A miracle of an update

What are the odds?  Seriously what are the odds that a sweet Knoxville family would be in our son's orphanage today!?  What a miracle.  What's even more of a miracle is that they were able find our son.  Kai lives in the largest orphanage in his province.  It houses between 600-800 children.  And yet this sweet family was able to see Kai and deliver his care package to him. Thank you God!!!!  I went to bed last night hoping that sometime this morning I would get an update.  I was woken up in the middle of the night by the sweetest text messages from my dear friend Erin Lee.  (Rebecca, the mommy in China, is friends with my friend Erin.  Rebecca sent an update about Kai to Erin because she couldn't find my email.)  This is the text message that I got in the middle of the night...

"You've gotta get up and read this email I'm about to send from Rebecca!!!!! SHE MET KAI!!!!!!! GET UP GET UP!!!!!  Oh sweet friend are you up?!?!?!  I just received it and I'm so excited I'm about to jump out of my skin for you please get UP!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hehehe  I've never been so excited to jump out of bed and check email in the middle of the night!!!!!  Here is what the email said...

"Erin, We just got back from visiting the orphanage!! I have so much to tell you, but very importantly I need you to tell your friend Katie that I was able to hand deliver Kai's care package!!!  I stroked his head and he is such a beautiful boy!!!!!  He was very very happy.  All the care givers were smiling and talking to him and loving on him so much!!  The director of the orphanage said he was in the hospital recently for a fever...a simple cold.  He did still have a wet cough....kinda like you get at the end of a cold.  Kai has the best smiles!!! I just want her to know that he is beautiful and so cared about here in Jinan!!!"

What.a.gift.

There are no words to describe the comfort and joy this email gave me.  To know that he is doing well. To know that he is happy.   To know that he is loved.  Such a gift.  Thank you all for praying and for sharing in our joy today!!! And thanks be to a Heavenly Father who hears our cries and who answers our prayers!!!!

Meet Kai.

There are approximately 573,000 Orphans in China.

In just a few short months there will be one less.

It is my joy to introduce you to Kai.

He is just over a year old 

and has completely stolen our hearts!!!  

We are so thrilled to be able to share him with you and cannot wait to bring him home!!!!!!!!

Waiting

Several people recently asked me where we are in the adoption process.....so I thought I would update with a blog post.  Sadly we are in the same place in the process that we were over seven weeks ago.  No movement.  No news.   Nothing.

When we were matched with Kai our Dossier had to be translated...which we found out was completed on April 30th.  Next it needs to be reviewed, then matched with Kai's files.  Once this is done the Chinese government will issue us a "Letter of Approval" or "LOA" (international adoption is all about the acronyms...).  The LOA is super exciting because then Kai is officially matched with us and we can share his beautiful face with the world!!!

Right now we are waiting to hear that our dossier has been reviewed......it should be any day now...so we wait.  And let me tell you......waiting is not something I am good at........I'm actually pretty terrible at it!!!!  I check email a thousand times a day......I stalk adoption groups to watch other families timelines unfold....I stare at Kai's picture and cry......I'm awful.  I've had thoughts of calling our agency and busting out into A Great Big World's "Say Something".........say something.....anything........any updates would be great.  I won't.  But I've seriously considered it.  Instead we wait.

A Book For Kai

Ava wrote a book for her baby brother who is not home yet....

It may need some interpreting...

But here it is...

Ava's Book For Kai. 

I am your mom and Dad

I am your mom.  I am your Dad.  We both will always love you.

Even if you do not feel like it...we still do...

"You do not!" you say....We still love you little one...

If you don't feel good, tell me my child.

I say "it looks fine...I see..."

"Is there love," you ask? Yes! There is love! 

This book will end soon...so let's talk...

Here it is about to end!!!

Oh! It is ending.  The End.  

Our Adoption Sale

It was huge.

Gigantic.

I am still in awe of the magnitude that was

Our adoption yard sale.  

Let me give you the numbers...

32 families donated....

14 people worked...

Including 5 kids...

And so far we've made over $1700!!!!!

We are so thankful.  So humbled and so thankful.

I am amazed at how hard friends and family worked on our behalf....

I am profoundly affected by the way so many people sacrificed for us....for Kai...

Just typing about it makes me tear up! (Surprise surprise....) 

When I woke up at 5:00 a.m. I came down the stairs to find my twelve year old nephew, and my sixty-five year old Dad ready to work.

One friend came straight from a camping trip to our house and stayed until dinner...

And then there were our shoppers.

Our precious sweet shoppers.

Little old ladies would just hug me and say "I will pray for you!!  God Bless you!!"

Young couples would look at Kai's picture and say "this is really awesome..."

A sweet family that didn't speak english came and shopped for a while...they only bought a few things with what little money they had.  When they checked out, they gave more than what they owed....when we tried to give them change they simply said "no no....we help Baby."

Tears.

For our family, it was more than just a fundraiser.

It was more than just money. 

It was Support.  Care.  Love. 

Adoption does something.  

It moves communities...strengthens the bonds of friendship...touches hearts and brings together strangers.

That was one yard sale I will never forget. 

My Birthday Wish for You...

I can't share the exact date....and to be honest we don't really know the exact date....but we recently celebrated Kai's birthday.  It was a bittersweet day filled with a wide range of emotions.  It felt very odd preparing a party for a little guy we've never met and can't pick up or hold.  But despite the fact that he is half way around the world....and that he doesn't even know we exist...God has put a love  for Kai in our hearts that is so real...so tangible...and so passionate.  

We celebrated with family with some delicious cupcakes and some surprise gifts from my mom.  At the end of the evening my heart was filled with joy knowing that God chose me to be Kai's mommy.....and my heart was filled with heartache knowing that it would be several more months before I could hold my sweet boy.   

Dear Kai.

On your first birthday I may not be with you.

But I can still rejoice.

I can celebrate your life.

And I can pray.

My wish for you is that someday you will know...

that you are wanted

you were fought for

you are loved.  

My prayer for you is that God would fill your heart with the knowledge 

that you are precious

you are His

and that we are coming for you! 

I pray that your nannies would hold you while I can't

and care for you until I can.  

I love you deeply sweet boy.  

I cannot wait to have you home!!  

His name.

His name will be Kai.  Even though I cannot share his Chinese name or any more personal information....I am thrilled to tell you what we call him.  Kai.  It comes from the name Malachi which in Hebrew means "messenger of God."  We have also learned that Kai is a fairly common name in China and that it means "Triumphant."  Perfect.  Perfect for our little guy.  I cannot wait to share his face with all of you....but until then I will just share his name.