Celebrating the milestones

I can't believe that I forgot to post these pictures from back on August 2.  It was our 32nd anniversary, and we had just found out that China had given us Pre Approval for Abigail Dawn.  Of course that morning we had already taken a CPR class and been fingerprinted (this first time for FBI clearance.)  Perhaps all the paper chasing distracted me.  Whatever the case, we celebrated!

We went to a favorite place of ours in Montgomery.  Tikvah likes to go here and listen to the people around us speak Chinese.  We are attempting to learn a bit of it, but so far she is the only one who has absorbed enough to catch a word here and there when she hears it spoken.

There have been many, many paper chasing days since that day in August.  We've jumped through more hoops than a circus animal, but here we are, pretty much finished with the paper work, and now we wait.

At last we have Pre Approval for MeiMei, and keeping to the pattern, we went out for a Chinese dinner to celebrate.  We are a little wiser, a little more tired, and much better with the chopsticks! This time we tried a place very close to our home.  The dining wasn't as pretty, for sure, but the food was REALLY good.

Ethan downloaded an app for his phone, so now it does panorama photos - sort of.  We look like we are in a time warp in it!

But you know, it sums up how we feel today, having finally arrived at this point.  We are tired, we are happy, we are giddy.  We are officially approved for both Abigail Dawn and MeiMei.  Whew!

Introducing MeiMei, Our Second Treasure from China!

 You've been asking, and now we are telling.  YES!  We are bringing home two girls!  Our agency gave approval on October 4th for these two specific girls to be placed together in our home. There has been some scurrying around behind the scenes, papers sent, her file lost somewhere in the computer system between our agency and China, (VERY scary) but we have just received our PA (pre approval) from China for another adorable six year old, also from Southeast China.  We are so blessed to introduce her!

MeiMei is the Chinese name that those closest to her would call her. She is called "Jennifer" or "Jennie" at her school.  At this point all that has been decided name-wise is that "Jennifer" and her Chinese name will appear in some form.

So what is MeiMei like?  She is a lovely child who gets along well with others, though she is a bit shy.  She attends an English speaking preschool a few days a week. She likes playing with toys, building towers, and watching cartoons with other children.  In a video that we have of her, MeiMei puts puzzles together like I do. You know, put the piece down and try to slam it into place, to make it fit?   (Ethan got a big laugh when he saw that!)  And get this statement that I read in her report - she knows the answer to "Why should you wash your hands before meals?"  LOL!  Yes, I know she is MINE!

Like Abigail, MeiMei is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, though hers is a bit more involved physically.  At this time, she uses a walker to assist her, but her mobility is improving rapidly.  Dr. Staat (from the International Adoption Center) who reviewed her medical files on October 9, was very encouraging about MeiMei's expected progress once she begins therapy in the states.

We've been fingerprinted by the USCIS, and they are processing our immigration papers for both girls.  We're currently waiting for an officer to be assigned to our case. He or she will review our homestudy and our fingerprints, and if all are acceptable will then issue approval. Once our Form I-800A approval has been received in the mail, it will be notarized, state certified, and authenticated.  That is the final document needed for our dossier.

We expect to bring both of our daughters home at the same time.  The best guess for travel is still predicted to be sometime towards the beginning of the summer of 2013.  That seems like a VERY long time from now.