Ryan went into the backyard to try and find his racing gloves and shoulder pads for Elias to try on and he comes out on his dirt bike! The look on Elias's face was priceless! So they lined up in the middle of the road, which by the way we live on a cul-de-sac and it was NOT busy, and they raced to the end of the cul-de-sac and back. The nice guy that Ryan is, he let Elias win. Elias said, "Mom, I have to tell you. This is the BEST day of my life! The very best day! I can't believe that I beat a motor bike!" He was so pleased with himself!

Now you will note in these following pics a silver necklace around his neck. This was a Goodwill special. It has a gold encrusted rim (yes for a tire) as the pendent. You could not tell this kid ANYTHING to get him down today! He was on top of the world!


















AND THE WINNER IS.....

My handsome little boy...

Just wanted to share. I think he is insanely handsome and charming. He is so precious to me and such a blessing to our family and to those who know him.

Elias and Madison

Elias and Madison were friends long before they were a twinkle in our eyes! Julie and I have been friends for about 15 years now. We were also pregnant with our kids at the same time and happened to live right across the street from us. Madison was born first and then a few days later Elias was born. I think that Julie was coming home from the hospital the day I had Elias. Anyway, the day I got home, Julie brought Madison over and we got this really funny picture of the kids screaming their face off! Now we all live in Summerville and Elias and Madison go to K5 at the same elementary school. They had their spring program and after the program we took some pictures of the kids. My are they cute! We did good Julie! XOXO

Summer Days!

It's the first slip and slide day of the summer! I love these days! Elias is so happy outside and if you add water that's even better!

The Sharp Kids

I was having way too much fun with photoshop! This is a picture that was taken of my
nieces Zoey and Delaney and my nephew Cooper and of course, Elias. Isn't this cool and aren't they cute!!! I can just see Norah playing with these guys! It is going to be awesome!!!!

Where is she?

Here are some pictures of Norah's home. Looks alot different than where she will be living in a few months!!!

More pictures!

Here are the other two pictures of Norah that we have!

The Story!

First I would like to bring everyone up to speed in regards to the changes at our agency. Until recently, CCAI (our agency) would get in a list of kiddos every three to four months and would match them according to our MCC(medical conditions checklist) dates as well as the medical conditions that we as a family research and felt comfortable enough taking. Our MCC date was 04/24/2007 so we have been in the special needs "program" for almost a year. They (the CCAA - Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs - in China) would send these lists out to all of the adoption agencies and normally each agency would get their "batch" around the same time. In the last month or so, the CCAA announced that all of these precious kids would go onto a big huge list called the shared list. Then each agency would have to lock in a specific child and then contact the perspective families. We would then have 48 hours to do as much research as we could, talk to doctors, and get our hands on as much info as we could about the childs speecific needs. We would have to write our LOI (Letter of Intent) to the CCAA that basically says yes, we would love to adopt this child and we have researched their needs and are willing to take on any other needs that were not known at this time. This LOI then had to be sent to our agency, translated and sent to China. In 48 hours. That includes night time too... If this criteria is not met, the file becomes unlocked and this specific child is then placed back onto the shared list where another agency can lock them in. There are more than 30 agencies. Talk about PRESSURE!!!!

Flash back to April 7, 2008 ------

April 7, 2008 was a Monday and I was getting ready for work about 430ish. Elias was outside riding his bike and Shannon was still at work. At this time with the new system everything was sort of up in the air as far as time tables go. No one really knew what was going to happen as far as the new system went, so I had just settled down for a long wait.
I was blowdrying my hair and I thought that I heard my cell phone ring. I turned the dryer off and picked up my phone and saw the 303 area code. I could not believe it!!! It was my agency!!! Pam, who is one of the ladies in the WC (Waiting Child) department said, "You MUST not be at home because we shot you an email about 20 minutes ago and and you haven't replied! You are always on the computer, and today you aren't??" I explained to her that I was getting dressed for work so I was kind of busy and no time to check emails. She asked if we were open to a need that wasn't on our list and one that was on our list. She explained to me that this little girl they locked in for us had a patent foramen ovale and left hip dysplasia. I had them email her info immediately!!!! I opened the file and that's when it happened. I fell in love with the most beautiful little girl in China. Her heart condition will need a check up once we get home and that's about all. I talked to a really nice pediatric cariologist at work that night and he said PFO's need no follow up, they have no symptoms and she won't need any surgery. As far as the hip dysplasia goes, she will probably need to be in a cast for several months and maybe surgery if that doesn't correct the problem.
So we quick get our LOI in that next morning and we are technically are not allowed to say anything on any yahoo groups or blogs until we get PA (Pre-Approval) which could take up to a month. We get our LOI in and we are safe... or so I thought. Pam called me back the next day I think and said their computer systems were acting weird so they were not able to get the LOI in and Norah went back into the system where she was immediately locked in by another agency. Nope, I am NOT kidding. Pam told me not to worry that they would get it all straightened out. I had all the faith in the world in Pam and in CCAI, but my baby was with another agency!! HELLO!!! Pam said the agency would have to hold her for 48 hours, per the CCAA rules, and onces she went back into the shared list they (my agency) would lock her in for us again. Little did I know that Pam had already spoken with CCAA and told them they were having computer problems. And this other agency was nice enough to just hold her and not try to place her with a family. Later that afternoon, Pam called to tell me that the CCAA called this other agency and told them they could not place her and that she already had a family. That made me feel better, but after we went through last November, I just felt like my heart could not handle another disappointment. The very next day, Pam called to tell me the CCAA had unlocked this file for us and placed her with our agency. We were matched with her once again!!! I could finally breathe!
So here we are! I will tell you a little about Norah.

- She is 15 months old, born on January 6, 2007
- She has 4 teeth
- she is quiet
- fond of listening to music!!!!!!!!!!!
- fond of reading picture books (shannon was happy about this!)
- impatient sometimes (hello, she is a girl!)
- favorite activities : hide and seek
- favorite food: fish
- favorite toys: dolls and balls (the best of both worlds!)
- can sit alone for a long time
- picks up tiny objects with index finger and thumb
- likes to sit and play with the toys she likes
- can beat the toys with each other and take toys out of the container
- is interested in pictures with bright colors
- can utter sounds like baba (DADDY!!!) clearly
- responds to the facial expressions of adults
- when teased she will laugh
- show the emotions to be sad, grieved and happy
- When being happy she can laugh aloud
- she can react quickly when her name is called
- likes to play the game of hide and seek with adults
- is a cute and adorable little girl - I promise her file said this!!!!
- Presently has staple food of soft rice and noodle
- likes crackers best.
- She has regular sleep, sleeps on her tummy, deep sleeper
- does not often get sick
- has had cold and cough occasionally which generally was cured once treated


I mean really... does it get any cuter than that???

We are so blessed to be able to bring this little girl into our lives and hearts. It is so amazing to think right now she is an orphan. No momma, daddy, big brother and soon she will have all of this. She will be a niece, a cousin, a grand-daughter, a great grand-daughter. She will have the love of many and for that we so very thankful. Thankful to you for being a part of this journey to family and for showing a little girl you have not met yet more love than she has known in her little fifteen months of life. Thank you.

Isn't She Lovely....

We have a daughter!!! She was born in Nanchang on January 6, 2007. Her official name will be Norah Catherine LanPing Sharp. I will post with more details when I have a second, but it's time for bed!! She is all we ever dreamed she would be....

God has truly blessed us once again....

The Sharp 3... and soon to be 4!!!

The climbing wall and the garden

So my mom and Elias planted a garden this weekend behind her house. They planted tomatoes, cantaloupe, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, string beans, butter beans,and onions. He was soooo excited about it and is even more excited about watching them grow! I have included a few pictures of their new project :)









We went to the Flowertown Festival this weekend and Elias just had to climb this wall. I really hope he enjoyed it because it was $8.00 for about 5 minutes!! Anyway, he was so brave and tried his best to get to the top! I am pretty sure that we will be doing this again as soon as he sets his sights on this wall again! He had such a great time and did fantastic!











No news on Norah yet. As soon as I hear something I will let you all know!

XOXO

Gracie!!!

My friend Peggy and her husband Paul are over in China now with their little girl Gracie! She emailed me some pictures yesterday morning about 6am! Gracie is absolutley beautiful! She looks like she fits in so well with her new family! I can't wait to see some more pics of that sweet little girl!
It is so amazing to think that one day Norah and Gracie will be playing and having a tea party :) I am so glad that Peggy and Paul finally have Gracie in their arms! It has been a long time coming!!!!

Chin Up....

Trying so hard to keep this chin up. I try so hard to just get through the day sometimes. I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. I don't know if it is just that maybe we are at the top of the pile. Maybe I am just not a patient person. Some days are better than the others. Some days just suck. I think if maybe I knew when we would get the call that would make a difference. I doubt it. I like to be in control and right now someone else holds our future. These few past few weeks have really been hard for some reason. Not so sure why, but I feel like my heart is really going to break sometimes. Lord knows I have Elias to keep me busy and he makes me full. This dream has just been in the works for almost 2 years now and no news. I keep saying, well maybe we will know who she is by the time we do this or that. And each time that event has past us by with no news of who our daughter is. Like I said, some days are great and I barely think about it. Other days are just not fun. I do look forward to going to bed though. I think about that phone call and that trip to China. I think about seeing Norah's face for the first time and the circle will finally be complete. What sweet sweet dreams....

I saw this on another adoption blog and thought it was cute... and true!!!!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN ADOPTIVE PARENT WHEN:
1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.
2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.
3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.
4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.
5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.
6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.
7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)
8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.
9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.
10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.
11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.
12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!
13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.
14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.
~Author Unknown~

My Anam Cara...

There is someone that has been in my life for going on 20 years now. She has been with me through thick and thin. A pregnancy and the moment they told me I would never have anymore. The first person I told when we would be adopting from China. My biggest cheerleader and my crying shoulder. I love her more than air, mexican food, Starbucks Caramel Fraps, long tubbies, and mom's sweet tea. I am so blessed. Blessed to have her in my life. Blessed to have grown up with her and given the chance to grow old with her. The first time I met her I didn't like her. She was wearing a two piece bathing suit at church camp and at 14 there was so much to be jealous of not to mention the insecurites. We learned about the birds and bees from the camp counselor and we have been inseperable ever since. She has been the biggest support for bringing Norah home and wants her here as badly as we do. I could never imagine me without her and her without me. I love her boys like they are my own flesh and blood. I love her husband like a brother. We all grew up together. She mails things to Norah just to help me keep this dream alive and have some peace in my heart. I could never repay... I am forever indebt.
My Anam Cara.... My Soul Friend...

This is a message that I got a few days ago. Now you can see why she is simply incredible and a joy to my heart:

you are my other half.
you're the one that gets it (and by "it" i mean me)
my steady in marriages, births, and loss.
through hell and highwater, you've walked with me.
you're my touchstone, emma.
you're a miss america smile when i need it.
my music guru.
the only person i am not offended by when i am scooped.
you're my "give these to my mother" when i want a laugh.
you remind me to love myself, and i love you for that.
you're "aunt penny" to my babies.
you're the one i'd walk the earth for (but since my thighs rub together, i'll just fly to china. :)
the happiest part of my childhood
the best friend i could ever ask for now
and the prettiest old hand i'll hold when we're old

you're one of the best parts of me. you're my anam cara.

Head In the Sand

This is what I want to do until we get the phone call. This wait has been excrusiating to say the least. When we got our call back in November I had NO IDEA that it would be another 5 months until we heard something. I don't think that the new list is here and I doubt that it will be here this week. What I do know is I am tired of getting all worked up about it and no sign. Our agency updates their webiste on Wednesdays. We were all geared up for some big news and nothing. They aren't even finished with this last list! So I just want to stick my head in the sand until my phone rings. Unfortunately I can't do that. I try to stay busy, try to stay away from the computer as much as I can..., but it is hard! People are ALWAYS asking me when will we get the call. I love that people ask because that means that they care. But I hate the fact that I say, "Anyday now we will get the call..." Am I really saying that because I mean it or am I saying that to make myself feel better?? Not so sure anymore. I just hope that she is home before Christmas. That would be really cool, but I am not getting my hopes up about it. Not anymore. Ugh. I know one day it will happen though. One day. That is what I have to hide in my heart.

Hurry....

I really feel like I am going to loose it :) I am slightly obsessed with this stinkin computer and I am constantly checking the agency and the boards. I need to get a life. But I just feel like she is so close sometimes and I can't get to her. Ugh. This wait is agonizing... hurry up Norah!!!!

Latest News...

Not a whole lot going on at the casa. Yesterday was Shannon's birthday. His mom, sister and our nieces and nephew came down to celebrate. We had some family over Saturday night for some yummy cake and icecream... It was yummy. But the greatest part of the whole weekend was the cookie cake. My sister-in-law Liz and I went to Sam's and bought this ginormous cookie cake. But it wasn't just a cookie cake it was a DOUBLE DOOZIE cookie cake! I mean delicous! It was a slice of heaven in my mouth!!!!!!!! So we had some family over Saturday night and I got alot of great pictures. I will post more on wednesday when I am off again.
On the adoption front, all is well! I emailed our agency this week to update our medical check list and in the reply email that I got back she siad that we were on the top of the list and we should hear something soon! It is so hard to belive that we could be seeing Norah's face anyday now. I have a feeling that they will get the list the 2nd week of March and we could hear something the beginning of April... I really hope sooner! The Flowertown Festival is the first week of April and I would really like to do some shopping :) I am really good at that! Anway, I do hope that we get some news soon... I really want to see her face...
And the news of the week.... Elias can ride his bike with no training wheels! When my neices were here this weekend, they were playing in the front yard and being the mom that I am, I open the door to yell at him to get on the sidewalk. I gues I really didn't look at him because my niece Zoey said, "Aunt Penny, Elias is riding his bike with no training wheels!!!!!!" I almost took a stroke! I am so proud of him! He just took off! What a big boy! I love that kid so much! He is the apple of my eye! He is going to be such a great big brother!

Peace and Love to All!

Cancel that order!!

I went to the UPS store to mail some Valentine's Day things to my
nieces and nephews up in Greenville. Elias, who is 5, came along with
me and on the way back to the car our conversation went a little
something like this:

E: Mom, you are always sending stuff to baby sister.
P: Really? When was the last time I sent stuff to her?
E: Remember that time we went with all of those super important papers?
P: Yes, Elias. That was the paperwork for China to say yes you can
have a baby sister! We don't even know who baby sister is yet, so how
can I send her anything?
E: Well, just for the record, you might want to cancel that order for
a girl. I want a brother.



What's a girl to do. I'll tell you one thing, I am not going to cancel
that order! He just needs to tell his daddy that he would like a baby
brother next time :) trying to talk the hubby into a next time :)
Silly kid :) I couldn't live a day without him :)