Next Year You will be here

I'm writing this post for Wei Kang Hong. Its Christmas day in China and you have no idea how much you are missed as we hang stockings and wait for Santa.  I was hoping for a new picture of you this week from Little Flowers but nothing.  Tomorrow will be our last family photo of 7.  This will be one of the photos we will include in your photo album we will send to you as soon as we have LOA.  That cant come any to quickly.  Merry Christmas Baby Girl we love you.

Happy Holidays!

Working on getting some pictures to send in an album Addie as soon as we have our LOA.  Cant wait to send that package!

Holidays

Well at least its a busy time of the year to help with the waiting.  Ollie and Teddy shared the news with their class last week. They have been so excited to do this.  I went in to help them with questions.  I find when we do something that has anything to do with China in the kids class it turns into questions about their adoption and why.  The class was so cute (4th Graders) and Ollie and Ted did a great job.  They could have asked questions for hours.  We are so busy around here with the production of "Clara's Cracked Christmas" that Ted and Lil are in and Im so far behind on shopping for Christmas which isn't like me.  Working 5 days a week has really worn me out and Im planning on cutting back when she comes home.  We have just started our wait for LOA so I don't even try and check our wait yet.  Id have to go back and check our agency email to even tell you how long we should expect. Not that I don't care I just don't want to obsess yet.  After the first of the year then Ill start checking daily, getting her clothes washed, checking hotels and flights.  That kind of nesting stuff! 

When something happens and you are helpless (I wrote this and didnt publish it at the time but here it is now)

So you read Blogs of waiting families and how excited they are, the updates they get and the excitements of new photos BUT what about the Blog where the child you are waiting for is sick. We knew when we excepted our referral that Hong had a cleft lip repaired and cleft palette, CHD and had had seizures.  Her lip repair had gone well and she was headed to foster care. I had mixed emotions about foster care because she has been in a wonderful facility called "Little Flowers".  Then we see new pictures of her from Little Flowers and she has a feeding tube.  After inquiring though our Agency we get this update:

1) She does eat well (Pediasure) and doesn't vomit unless she is in one of her throwing up periods.  These are completely irregular and unpredictable, she can go days or weeks without problems.  When she does have problems she becomes very dehydrated and weak and requires a feeding tube.

2) She had several massive seizures on the train on the way back to Taiyuan two days ago. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, given phenobarbital and released.  She also had a smaller seizure the day before that.

3) We do not know what plans the orphanage has for her regarding foster care.

4) Her current weight is 9.19 kg

5) It would be best to ask the orphanage to get video for you, we don’t have the capacity to email or upload large files.

 UMMMM what! Throwing up periods? MASSIVE SEIZURES?! On a train (why)?  So many question and no one to ask.  Feeling so helpless.

DTC

We are DTC (Dossier to China) today!!This was a pleasant surprise I was hoping for next week,   Im still not ready to start predicting when we will travel.  Id rather be surprised then disappointed.  We have seen new pictures of Addie and she is looking better. I will probably ask for an update next week to see if she is still on the meds for seizures and how her health has been.  It is so stressful the paperwork the waiting the not so great updates.  I bet you are wondering when you will get to see pictures?  Soon Im hoping. We need to wait for LOA from China then I will post one.

How are things moving along you ask?

Our I800A was mailed on 9-9-14 and the check was cashed today 9-15-14 so we know the USCIS got it.  Now how long will it take? It seems from what I see on time lines of adoptions sites most people are DTC about 2 months after they have mailed their I800A (Dossier to China (all that paperwork I complain about!)) Then we sit back and wait and play the guessing game of when will we travel.  BUT wait Im not going there yet!!!  We have had no updates on Hong but we did see some new pictures and she looks a little thinner but no feeding tube.  We will ask about an update next week.

So mentally tired

I wish I was one of those blogger Moms that sat down everyday and posted an update or something witty BUT THAT AINT GOING TO HAPPEN.  I have been so tired and its not physical its mental.  With all that has happen in just 4 weeks, New Job for me, Ollies operation, and Hong being sick Im not surprised.  I'm just hoping that once all the paperwork is DONE I'll rest much better.  It just doesn't feel real yet to business like getting all the forms where they need to go and contacting this person and that.  I must say the person we were dealing with at WACAP before we were accepted into the China program was much quicker to respond to our questions.  But they are still a very good agency. 

Emotional Overload

What a week it has been.  Ollie had her 6th operation total 5th for cleft issues on Wednesday. She came through with flying colors and is doing great.  But all the stress before, DURING, and keeping her feed is wearing on a Mom.  Oh by the way it was a 4 hour surgery scheduled for 5 with the ENT also plugging a hole in her ear.  Then I got a call from our agency that Kanghong is not doing well.  A little back story.  We were told about 2 weeks ago she was leaving Little Flowers and going to a foster home.  Well since then we have seen pictures posted and added to her album of her at LF. And in one she has a feeding tube.  So I contacted our agency and asked if they could check on her.  She did not go to Foster Care she became very ill and was sent to the hospital for test.  She spent 2 weeks in the hospital getting treated for something LF doesn't even think what is wrong with her so they had her released back to them.  She was OK for a couple of days but then took a turn for the worse. Vomiting and urinating little. So back to the Doctor who said she had electrolyte imbalance .  (Duh she's puking all the time!)  The have put her on breast milk only (she's 2.5 is that enough?) .  In conclusion this is what we got.

I’ll be honest and tell you that we STILL do not have any idea what is wrong with her and why she has repeated episodes of vomiting and serious GI complaints.  The doctors are not sure either.

We have brought her to Beijing and had the top international experts examine her and run tests.  They cannot give us any answers.  We really don’t have any other options other to continue to provide basic care and treat her various symptoms as they occur.

 

So we contacted our Doctor and I wont even begin to post what she said! It was so harsh my head was spinning.  So we continue on this road and wait and pray that she gets better in the next couple of weeks and that all our paperwork continues to more along quickly.  We are still so far from travel and getting her.  It is all in someone else's hands to take care of her.   Little Flowers seems to love and care for the children so much that I don't think she could be anyplace better then with us. 

 

Adoption Feelings

This is our fourth adoption so I'm not new to the process. But it doesn't get easier the more times you do it.  The paperwork can be overwhelming at times. I have check list and emails sent daily to check on forms and what needs to be done and what has been received and my favorite worry "Did I leave it our where one of the cats will ear it!". I love when the paperwork is finally out of my hands and we are DTC to China.  But then the waiting starts and I spend endless hours looking at others time lines and what the current wait times are and checking out hotels we could possibly stay in.  There is no growing tummy no heart beat to hear and no kicking to feel. You hope for an email with new pictures and possible a weight and height so you can go look at clothes. You think daily "DON'T THEY KNOW THERE IS A LITTLE GIRL/BOY WAITING FOR A FAMILY? WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?" And you know for sure everything seems to slow down when your waiting on your approvals. 

First Day Of School!!

Another "First Day Of School" in the Woods house!  How many does that make now oh I think 22! Everyone was up early and ready go and had a good day.

Home Study is done!

Well that was fast! We had our first visit Aug 9th 2nd Aug 13 and 3rd  Aug 16th and our Social Worker emailed it on the 23rd for review to our agency.  If it looks good Im hoping our I800A will be sent our by Friday.  That would be 3 weeks from start to finish!  All of the paperwork for our Dossier has been notarized. And redone with a job change for me! I am now working on Verifying all our NH forms all the Me. forms have been done.  I love when all the paperwork is done and in WACAPS hands (our agency) and out of mine. Hoping for good new next week! 

Paperwork and more Paperwork

I am feeling very overwhelmed with paperwork right now. Its not like we haven't gone through this 3 other times but for some reason this time I feel so unorganized.  I keep telling myself that everything is moving along and it is all fine. But so far I'm not believing myself. Add on to the paperwork that Max has to do a lot of the forms also because he lives in an apartment attached to our house.  We have set up all our meetings with our Social Worker, had our physicals (just waiting on some blood work for Ken), done our Me. clearance for child abuse and neglect, waiting on employment letters, and giving our NH State Police and Clearance for child abuse and neglect to our Social Worker.

Here we go again!

Here we go again! We just received PA for our new Daughter Wei Kang Hong!  I hope to be posting regularly as we go through this process one more time for the fourth time!! We are just starting our Home Study and have not met with our Social worker yet. Ken is in Korea and then she goes on vacation so our first meeting will be on Aug. 9th.