We wait no more...or...sometimes dreams come true...or...life is good...

So...okay...my last post was August 10, 2008. Three years ago. Almost one year into our second baby wait, reality set in...and I lost my enthusiasm. Honestly, more like the life was sucked out of me...but that's a post for another time...or maybe just better left unsaid.

In the course of these last three years, we moved, we renewed our paperwork one time, we traveled to Disney, we decided not to renew our paperwork a second time, we started to take a look at China's Special Needs program, we became convinced it was the program for us, we second guessed if it was the program for us, we received a referral for a two year old beauty with a need we had not explicitly checked on our application, we fell head over heels in love the instant we saw her face, we accepted our referral, we changed her name for the tenth time since 2007, settling on the very first name we (read I!) chose (Jillian Snow), we re-filed all of our US paperwork. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and on that day, we watched Lia graduate from kindergarten and completed two separate fingerprint appointments for our adoption. We went to the beach for the last time as a family of three.

Are you still with me??? :-) That was the abridged version of course!

As of today, we are waiting for our Article 5....which is the last document we need before everything goes to Beijing for our final Travel Approval. We are applying for our visas and plan to travel in early November. Our daughter is in Guangzhou City...so our entire trip will be spent there (for Chinese adoptions, you are required to spend one week or so in the child's province and then travel to Guangzhou, where the American Embassy is located, to complete the adoption.)

These were among the first photos we saw of Zhang Yu Ying (Ying Ying in her orphanage, Jillian to us :-)). These were taken just a few days after her 2nd birthday:





(Beautiful, no??) :-) (seriously...you can see why there was no turning back once we saw that face, right???)

In June, we received these updated photos of Jillian. She is just over 2 1/2 here. We sent her a care package in May...and she is wearing the little shorts(but not the matching top!) and hair clips from that package.





...and finally, just yesterday we received one more update. There were some surprising things in that brief report! We had believed Jillian to be in the orphanage at Guangzhou City. The report yesterday mentioned another child in her "Foster Family". I almost missed that in my rush to get to the photos at the end! These pictures do seem to be in a home (with a large tv!). I have taken notice of all that little writing on wall behind her and wonder if I have another artist on my hands??? You can also see a little foot of another child in one of the photos which I have to surmise belongs to her foster sister. We plan to send a request for more info on her Foster Family next week after the holiday. We are thrilled to know she is living with a family until we can travel!

Also in this report she was described as "very clever". She likes all food, especially vegetables...and she doesn't like it when other children take her toys. (who can blame her??? I have spent the week unpacking toys that have been in storage just waiting for her...I can't wait to show her!). I love these photos so much...mostly because we finally got a full out smile! It's safe to say she has her new family firmly wrapped around her little finger already. Jim, Lia and I just kept looking at that sweet face last night, sensing just a hint of {fun} mischief in that twinkle.





(See what I mean??? Did you catch that twinkle??)

...and finally...I wanted to share a poem that a dear dear friend graciously shared with me earlier this summer. It brought me to tears the first time I read it...and continues to do so. Every. Time. I. Read. It. While we know that our sweet Jillian will face some extra challenges in life, we know she was created perfectly in His sight. We are so thankful to call Yu Ying daughter...and humbled with this most precious blessing of raising her.

Missing Parts

God looked down, another child complete,
A smile so perfect, a temper so sweet.
But baby looked and some parts were gone,
Did God mess up and make me wrong?
God just looked at this perfect child,
He explained Himself as He just smiled.
"If I'd taken time to make that part,
you wouldn't be such a work of art."
I would not have had time to make that smile,
To list your talents would last a mile.
Your sense of humor, that belly laugh,
Where are these parts, you have to ask?
You are so lucky, these gifts of gold,
Those missing parts are mine to hold.
Forever they'll be, close to my heart,
So as you live, we are never apart.
Each time I move, you'll be on my mind,
You special child, you are quite the find!
So do not miss that part, you see,
It will always be safe and sound with me."