Christmas will be different next year

CHRISTmas was wonderful this year...with garrett & natalie being teenagers we don't have cookies & milk sitting out anymore for santa...nor do take them to sit on santa's lap to tell him what they want for CHRISTmas...next year will be different
* we will take mallory lael to sit on santa lap..HO HO HO
* will she scream, cry or smile on santa's lap? i'm going with crying
* will she be mesmerized with all the glistening CHRISTmas light? i bet she will
* will she like the taste of a candy cane? i hope so
* will she understand that we are celebrating Jesus birthday? probably not but we will tell her of our Saviors birth

we have a family tradition in our home...we let the kids pick one gift to open on CHRISTmas eve...we've always had fun with this...natalie can never decided what gift to open (she is the undeceive one of the bunch)...garrett he picks one & never looks back...will mallory lael be undeceive like her big sister natalie??? will she be like her big brother pick a gift and go on? i bet she'll be mallory lael the little person God made her to be just PERFECT ;)

next year will be different...mallory lael will of just turned 2 when CHRISTmas rolls around next year...we have talked about how it will be with mallory her with us next year...natalie has plans for them to wear matching CHRISTmas pj's...i like that idea natalie has always worn CHRISTmas pj's CHISTmas eve...she brought down a pair she wore a few years ago she said "mom save these for mallory"...i didn't tell her but mallory will be 12 before they will fit her...CHRISTmas pj's are classic they will still be cool in year 2017...

mallory with her foster parents 12/09...i am thankful that mallory has foster parents...even though mallory is in an orphanage they come to the orphanage weekly to see her...thank you thank you thank you for loving my baby

mallory 13 mos. 12/09 play time with a BIG pink ball...

a simple phone call to a stranger

today i had the pleasure of chatting with a women in indianapolis, in...her name is ginger... she is the mother of 6 children (4 biological/2 are adopted)...i've been on a web site called china talk...it is a site where you can post questions...read others posting to educate oneself on the china adoption process...different special needs...paper work questions the information truly is endless...jenna another lady i've met during the adoption process posted on china talk a question about small head circumference...ginger responded with a post..from that post she sent me her phone number and said to give her a call...as soon as i read her invitation to call i did just that...called her...again i've been asking God for clarity...He sent me ginger today...i may never actually meet ginger...that doesn't matter because our chat today was just what God had planned for our introduction...this is what she told me: the daughter they were in the process of adopting tragically passed away...through summer's death ginger was given a great gift and ginger (a total stranger)shared with me today has changed my perspective...

August 23, 2007

One year ago today, as I was obliviously going through my life, in far away Hunan China Zhi Xin struggled to hold on to hers. Little Zhi Xin, Summer…the daughter we waited for to soon join our family passed away at 4:00pm. We learned the heartbreaking news from our coordinator the next day; she was devastated, we were devastated.
Zhi Xin, the daughter I never held, never kissed, but truly loved gave me a gift…she changed my perspective. I had been selfish, in the past my prayers had been for God to lead us to a child that would be the perfect fit for our family…now I wanted God, in His grace, to make us the perfect family for this baby. My perspective had changed and I was grateful for it.

i can see clearly that God has chosen our imperfect family to be mallory's family...He will equip up with what mallory needs...He's chosen us for mallory...not mallory for us...i am at peace and my heart is filled with joy with this gift that summer left her mom ginger...and ginger gave to me today...

inner mongolia deserts

inner mongolia is home to gobi desert located in the western part of inner mongolia...gobi desert is the largest desert in china & the 5th largest desert in the world.

where is inner mongolia china?

inner mongolia (the pink region at the top) is located in the northern part of china...baotou is located at the foot of the yinshan mountains, and on banks of the yellow river...the people living in the vast last made some brilliant achievements. baotou has successively won the titles of national civilized city, garden city, and national excellent tourist city. this leisure capital situated on grassland well displays its charm with its natural resources and cultural assumptions.
baotou is mongolian for 'place where deer live'. hence it is called by its other name, the deer city baotou is the largest city which incorporates the largest green area in inner mongolia.
inner mongolia autonomous region, bordering to the north with both the republic of mongolia and russia, is the widest province in china. it is the third largest chinese province (over 1.1 million square kilometers or 424,736 square miles) but not very populated. the province has about 24 million inhabitants. many ethnic groups are living in this area including mongolian, daur, oroqen, ewenki, hui, han, korea. hothhot is the capital of inner mongolia.

mallory's home

this is where mallory lives...baotou social welfare institute in baotou inner mongolia, china...

when God speaks

god spoke to me today unlike any other time in my life...after walking my daily walk with sisco & ruby... i did my normal morning routine...got dressed then decided to change my shirt to a new t-shirt i just bought...while in the check out line in walmart this afternoon a lady taps me on the shoulder and says "that is my favorite bible verse"...on the back of the t-shirt i was wearing is a bible verse...
The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save,
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17i said "thank you"...she asked were she could get this t-shirt...i told her i'd ordered it online www.wildolivetree.com it is a group of ladies who have adopted children...she asked "have you adopted a child?" i said "we are in the process now"....she began to explain to me that God asked her to fast today until sundown, then she said i'm not sure why...i told her i was fasting today also...she asked me why? i told her about mallory lael and how we are concerned about her small head...she then said "I KNOW NOW WHY GOD ASKED ME TO FAST"...her eyes filled with tears...she asked what is your daughter's name? i said "mallory lael"...she repeated her name and then asked me to spell lael L A E L...i then gave her a sticky note and a pen, she wrote down mallory lael as well as the web site for the t-shirts...she then said she was visiting her sister and she lived in boston...during the entire time i felt so peaceful speaking with this lady...she was probably in her late 60...thin, petite with such a loving spirit about her...
was she an angle?
was she someone who made a difference in my life today? YES...
i most likely will never see her again...i will never forget her...if i ever did see her again i would know her without any doubt...she made a comment i don't recall her exact words but what i believe she was saying was this was an appointment by God for she & i to meet...
i wish now that i would of exchange phone numbers with her to tell her about mallory lael when we bring her home...God didn't want us to exchange phone numbers or we would have...that is how God impacted my life today...through this stranger i feel a at peace...thank you Jesus...

giraffe

her "snuggle" monogrammed for her ;) this went in her care package...sandra haygood did a great job on the monogramming...thanks sondra ;)

care package

here are the goodies in mallory's care package...i have to pick up her snuggle giraffe today...hopefully she will get this right after Christmas...you can't send a care package until you receive your PA...we got our PA 2 days ago...

mallory's foster parents

mallory's foster parents...(foster mom in pink)they come visit mallory at the orphanage weekly...lori said she could tell mallory loves them...and they love mallory ;)

natalie's stocking

made for natalie in 1995...made with love by mom ;)

garrett's stocking

made for garrett in 1992...made with love by mom :)

mallory's stocking

i've started mallory's stocking...it will take me a couple months to finish it...as i'm needle pointing i picture mallory lael next year putting her tiny little hands inside this stocking pulling out goodies from santa

PA

we got our PA (pre-approval) Yeah!!! i now can send mallory her gift package....Praise God :)

Have you ever wondered

how it would feel to be internationally adopted? perhaps, in fact, you were. if not, you might wonder what it is like to be suddenly immersed in a new life. join me for a moment of imaginary play. i invite you to picture yourself plucked from your familiar life and "dropped in the middle of nowhere."

you look around you. you are in a remote place in the middle of what seems like nowhere in particular. you have no maps or signs to tell you where you are. suddenly you are surrounded by strangers, all of whom are overjoyed to see you. these people smile, laugh, and talk loud and fast, and they act as if you can understand them. they touch your hair, your face, and your shoulders, and they hug you repeatedly. you notice they have a peculiar odor. they dress differently from anyone you have ever met. their language is unintelligible and sounds like gibberish. you have no clue how or why you are here. you have no idea if you will find your way back to your former life.

before we go further, check to see how you are feeling. SCARE TO DEATH is any part of your body tense? YES do any worries pop into you head? YES how might you feel about these overly friendly strangers? SCARED< UNSURE> GET ME OUTTA HER

you feel hand beginning to remove your clothes (after given your child you must remove the clothes they came in and put an outfit on you've brought for your child) and there, in the public, these strangers dress you in a new garments. some people appear to be assessing you, sizing you up, looking at your hair and teeth closely and noting any moles or scars on your body. you are given strange food and invited to play unfamiliar games. you are handed a container of strange liquid and encourage to drink it. everyone continue to laugh and smile and act as though this were a perfectly ordinary and normal situation. (parenting your internationally adopted child by: patty cogen 0

welcome to the mind & world of an internationally adopted child...this is how mallory will feel when she is placed in our arms... i will be overjoyed, crying most likely on an emotional high...mallory will be scared, unsure, frightened to name a few...in my reading & research to be the best mother i can be to mallory...i must remember she won't be parented initially the same as garrett & natalie were parented...she's coming from a totally different situation...many may ask or think to themselves "she'll be under 2, she won't remember much" that is 100% inaccurate...she will remember quit a bit of her first 2 years in a foster home & orphanage...due to many hurdles she won't be able to articulate how she is feeling


>

Waiting

waiting isn't my strong point...i keep thinking to myself how far away october 2010 is that is 10 months from now...it seems as if it will never get here...mallory will be 23 months old if we travel to china in october 2010...i am praying that we can travel in august to bring her home...so much will be going on in august...garrett will start college...natalie will start high school...OMG it will be a busy month...hey, maybe God will have us travel in july 2010...now wouldn't that work out great...again that is what i want... i have to remember that God's timing is perfect...in my mind i want garrett & natalie to go with us to china...i want them to experience china first hand...

God knows every second of mallory's life...
*when she will meet us for the first time
*when she will start walking
*when she will be potty trained
*when she will say "mommy, daddy, garrett & natalie"
*when she will be placed in our arms for the first time
*when she will know & feel how much we LOVE her
*when she will be taken out of the orphanage for good
*when she will say goodbye to her nanny
*when she will be on an airplane headed for atlanta, GA
*when she will have her first dentist appointment
*when she will watch her big brother play soccer & her big sister play volleyball
*when she will see sisco & ruby for the first time
*when she will meet her grammie, pawpaw, nan, poppy joe & grandpa
*when she will feel LOVED unconditionally
*when she will know that Jesus LOVES her
*when she will know that God made her perfect
*when she will find out her God given talents
*when she will know what american food taste like
*when she will meet her cousins, aunts, uncles & many family friends
*when she will meet her aunt amy who helped us bring her home ;)
*when she will read the blog i've started to journal her adoption journey
*when she will see her baby pictures & video that was sent to us in october 2009
*when she will accept Jesus into her heart
*when she will be in her first school program

Okay, i know God knows every second of mallory's life...i just wish God would give me a little teaser... a peek inside His plan...

Surprise

serena our angle in china...sent us updated pictures of mallory...i've put 3 on the blog...she is now 13 months old...yes, her head has been shaved darn ;(...the chinese feel if you shave a baby girls head their hair will grown in more luxurious...time will tell on that one...i had heard the orphanage mallory was in was nice...looking at these photos i feel very good about the orphanage...it looks clean...with plenty of toys to play with the nice soft ground for the babies to crawl on...half the sky nannies are coming to this orphanage to help the babies with stimulation & development...mallory playing on the floor...reaching for the balls is huge...many orphanage don't have this type of program...serena our angel has made our Christmas for us...Thank you very very much Serena...our baby looks Beautiful & healthy...

a GREAT surprise

serena our angel in china surprised me this morning with 6 pictures of mallory ;)...she looks so great...i've attached 3 of them...the orphanage she is in is very clean & nice i'd heard and the pictures show it to be clean...the babies are being stimulated with toys which is awesome news...it makes me want to go get her TODAY...get me on a flight TODAY...unfortunately it doesn't work like that UGH...these pictures made my Christmas fro sure...God bless serena she's been wonderful to us...yes, they have shaved her head...darn ;(... the chinese feel if you shave the baby girls heads their hair will grown in more luxurious...we shall see about that

Sneak Peak

here is the the pillow sham that will coordinate with mallory's room...the print is soft pastel colors with a splash of warm tone pink, green & blue mixed in...pattern is of pagoda with a chinese little girl, birds, fish & a butterfly...the material is very kid friendly...it doesn't come in queen size bedding only twin even if it did it is a bit pricey for my budget...we are going to have bits and pieces of this bedding...i ordered the baby quilt which she can use for mallory to snuggle with... this pagoda print bedding pieces coordinate perfect with her crib & big girl bedding...

Brrr

it is a bit chilly in GA today...i wonder how cold little ms. mallory is in china today? i'd say very very very chilly...i pray she's bundled warm & being held tightly by her nanny...we decorated our Christmas tree today...we talked about how next Christmas mallory will be 2 and how much fun Christmas will be to have a toddler around our house.

God brings two families together

okay her is how this story begins...i found out 2 days ago that a family in fayetteville, GA (where i live) is adopting a child from baotou, swi inner mongolia (same orphange mallory is in)...kim (the mom)and i finally get to talk after playing phone tag...kim & i both are nurses... both worked at the same hospital not only that but we know each other...we live less then 5 miles from each other...God has known all along that mallory & shiloh (kim's daughter) would be together in baotou and live in the same town in the states...shiloh's birthday is november 11 she just turned 2...mallorys birthday is november 9 she just turned 1...in the orphanage they most likely are in the same room together...with all the reading kent & i have done one of the best out comes is if you can get together with children from the same orphanage your child came from...who would of ever imaged that mallory would have a friend 5 miles from her home???? i sure wouldn't have...kim & her family will be traveling to baotou in april...when she goes she'll be able to take video's and pictures of mallory (hopefully ;) if the orphanage will allow this...some times they allow pictures to be taken of other children sometimes they don't...whatever the outcome the end result will be that mallory & shiloh will be reunited again...

LOI

Big day our LOI (letter of intent) official today december 4, 2009....one step closer ;)

Home Study FINISHED....kind of

kent & i drove to birmingham, AL yesterday for our FINAL home study appointment....the rain was horrible took us 3 hours 45 minutes to get to lifeline....thank God we arrived safe....our part of the home study is finished....it is in the hands of our social worker now....estimate time of completion the middle of january 2010....it was an informative meeting yesterday....kent & i left feeling educated & more eager to bring mallory "home"....our estimated time of travel has changed to september/october 2010....i pray and i'd ask you guys to pray that we can get her much early august would be ideal....again it is on God's time line not andrea's time line....the goal is to get mallory "home" and out of an orphanage....i made my views very clear on the urgency to get the home study completed our social worker promised to work diligently....the sooner the home study is completed the sooner our CIA (immigration) can be sent out....then the dossier can be sent....the goal is to get your LID (log in date)into china....when your logged in you travel 5-6 months after that date....you see the sooner the better ;)