November Update

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."--John 14:18

Alayna turned 4 months on November 2nd and has now been under the care of her foster mother since the beginning of October.  The following update information was gathered on October 31st.  At that time, Alayna was 23.3 inches and weighed 12.56 pounds.  Her head circumference was 15.55 inches and chest was 15.35 inches.  She continues to drink 4 oz. of formula every 4 hours.  Our little girl is just such a cutie pie!  We can’t wait to bring you home, sweetheart.

Now for the amazing news:  I mentioned last month that our court hearing was scheduled for October 7th, and it would take 1-3 months to receive our first ruling.  Well, we were surprised when we received an e-mail from Tien that she was informed of the judge’s first ruling on October 30th.  So, quick! (Of course, tears on my part.)  After the first ruling, the average wait for the final ruling is 4-6 weeks, and travel 2 weeks after that.  We were praying that Alayna would be home by Christmas. 

On November 20th, I received an e-mail from Tien at Journeys of the Heart that the adoption was final, and we need to leave for Taipei in two weeks.  More tears, a thank you for answered prayers and onto the stress of planning the trip.

As of now, Tom, Amelia, Grandma and I will be heading to Taiwan on Thursday, December 4th.  We land Friday evening, will sightsee for the weekend, and then off to meet our precious Alayna Pei-Shan on Monday morning, December 8th. The only thing I’m disappointed about is that Nick will not be able to join us.  He has finals the week after we get back and missing school at this time will not be possible.  He will be missed, although somehow I think he will enjoy the peace and quiet. (More mommy tears)  We will then head back to the States on December 12th. 

So much to do, so little time to do it…..

Click here for a video.

 

On the home front:

We have had a busy past few weeks with much celebrating.  At the end of October we celebrated Grandpa and Tom’s birthday and, of course, there was trick or treating.  We had unseasonably warm weather this Halloween (in the 60’s), and Amelia couldn’t be stopped.  She walked the neighborhood for an hour and twenty minutes.  Not bad for a little one.  She never got tired of walking, but the bucket was getting too heavy!  Halloween fell on a Friday night, so Nick had a fun party to go to, also.

The first weekend in November we went down to Indianapolis to celebrate our godson, Andy’s 13th birthday.  As long as we were there, we included Amelia’s birthday and a little Christmas celebration for the kids.  Good time was had by all.

On November 18th, Amelia turned three.  (We are still trying to figure out where the time goes.)  When asked what she wanted for her birthday her response was “cake”.  She wanted Dora, Diego, and Elmo all on one cake.  Since I am not creative that way, the bakery was able to accommodate with Dora and Diego, and I bought a little Elmo cupcake.  Demand met, and she couldn’t have been happier.  She would climb on a kitchen chair and just look through the box at her cake.  Oh, the little things that make my Amelia happy.  She also spent about two weeks asking people to sing “Happy Birthday” to her.  This included the Santa at the mall who, in my opinion, arrived much too early.  It was sweet though.  She stood right in front of him, with her tiny little hands in his white gloves, and the nice Santa sang to her.  She was mesmerized.  I just love how easy it is to thrill a little one.  Precious!

On the 20th, we celebrated our second “Forever Family” day.  It was just two years ago that Amelia was placed in our arms at the Civil Affairs office in Guangzhou, PRC.  Tom, Nick and I fell in love that minute and each moment since.  Amelia is a blessing to all who cross her path.  She lights up a room with her smile, incessant chattering and boundless energy. Amelia, we are honored and blessed to be your parents.  ***Did you catch the dates?  We received the e-mail saying Alayna is ours on Amelia’s “Forever Family” day.  Pretty neat, huh?  We celebrated all the great news with family and friends at a local Chinese restaurant.  I started a tradition last year of adding a silver charm each year to a bracelet for Amelia.  This year I picked a sand bucket since she loves the beach in Florida and the sand box at home.  I will start a charm bracelet for Alayna, as well, next year.

Nick continues to do well in school, and we are really proud of his academic achievements. In addition, he is involved in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and a part time job.  We have noticed that none of that seems quite as important to him as his active social life.  Ah, the life of a teenager!

Please pray that Alayna’s heart is being prepared for her transition into our family.  Her whole little world is about to change and we know it will cause her some stress.  I suspect Amelia will have a tough transition as well, please pray for her also.

Is she not the cutest little cow?

Amelia ran down stairs naked. Nick thought he'd solve the problem of naked baby and wrapped her in bubble wrap. The look on her face was priceless when she fell on her buns and went pop, pop, pop.

 

Nick and Amelia with their Indiana friends: Erika, Andy and Jessica.

 

Isn't she adorable?

Look how big I'm getting!

Sing to me while I blow out my candles.

All dressed up for "Forever Family Day"

Baby girl smooching her big brother. Does my heart good!

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