Last week, I had shared a couple of Ivy-Ann's newest pictures on a Facebook page I'm part of through our agency for families who have or are adopting from China. One of the moms commented and asked what orphanage Ivy-Ann was at, because she thought she had met her earlier this year when they were in China getting their daughter. Come to find out, their little girl and Ivy-Ann were at the orphanage! Once we figured that out, Jana asked for my number. She said she had a sweet story she wanted to share with me.
When Jana, her husband and little girl went to visit the orphanage, they stepped off the elevator and were immediately greeted by two little girls that were waiting for them. Ivy-Ann was one of them. She walked right up and grabbed the dad's hand and led the family to the room where their daughter's bed had been. After a bit, the family walked into the hall where they were chatting with their guide.
Ivy-Ann went up to Jana and tugged on her leg. Jana realized that Ivy-Ann was wanting to take her somewhere, so they all followed her. She led them into a room called the "library." In that room are pictures of children from the orphanage who are now adopted. Jana's family looked around the room for awhile, and then they were ready to move along. Ivy-Ann, however, was not. Jana asked their guide about this, and she said that Ivy-Ann loves and spends a lot of time in the "library."
I loved hearing this story. It gives us just a bit more insight into our little girl. I also loved chatting with this mama who with whom I now have a beautiful connection.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
beautiful and unexpected part 4...
(While I am typing this out, I am also chatting on Facebook with another mom whose little girl is in foster care through Ivy-Ann's orphanage. They are also waiting for their LOA, and they have only received two pictures of their daughter. My heart aches for them. I talked with another mom earlier today who had a similar story. I don't understand why God chose us to receive this precious gift through Chris, but I am so very thankful.)
These pictures were from Chris' last day at the orphanage. (The little purple spot next to Ivy-Ann's mouth is an iodine mixture they put on the kids' sores.)
I love this precious girl, and I love the amazing lady who shared these moments with her. :)
beautiful and unexpected part 3...
(I really am writing all this out so I can remember it all and share it with Ivy-Ann in years to come, along with the exchange of emails between Chris and me. Feel free to just skip the details and look at the pictures, if you'd like!)
The next morning I woke up and immediately checked my email. I hadn't slept much the night before. They are 13 hours ahead of us in China, so at some point while I should've been sleeping, Chris was giving Ivy-Ann our things and introducing her to us. I spent most of that night thinking, dreaming and praying.
But when I checked that morning, there was no email. I admit I was a little disappointed, but I also knew that Chris had so much going on, and I just assumed she was already in bed after a big day. I was also so thrilled with the pictures and emails I had already received from her.
A couple of hours later, though, I heard my phone notifying me of an email. I had not just one email from Chris but six! She had stayed up late that night because she wanted to share all of this with us. The first email was a beautiful recap of the time she spent with Ivy-Ann. That morning they played pattycake and enjoyed each other. After lunch, when it was nap-time, Chris asked if Ivy-Ann could come with her into another room to go through our things without interruption. I started crying at this. Chris understood how special and important this was to us, and it had become special and important to her as well.
Here are a just a few of the pictures Chris shared with us of their time together...
This one wrapped up their time together. I am just in awe at all of this. As I told Chris...only a loving Father could orchestrate this. I am so thankful that God chose Chris to be the one to share this special time with Ivy-Ann. I couldn't have hand-picked anyone better, and I am so thankful for the special bond they now have.
Through these emails, I learned much about the heart of the woman spending time with our Ivy-Ann. She values these children. To her they are precious and worthy of her time, attention and love. She didn't just look at our request as a task to be checked off her to-do list at the end of the day. She viewed herself as a messenger sent to do her Father's work, part of which was to introduce our little girl to her family. We had no idea what to expect when we sent Chris our box of things. We have been blessed beyond anything we could imagine. She is truly a treasured gift.
The next morning I woke up and immediately checked my email. I hadn't slept much the night before. They are 13 hours ahead of us in China, so at some point while I should've been sleeping, Chris was giving Ivy-Ann our things and introducing her to us. I spent most of that night thinking, dreaming and praying.
But when I checked that morning, there was no email. I admit I was a little disappointed, but I also knew that Chris had so much going on, and I just assumed she was already in bed after a big day. I was also so thrilled with the pictures and emails I had already received from her.
A couple of hours later, though, I heard my phone notifying me of an email. I had not just one email from Chris but six! She had stayed up late that night because she wanted to share all of this with us. The first email was a beautiful recap of the time she spent with Ivy-Ann. That morning they played pattycake and enjoyed each other. After lunch, when it was nap-time, Chris asked if Ivy-Ann could come with her into another room to go through our things without interruption. I started crying at this. Chris understood how special and important this was to us, and it had become special and important to her as well.
Here are a just a few of the pictures Chris shared with us of their time together...
Through these emails, I learned much about the heart of the woman spending time with our Ivy-Ann. She values these children. To her they are precious and worthy of her time, attention and love. She didn't just look at our request as a task to be checked off her to-do list at the end of the day. She viewed herself as a messenger sent to do her Father's work, part of which was to introduce our little girl to her family. We had no idea what to expect when we sent Chris our box of things. We have been blessed beyond anything we could imagine. She is truly a treasured gift.
beautiful and unexpected part 2...
the story continues... (I think I'm going to share this in snippets instead of one long post.)
From what I understand, it is rare to get even a handful of pictures of your child during the adoption process. Some orphanages will not allow any information or pictures to leave the orphanage unless they are sending it directly to the family's adoption agency, and those updates are few and far between. Knowing that makes all of this even more precious.
I knew when Chris had left for China, and I knew when she was heading back home, but I didn't know exactly when she would be at Ivy-Ann's orphanage. I kept checking the Facebook page that's associated with the orphanage, because I knew the team would be posting some pictures there. I was filled with such anticipation! But each time I checked...no new pictures.
Then last Monday morning, July 8, I received an email from Chris. Their team had arrived at the orphanage and she found our sweet Ivy-Ann. This photo was tucked inside the message...
You can only imagine how seeing this warmed my heart. There was my sweet girls in the loving arms of the precious woman I'd been emailing. To see them together undid me. Chris said she planned on waiting a few days until Ivy-Ann was more settled and used to her, and then she would give her our things. That spoke volumes to me.
The next morning, I awoke to another email. Chris had spent part of her day having each girl come in and choose a dress from the dresses made by her and the women in her church. When it was Ivy-Ann's turn, Chris gave her the little dress we had sent her. She told Ivy-Ann that the dress was from her mama. Ivy-Ann put it on and started whirling and twirling, and she loved the softness and texture of the ribbon.
I could hardly contain myself when I saw this picture. That dress had draped over the rocking chair in our bedroom for quite some time, and there it was on my precious girl! Chris also mentioned that she would be giving Ivy-Ann our things the following day. We had dear friends in town during all of this, but my heart was with Chris in China and my thoughts were full of Ivy-Ann.
From what I understand, it is rare to get even a handful of pictures of your child during the adoption process. Some orphanages will not allow any information or pictures to leave the orphanage unless they are sending it directly to the family's adoption agency, and those updates are few and far between. Knowing that makes all of this even more precious.
I knew when Chris had left for China, and I knew when she was heading back home, but I didn't know exactly when she would be at Ivy-Ann's orphanage. I kept checking the Facebook page that's associated with the orphanage, because I knew the team would be posting some pictures there. I was filled with such anticipation! But each time I checked...no new pictures.
Then last Monday morning, July 8, I received an email from Chris. Their team had arrived at the orphanage and she found our sweet Ivy-Ann. This photo was tucked inside the message...
You can only imagine how seeing this warmed my heart. There was my sweet girls in the loving arms of the precious woman I'd been emailing. To see them together undid me. Chris said she planned on waiting a few days until Ivy-Ann was more settled and used to her, and then she would give her our things. That spoke volumes to me.
The next morning, I awoke to another email. Chris had spent part of her day having each girl come in and choose a dress from the dresses made by her and the women in her church. When it was Ivy-Ann's turn, Chris gave her the little dress we had sent her. She told Ivy-Ann that the dress was from her mama. Ivy-Ann put it on and started whirling and twirling, and she loved the softness and texture of the ribbon.
I could hardly contain myself when I saw this picture. That dress had draped over the rocking chair in our bedroom for quite some time, and there it was on my precious girl! Chris also mentioned that she would be giving Ivy-Ann our things the following day. We had dear friends in town during all of this, but my heart was with Chris in China and my thoughts were full of Ivy-Ann.
beautiful and unexpected...
We are still waiting for our LOA (letter of approval). When the changes were made to the database in China weeks ago, everything got put on hold. The LOAs are apparently the last piece of the puzzle to be found. So since April 16, we've had silence. The wait is like nothing I've ever experienced, but I'm learning to desire the Helper more than the help.
Last week, however, was a priceless gift in our journey to Ivy-Ann. Here is the beginning of the story...
Back in May, a family was visiting Ivy-Ann's orphanage. Their little girl was also from there. They took some precious pictures of Ivy-Ann which I shared in a post below. I also posted them on my Facebook page and linked to the sweet lady that took them. Another lady, who had spent some time with Ivy-Ann, was friends with the lady I linked to, and she saw those pictures and messaged me. She shared some lovely things with me about our sweet girl (also shared below).
This lady is part of a team of adoptive moms, therapists and special-education specialists who work closely with the orphanage and go at least once a year to assess the children and train the staff there. She mentioned that a team would be going to the orphanage in July and that she would be sharing my blog with some of the those team members. The next morning, I awoke to an email from Chris. And so began an unexpected, beautiful relationship.
Chris had been to the orphanage and worked with the children, and she sent me a couple of sweet pictures of Ivy-Ann. She also mentioned that she and many women from her church were going to be making sundresses for the girls at the orphanage, and she asked if I would want to pick out Ivy-Ann's dress and send it to her. My heart melted. Yes!
We had been slowly gathering things to put together in hopes of sending them to Ivy-Ann. However, we had been told that the "post office" in China was holding many of the boxes, and those children never receive their gifts. Another option we had was to go through a lady in China. She has a website set up where you choose various gifts for her to send to the orphanage. She also allows you to email her photos of your family for her to put together in an album. Either way, our things would be sent to the orphanage for the aunties to go through with Ivy-Ann. We were still contemplating which route to go.
As Chris and I emailed back and forth a bit, it struck me that perhaps she might be willing to take our things with her to give to Ivy-Ann. I asked her, and she said yes. We were thrilled! This would allow us to pick out a few, specific things for Ivy-Ann as well as spend time putting together the photo album of our family. We would also have greater assurance that our things would actually reach our little girl.
A couple of weeks before Chris left for China, we sent her our box of things. I didn't know exactly when she would be at the orphanage or how she would go about giving our things to our sweet girl, but I would soon find out!
Last week, however, was a priceless gift in our journey to Ivy-Ann. Here is the beginning of the story...
Back in May, a family was visiting Ivy-Ann's orphanage. Their little girl was also from there. They took some precious pictures of Ivy-Ann which I shared in a post below. I also posted them on my Facebook page and linked to the sweet lady that took them. Another lady, who had spent some time with Ivy-Ann, was friends with the lady I linked to, and she saw those pictures and messaged me. She shared some lovely things with me about our sweet girl (also shared below).
This lady is part of a team of adoptive moms, therapists and special-education specialists who work closely with the orphanage and go at least once a year to assess the children and train the staff there. She mentioned that a team would be going to the orphanage in July and that she would be sharing my blog with some of the those team members. The next morning, I awoke to an email from Chris. And so began an unexpected, beautiful relationship.
Chris had been to the orphanage and worked with the children, and she sent me a couple of sweet pictures of Ivy-Ann. She also mentioned that she and many women from her church were going to be making sundresses for the girls at the orphanage, and she asked if I would want to pick out Ivy-Ann's dress and send it to her. My heart melted. Yes!
We had been slowly gathering things to put together in hopes of sending them to Ivy-Ann. However, we had been told that the "post office" in China was holding many of the boxes, and those children never receive their gifts. Another option we had was to go through a lady in China. She has a website set up where you choose various gifts for her to send to the orphanage. She also allows you to email her photos of your family for her to put together in an album. Either way, our things would be sent to the orphanage for the aunties to go through with Ivy-Ann. We were still contemplating which route to go.
As Chris and I emailed back and forth a bit, it struck me that perhaps she might be willing to take our things with her to give to Ivy-Ann. I asked her, and she said yes. We were thrilled! This would allow us to pick out a few, specific things for Ivy-Ann as well as spend time putting together the photo album of our family. We would also have greater assurance that our things would actually reach our little girl.
A couple of weeks before Chris left for China, we sent her our box of things. I didn't know exactly when she would be at the orphanage or how she would go about giving our things to our sweet girl, but I would soon find out!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
for the first time...
Things have been very quiet in regards to our adoption process. I remember reading various blogs over the years and hearing others talk about how hard the waiting is. It's not that I didn't believe them, but my goodness...you just don't know the depths of the longing until you're wallowing in them.
We are still waiting for our Letter of Approval (LOA). There have been some pauses in China's processing as they've transitioned to a new processing system followed by a week of holiday. These things just slow everything down a bit. We trust the timing of the One who loves our little girl more than we do, but that doesn't mean that the waiting isn't hard.
But there are are things in the midst of the waiting that bring such joy. A team of therapists will be going to Ivy-Ann's orphanage in a couple of weeks. One of the team members contacted me, and she will be taking a small bag of things from us to our Ivy-Ann. (I am so grateful!)
A dress made just for her.
Some cute panties.
A toothbrush and toothpaste.
A rain stick for her little ears that adore sound.
Sunglasses to hopefully allow her to see a bit better when it's sunny.
Lady and the Tramp to encourage some role playing.
A bunny that has been loved and slept with during the time we had it. Hopefully the bunny has our scent and will help in us seeming a bit familiar to Ivy-Ann when she meets us.
And the most exciting to me...a photo album of us...Ivy-Ann's family.
The majority of the photos I put in the album have the bunny in it. She is sitting on Ivy-Ann's bed, or being held by each of us, or sitting in between Ashlyn and Emryn on the couch. Basically, the bunny was in Ivy-Ann's "place." I don't know if Ivy-Ann will make the connection between herself and the bunny, but it was so special for us to take these photos.
I don't think I'll ever forget the afternoon I spent putting together the photo album. I wanted it to be simple but cute. We took close-ups of each of us in hopes that Ivy-Ann will better be able to see our faces. I wrote our names in English, pinyin and Chinese calligraphy. I'm sure I did not do all the strokes correctly, but I'm hoping Ivy-Ann's "aunties" will be able to decipher what I wrote. There is nothing quite like introducing yourself to your little girl. I just wanted it to be perfect, not perfectly executed, but perfect for who she is and what she needs to see. I pray that it is.
Sometime in the next few weeks, our little girl will see photos of her family for the first time. I am praying that that moment will be the beginning of a connection in Ivy-Ann's heart. My desire is that when we walk into the room to meet her later this year, we won't be strangers to her. My hope is that there will be some level of familiarity, of love, of belonging, of family, of home.
We are still waiting for our Letter of Approval (LOA). There have been some pauses in China's processing as they've transitioned to a new processing system followed by a week of holiday. These things just slow everything down a bit. We trust the timing of the One who loves our little girl more than we do, but that doesn't mean that the waiting isn't hard.
But there are are things in the midst of the waiting that bring such joy. A team of therapists will be going to Ivy-Ann's orphanage in a couple of weeks. One of the team members contacted me, and she will be taking a small bag of things from us to our Ivy-Ann. (I am so grateful!)
A dress made just for her.
Some cute panties.
A toothbrush and toothpaste.
A rain stick for her little ears that adore sound.
Sunglasses to hopefully allow her to see a bit better when it's sunny.
Lady and the Tramp to encourage some role playing.
A bunny that has been loved and slept with during the time we had it. Hopefully the bunny has our scent and will help in us seeming a bit familiar to Ivy-Ann when she meets us.
And the most exciting to me...a photo album of us...Ivy-Ann's family.
The majority of the photos I put in the album have the bunny in it. She is sitting on Ivy-Ann's bed, or being held by each of us, or sitting in between Ashlyn and Emryn on the couch. Basically, the bunny was in Ivy-Ann's "place." I don't know if Ivy-Ann will make the connection between herself and the bunny, but it was so special for us to take these photos.
I don't think I'll ever forget the afternoon I spent putting together the photo album. I wanted it to be simple but cute. We took close-ups of each of us in hopes that Ivy-Ann will better be able to see our faces. I wrote our names in English, pinyin and Chinese calligraphy. I'm sure I did not do all the strokes correctly, but I'm hoping Ivy-Ann's "aunties" will be able to decipher what I wrote. There is nothing quite like introducing yourself to your little girl. I just wanted it to be perfect, not perfectly executed, but perfect for who she is and what she needs to see. I pray that it is.
Sometime in the next few weeks, our little girl will see photos of her family for the first time. I am praying that that moment will be the beginning of a connection in Ivy-Ann's heart. My desire is that when we walk into the room to meet her later this year, we won't be strangers to her. My hope is that there will be some level of familiarity, of love, of belonging, of family, of home.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
be still my heart...
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