L.O.A.

After much anticipation and a dreadfully long wait- we FINALLY received our Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter. In English- this means we are one step closer to bringing home Noah.

Upon receiving our referral in May we needed to complete paperwork that stated we wanted to adopt Noah and our homestudy needed to be updated reflecting the change from healthy to special needs. This updated paperwork was sent to China to be reviewed. Now that it has been reviewed China has sent us a letter confirming that we are still going to adopt him and that we haven't changes our minds (As if?). Receiving this letter in all essence means that .... we are leaving in 5-7 weeks for China.

We can't believe it! We felt like this day was never going to come. After several medical updates and not a whole lot of good news we were starting to get nervous. Now we need to hop to it and finish Noah's room and start shopping! The fun is just beginning!

Alligators and Fire Trucks

We had the coolest birthday ever! We went to Disney World to see all the princesses. We even got to eat breakfast in Cinderella's Castle. We played in the sand, swam in the pool, watched fire trucks (fireworks) on the beach, and road in an alligator (elevator) to our room! I think Mama and Baba may have had fun too. Here are some pictures:

Transition

Getting ready for Noah is much more then buying things and setting up his room.  For us, it also means preparing the Sophie and Avery. We started by talking about getting a new baby.  At first we thought we were getting a girl and they wanted no part of that. "No baby sister!".  Now that we've received a referral for aboy their tune has completely changed.  They are beyond excited.  Out of the blue one will light up and say, "I have a baby brother.  He's in China.".  Sophie has asked if she can feed the baby, while Avery has made plans to teach him how to go potty.  

Another piece of the transition has been moving Sophie and Avery into their new bedroom.  This did not initially go over too well.  They liked their room and were comfortable there.  Unfortunately the closet just wasn't big enough for 2 girls growing up. The guest room closet is much bigger.  Those of you that know the girls well and know of their passion for shoes will understand that the closet was the deal maker of moving to the new room.  I took them over to the guest room, openned hte closet, and simply said, "shoes".  They looked at each other and said, "Ok."  We had a woman come and paint a flower garden mural and moved in the following weekend.  Here are the pictures.  Enjoy!

More Pictures of Noah

100 Wishes Quilt

What is a 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 friends and family to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. Part of the patch of cloth goes into the quilt for the baby, and the other part of the cloth can go into a creative memory notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.


Although we did not make a 100 Wishes Quilt for Sophie and Avery, I decided it was time to make a family quilt.  I have been collecting quilt squares from fellow adoptive parents who are also waiting to bring home their children.  I have received squares from all over the United States, Australia, and Canada. Getting these bits of mail each week has made the wait go by so much faster.  I have something to look forward to and there is always a little surprise inside.  

We have recently extended our circle to include family and friends.  This project means a lot and we are excited to create something that will tie everyone in our lives together.  Below are pictures of some of the squares and wishes that I have received from other adoptive parents.















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

Noah!

Meet Noah!

On Wednesday, May 9th we received a call that changed our lives. Abbey Smith from our adoption agency had received a dossier for a 13 month boy from China- were we interested? What kind of question is that?  She asked a lot of questions - and I too asked a lot. By the end of the phone call I said I would talk to Doug and to please forward to file to us.  

On Thursday it came!  I ripped it open and went right for the picture. It was love at first sight. Doug was upstairs bathing the girls.  I ran up and simple said, "I'm sold. He's ours". We haven't turned back since. Today we completed that official paperwork and it's being forwarded to China next week. We fly out in 3 t0 5 months to bring Noah home.

Here's what we know about him:

Name: Wu Li Ming (aka: Noah Wu Li Ming Bower)
Date of Birth: March 25, 2006 (We were in China when he was born!)
Birth City: Putain City, Fujian

He is developmentally on mark for his age, with an excellent appetite. He has some foot issues that will need to be addressed with a pediatric orthopedist, but is anticipated his problem can be fixed with therapy and surgery. I'm sure his sisters will have him up and running before we know it.

We look forward to bringing Noah home and introducing him to everyone. Pictures will be uploaded on Monday.