Pinch me!

Whew!!!   Just when I thought my life was crazy busy, it got even crazier.  Absolutely incredible.

I normally try to make my blog entries sort of "fun", entertaining,  creative etc.  However, this time, I just have to give you an update, find a pillow, and crash.

I'm THRILLED to announce that our Letter of Approval (LOA) arrived on Friday, July 20th.  That's a HUGE step..the one we've been waiting for for months and months (85 days, to be exact....but who's counting??)   This letter is the official one from China that gives us the approval to adopt Liu Nian.

It has been signed and mailed back to China.  Wahoo!  He's our SON!
The next Tuesday, on July 24th, the US Dept of Citizenship and Immigration received our I-800 application.  That's the form that goes to the U.S. government that requests to specifically adopt Liu Nian as an immediate relative.    I called them today, and they said it would be approved by next week.

Then, next week, we're on a mission to get our letter from the National Visa Center (NVC).  I should have that by the end of next week or the beginning of next.  That starts the ball rolling for Liu Nian to get his Visa to come to the USA and become a citizen.

Ok..by this time you're probably hearing "blah, blah, blah".  I understand.  I feel the same way.
In a nutshell, we should be traveling to China by November 1st to meet our son.   It may be sooner.  I spent 3 HOURS on a pre-travel conference call today and I have a "to-do" list so long that's running down my leg.   I'm overwhelmed.  My blood pressure is high.  I'm trying to balance life, but I feel like I'm drowning.  There's not enough hours in a day to get it all done!    I have to apply for Chinese visas for all 4 of us, I have a page-long checklist of papers to chase and have delivered to the adoption agency within a week.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a type A planner.  I'm working on a 3-page packing list, scheduling the last round of immunizations, lining up my Pampered Chef work schedule before, during and after I'm gone, helping coordinate FOUR final fundraisers, can a bunch of garden veggies before they go bad,  get both kids off to school next week and manage the everyday house stuff.   What's hitting me now is that....well...this is now REAL!!  Pinch me...it's REAL!  We're going to China SOON to adopt a little boy that will forever be in my heart, my family, and my responsibility.   When did this all happen?  We'll be on that plane before we know it.  

Dear Lord, please give me Your peace.  I'm freaking out for many good reasons, but it's still overwhelming.  I'm taking one day at a time and doing the best I can.  In the meantime friends, please bear with me if I don't reply to emails, phone calls, text messages etc. as fast as I normally do.  I'm in a very different season of my life, and although it's overwhelming, I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

We know that many of you have expressed the desire to contribute financially to our adoption.  For those of you who have already, THANK YOU!  May the Lord bless you for your sincere generosity!  For those of you who are still wanting to help, NOW IS THE TIME!   Travel is fast approaching and we will have to pay thousands of dollars for airfare, hotel, visas, etc.  Every dollar helps, and we are sincerely grateful for  whatever you can donate...whether financially or prayerfully.  :)   Please contact me directly if you'd like to made a tax-deductible donation for a great cause.  We are relying on the Lord to provide all that we need as we follow Him in obedience to The Call. 

Pinch me...this can't be happening already, is it?     Ok...the pillow is calling my name...must get some rest....

What's in a name?

Liu  Nian.  That's his Chinese name given by the orphanage upon finding him.  Liu would be considered his "last name"  and Nian is his "first name".   From what I've understood from others who have adopted from this orphanage, most kiddos born in 2009 were given the surname of Liu.  Interesting, huh?

Even more interesting is the name Nian.  I've done some research on this, and although the meaning behind his name may not seem very flattering at first, it's SUPER rich with with Chinese culture and history.   Which makes his name even more special and unique, just like him!

So, wanna hear about the "Legend of the Nian"?  Betcha didn't know there was even such a thing (that's ok...I didn't either!!)

Chinese people held the first New Year Festival more than 3,000 years ago. Farmers gave thanks for the harvest and prayed. They asked the gods for good crops in the coming year.

But there is a story behind all the celebration, below is the legend of how the Chinese New Year celebration began.

According to legend, there was a man-eating wild monster "Nian" with an extremely large mouth, capable of swallowing several people in a single bite. This beast appeared in a country village, towards the end of winter when there was nothing to eat it would visit the villages and attack and eat whatever it could. The villagers would live in terror over the winter.

The next year it returned and the same thing happened. The monster seemed too strong to be defeated. So all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian.

One day, a wise old man passed through the village and told an old woman, "I will teach you how to scare Nian away!"

That evening when Nian arrived at the village, he saw that all the houses were dark except the house in which an old woman lived. Nian approached the house, licking his lips in anticipation. Suddenly, the deafening noise of firecrackers sounded endlessly.

The monster was startled and jumped. Suddenly he realized that the house was covered in red paper. This scared him even more and it ran off into the mountains. When the villagers returned they saw that the old woman was unharmed! People later learned that "nian" was afraid of loud noises and the color red, The villagers came together and agreed that when it was time for Nian's annual visit towards the end of winter they would start a fire in front of every door and not go to sleep but rather make noise.

The following year, the villagers were ready for it. They set off firecrackers, lit all their lamps and decorated their houses in red, they paste red paper on the doors, wear red clothing, hang up red lanterns. They made loud music, play the gong and drums and they dance and burn the fireworks whenever Nian was about to arrive, to scared away the beast. Nian had not come down the mountain to cause any trouble thereafter.

This eventually become a tradition of China and leads to the celebration for another year of safe life. Chinese people celebrate in remembrance of this legend and still continues till today!

Isn't that the coolest story?   

Now, may I ask- is this the face of a hungry man-eating monster??

Nah, I didn't think so. 

"You're mine, little one!"

Over the past few months of waiting, I've been lurking on several advocacy websites such as www.rainbowkids.com.    Weeks ago, there was a sweet little boy that kept catching my eye.  I would check about every day to see if his precious little face was still listed but I didn't want to get "attached" or even hopeful about his picture.  After all, we couldn't be matched yet anyway, so what's the point of torturing myself, right?

Then, on Father's Day, we found out that our agency was able to match kiddos again!  * happy dance*  The very next day I was on the phone with the agency that had that sweet little face listed on Rainbow Kids and asked them if they would transfer his file to our agency.  Within 10 minutes, they emailed his file for us to review.   The next day, we called our agency and the listing agency and said we were willing to accept him!     Two days later, I got the call at 9:20pm from our case worker that he had, in fact, been released to the shared list and our agency locked him in specifically for our family *another happy dance*    Whew!  What a whirlwind!     Then, we waited....for China to give us the "thumbs up" or not.  

Well, today we finally got the long-awaited news we have been waiting for.  Drumroll, please!    

Meet our new SON! 

Isn't he too stinkin' cute?   Wanna see another one?  Awww, come on, you know you want to!

The moment I saw this photo come off the printer, I actually said outloud

"You're mine, little one!"    

 This is Liu Nian and his birthday is October 6, 2009.  He's from the Henan Province and he will be 3 years old this October.   Liu Nian (pronounced Loo NEE-IN) was abandoned at 11 days old.  He has a (repaired) cleft lip unrepaired cleft palate. 

That night we read and prayed over his file, I fell asleep with a peace like I've never had.   It was a COMPLETELY different feeling than last time, I just can't explain it. 

I know you're wondering..when do we get him?  What's next?  What will we name him?  

Well, the answer to question #1:   We don't know.  I am hopeful that we will get him home before Christmas, but please, please keep praying!   As we all know by now, anything can happen.  However, we also know that our God is bigger than any hoops we have to hurdle through!  

In regards to question #2:  We are still waiting for our formal and "official" Letter of Approval (LOA).  Not sure when that will get here but when it does, we'll start another round of paperchasing with the U.S. Dept of Immigration. 

As far as question #3:  Well, you'll just have to come back another day to find out, now won't ya?