Come Ye Thankful People, Come

Put together all the tables you can find.  Bring in the folding chairs.  It is that time of year.

The time our family travels to be together and eat a magnificent meal.  In the case of our family, we are so blessed that no one of our homes are really quite large enough to hold us all anymore!  

But, our policy is there's always room for one more.  We were blessed with two new Little Princess daughters this year, and also two adorable grandsons.  Room for FOUR more... yeah that works well too!  

Mix in some extended family, and it makes for a great party!

The holiday bonus about having many adult "kids" is that Thanksgiving dinner is super easy now.  It is generally held at a daughter's home, and there are so many of us to bring things that a couple of sides in crock pots and a dessert is all I ended up making this year.

 After the meal, it is presto chango and the "banquet hall" is transformed into a game room for Catch Phrase.

With several married children and so many schedules to juggle, our family celebration was early this year.  Even though the calendar indicated it was really a Saturday instead of a Thursday, we gathered together and were thankful for God's blessings and for each of these people, so dear to us.  We are really looking forward to the addition of our Prince Isaac, as well as a new grand daughter in 2014. God is so gracious towards us!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Would you like to visit some more family celebrations?  Join the line at A Place called Simplicity http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2013/11/get-ready-were-coming-for-visit.html

We have a Log in Date!

Yay!!!! We've been informed by our agency that we have our LID - Log In Date.  This is the official date that the CCCWA has logged our dossier files into their computer system.  Earlier this year they installed a new system, and there are now several statuses that a family goes through.  These are the next steps according to our China case manager:

Translated - the adoption community has long referred to this one as OOT, Out of Translation

Reviewed - which she says some families skip -not sure why  

Match reviewed- at which point the website will show our LSC/LOA has been issued.  The hard copy arrives in the mail about a week after that.

We were also informed that since we adopted two on our dossier the last time, it is possible we might have a "hiccup" in our processing.  Sigh.  Of course.  We've had one bad case of hiccups after another with our "fast and easy" reuse of our dossier. The average wait from here to LOA (Letter of Acceptance) is about two months.  I could sure use something "average" to happen with this one!

Was it giant moles?

Something has been digging in our yard.

  

Those bushes aren't where they used to be, and yonder fountain is certainly out of place!

  

So what happened to this once nicely landscaped area just off our front porch?  The crew dug the holes to begin the ramp today!  We chose the second option to have it go out and across the front porch, out the middle, and double back to the sidewalk.  Thank you for your prayers concerning this decision.

 

Which Ramp?

What is bugging you?  Some of us wear glasses or hearing aids.  Perhaps it is an ulcer or one is prone to heartburn.  Maybe you have allergies or acne. Some might walk with a limp or suffer from something that isn't visibly apparent to the rest of the world like fibromyalgia or arthritis or another auto immune disorder.  Let's face it, as humans we all have things about us that aren't perfect. 

Did you know that Isaac is a paraplegic?  He seems like a really wonderful boy in every way, but in China if your legs don't work it is devastating.  Usually you aren't allowed to go to school, and forget about finding a job. Just navigating through the streets is impossible in some areas.  In the states his future is so promising.  He can pretty much be anything he wants to be as long as it can be done in a sitting down position.

 Funny thing, sometimes we are called to things outside of our comfort zone.  Like a child who is a paraplegic.  We don't love him any less because his legs don't work.  It is a non-issue to us from that angle.  The uncomfortable feeling comes from attempting to figure out how to make things easier for him.  We've never had a child who can't walk at all, so it is new territory.

The "ramp man" Jim, (a wonderful guy with a great big heart for orphans) was here again today.  This is the third time he has come to help us try to figure out how to install the ramp so Isaac can be independent and participate fully in family life.  We have three plans, none of which are ideal, and we need to make a decision.  While the eeny, meeny, miney, moe approach is tempting at this point, we really do need to weigh the options (along with their pros and cons) and make a deliberate decision. We'd appreciate your prayers over the next couple of days as we sort it all out.

First Snow!

 

November 12 brought the first snow of the season to the Cincinnati area, and the Little Princesses were all about it!  They stared in amazement!  Being from a sub-tropical climate, I'm sure they had never seen any before.

A couple of months ago they began asking for boots.  I believe they may have seen someone else wearing them, and they were totally smitten.  I bought them boots in anticipation of snow, but hadn't expected it this particular morning.  There wasn't really enough snow to merit the hassle of wearing boots, but since I had promised them "When it snows you can wear your boots." what else could I do?

You have not experienced true boot hassle until you've attempted to wrestle inserts and little braces into them!  All I can say is that it was a good thing we were running early that day (which rarely happens!).  The effort proved worthwhile though as they pranced through the snow, and then told their therapists all about their boots, hats, coats, etc.  So, bring on winter.  The Little Princesses are READY!

DTC for Isaac!

There are no words to describe how happy I am to have at last received confirmation that our dossier for Isaac is on its way to China!  We were DTC yesterday, November 14!  While perhaps not long in terms of the wait some have in the adoption world, it was nearly a month longer than it took for our girls.  Combine that with the assurances we'd had that the second time always goes faster, and it made for a really long wait.  We didn't have so many papers to do this time and we had our part done in a little over a week.  The rest was just waiting.  Why so long?  I won't go into all the details lest it sound like one big whinefest, but it was primarily delays with homestudy processing and USCIS. 

A week or two after our dossier arrives in China, it will be logged into the CCCWA. (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption)  The day our paperwork is logged into the system is when we acquire our next set of acronyms, known as LID meaning Log In Date.  Then comes OOT (Out of Translation) and in review.

Our big deal wait is for our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) also called the LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation). This is our official approval  to adopt Isaac.  It can take anywhere from 1-5 months after our LID,  and the current average is around 60 days.

If you are new here and not certain what all goes into a dossier, I made a list a year ago when ours went out for the girls.  You'll find it here http://lanzadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2012/11/we-have-dtc.html

So now we wait again.  As I recall, the wait for LOA was the most agonizing of all.  There is no rhyme or reason as to why some get their letter in three days and for others it is over a hundred days!   But, at least we are into the second half of the wait now.  Hang in there Isaac!  We're coming!

More on Lance from his advocate

I've featured Lance on the blog before.  He seems like such a great kid!  Where is his Mama???  Here is more about him from his advocate:

Just heard that Lance has a private grant available! Would be a really helpful amount for a family! Read here a cool story from when he was at camp in the summer:

Lance! A boy known for a huge smile on his face and who has captured the love of all the volunteers at Taiyuan Camp. Although he is diagnosed with CP and doesn’t have capabilities such as running, this hasn’t stopped him from having the time of his life at camp. He loves singing at the top of his lungs and like all other boys, squirting everyone in the pool with water guns.

While we were sitting outside of our apartment wondering how to transport Lance to the assembly hall (his legs were tired), a man who owns a business living in our camp apartments offered to give Lance and his friends a ride in a big van. Lance couldn’t believe we got to ride in this van and kept telling the business man “Thank You!” As we started to drive off, he exclaimed real loud with a big smile on his face, “Wow! It’s like we’re a real family!”

More here!! defendfoundation.org/lance with photos and videos!! :)

and even more here on his Reece's Rainbow fundraiser http://reecesrainbow.org/66346/laurence

UPDATE!  Jan 2014 - Lance has a family!!!!

Will the Fingerprints Count?

Ethan and I received written notice of appointments to have biometrics done (fingerprinting) shortly afterI contacted USCIS to tell them that Ruth had married and moved out of our home.  Both our China case manager and our USCIS agent were surprised at this notice, and said we shouldn't go to the appointment.  We have to file ANOTHER Supplement 3 to our i800a, this time requesting an extension (our prints from the girls expire in January) AND including an addendum to our homestudy to show that Ruth has moved.  They said we will get our fingerprint appointment after that Supp3 is filed.

Well....the problem is that the written notice said in bold letters that our petition would be considered abandoned (and our case closed) if we didn't appear for the biometric appointment.  I honestly have no idea why they sent the notice when they did, but we were simply unwilling to risk it and ignore it.

So, today is my birthday.  It is also Isaac's birthday.  Did you know we share a birthday?  I spent the morning at the USCIS office being fingerprinted.  I have to say it seems a unique way to spend a birthday!  Will they count for anything?  Will we have to repeat them once our next form is approved?  Who knows?  But I will sleep better tonight knowing I didn't just ignore the letter that they mailed to our home!

I had so hoped to have our LOA by now so we could at least send Isaac our well wishes.  It is so hard to not be allowed to communicate with him, especially on his birthday.  He is eleven years old today. Will you help me wish him a happy birthday? I would totally love to see his puzzle (that will fund his plane ticket home) completed for his birthday! We're requesting a $5 donation for each piece of the puzzle. Sponsor one or a whole bunch! We'll put your name on the back of each sponsored piece then double glass frame it when completed. I think it will be very special to him to see all those names and know that the people behind them were wishing him well and hoping for his homecoming. 

Donations are tax deductible when sent through our family sponsorship link here http://reecesrainbow.org/63623/sponsorlanz-2

-- We aren't automatically notified when someone donates to it, so please comment below with how many pieces you sponsored and the name you'd like on it/them. Thank you! And Happy Birthday Isaac! Next year we will party in person!

Ramp News!

Today the guys came to begin work on the ramp.  There wasn't much actual work accomplished on it, but they did rethink the entire plan at our request.  The original plan had the ramp beginning at the door and going straight out ten feet to a five foot by five foot deck. It would then turn and go out another six feet to the driveway.  It was going to be a big deal noticeable thing and a huge change to the layout of the front yard.

My biggest concern about this plan was the potential of cutting off activities on the front porch.  We use it a lot.  Not only do the girls and I really enjoy swinging out there, but we've even had a couple of parties on the front porch.  I really want Isaac to be able to be a part of it all.

They have an alternative plan that I'm very excited about.  The way I understand it, the ramp will come out the front door onto a platform that goes down towards the swing.  Isaac would then be able to wheel about on the front porch.  There will be a section taken out of our porch railing to allow the platform to go out to a deck where his chair can turn.  The ramp will then run parallel to the front porch and down to the sidewalk.  It upsets the layout of the front yard less - well except for having to move all the bushes and the hostas in front of the house out a few feet.

They are hoping to get the posts set by next week.  I'm so excited!

I do not think that means what you think it means....

Today Abigail was a rascal.  She was IN MY FACE bossing me about everything.  I finally told her, "Abigail, you are starting to bug me!" 

She stopped, got this shocked look on her face, put her hand on her chest and asked, "ME?"

I replied, "Yes!  You!"

Abigail clapped and cheered "YAY!" very loudly.  What could I do but laugh?

Guest Post by Carrie Farrell

Today's post is by Carrie Farrell who has a great big heart for orphans.  This was a speech that Carrie gave in one of her school classes.  It seems very fitting for the month set aside for orphan awareness.  The theme was - "I believe." I asked for her permission to share it with you. 
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 I believe no child should age out of an orphanage without learning proper life skills. “There are over 143.5 million children orphaned worldwide  Fifty-five percent of these orphans are between the ages of twelve to seventeen." (*Guckenberger) These children usually phase out of the orphanage around the age of fourteen without any proper job training, and are left out on the streets. 

Today I am going to look at the following: 

• the background of orphans,
• why orphans need to learn proper life skills,
• and lastly the results of training orphans. 

 Believe it or not, being an orphan is usually a cyclical thing. Most of the time a young girl gets pregnant and cannot provide for the baby.  She sends her little boy to the orphanage, because she grew up in an orphanage and knows it’s a “safe” place. The child grows up in the orphanage and leaves at the age of fourteen. Has no ability to judge right from wrong and joins a gang. Before he knows it he is dealing drugs and getting young girls pregnant and the cycle starts all over again. 

Most foreign countries like China and Mexico allow children to age out at fourteen, meaning they put them out on the streets. In Mexico, the reasoning behind this is that the government no longer pays for the child’s education after the eighth grade. Countries like Bulgaria let the children choose to go to an older children’s home as early as seven, but they don’t have to stay there! With the illustrated story above about my hypothetical boy, one could say it was his choice to join the gang, but realistically he never grew up with a sense of right or wrong. 

Values are one of the many things that parents instill in the life of their child. In the orphanage it is the survival of the fittest, so you will use any means available to you to survive whether it is right or wrong. Just think if you went out into the world at the age of fourteen. Would you have been ready to combat the world, make good decisions, and provide for yourself? No.  But you would be better equipped than an orphan. Because you know right from wrong, have gone out in public, know where to seek affection, and have been taught basic social manners like how to look at someone when they speak to you.  An orphan has never had any of these basic lessons or opportunities.

 Now imagine if you were a phased out orphan. You likely would have, like anyone else, gravitated towards crime. What would the results be if we took in children who aged out of the system and taught them the basic skills needed in life, like making eye contact and going to the grocery store? We would see a reduction in crime and orphans, because the orphans would be better educated and find more worthwhile occupations, stopping the cycle. It would also reduce the amount of those on social welfare, which would help relieve the tax payer’s burden. Not only would it benefit those around them but also the 143 million children around the world. 

 I have three adopted sisters whose lives have been changed and rescued from the cycle. Imagine the difference if this happened to 143 million children. Imagine the radically different world we would live in, one in which crime rates were reduced. 

I, Carrie Farrell, believe that no child should age out of an orphanage without learning proper life skills. 

* Source: Reckless Faith by, Beth Guckenberger. She is a part of Back-To- Back Ministries originally from Mason, Ohio. The organization Back-to-Back has created a specific program to help children who have aged out of the system. They provide children with a home environment, education beyond the eighth grade (including college), life-skills, and love of Christ.

A Change in Plans

It seems our house has been hopping with activity since before Ruth's wedding.  So much so that I was anticipating a "relaxing weekend at home" which meant Ruth and Gerret were here opening their wedding gifts (joined by a crowd for whom I made dinner) and loading a moving truck with her things.  James and his girlfriend were coming in (from college) to visit too. Relaxing?  The gift opening and dinner part went well, and when I put the Little Princesses to bed on Friday night I assured them that we were going NOWHERE the following day.  The reality of Saturday was no where on my radar.

At seven in the morning my daughter, Hannah called to tell me that her water had broken, and she had signs of labor.   I have six other grandchildren, so this announcement might not have taken me by surprise except that this baby wasn't due for another five weeks!  I quickly dressed and began the three hour trip wondering what kind of "dirty lying rat" thoughts my little girls would have that day.  My intention was to return yet that evening.

As it turned out, Ethan took the Little Princesses to watch their nephews launch model rockets that day.  I guess they were fascinated and had a good time, AND it became apparent that at least Abigail is catching on to the whole concept of family.  She told my oldest daughter, Sarah, that Aaron (her husband) was a Baba but not HER Baba.  And she (Sarah) was a Mama, but not HER Mama.  Great concept.  Abigail then proceeded to tell her that HER Mama had driven off, and something about a sleeping baby.  Ouch at the driving off part!

Babies do what babies want to do, and this baby wanted to have our full attention for the entire day.  He finally made his appearance at 11:58 pm!  He was sent to the NICU as a precaution, but he is doing very well.

Ethan drove over the following day to meet the new family member.  I met him (and the Princesses) at the entrance to the hospital.  Abigail stopped and stared when she saw me, then began sobbing!  I quickly picked her up and she just clung to me, with both her arms and legs, and cried for a long time.

What was going through her little head?  Did she think I had left her forever?  Were there flashbacks of other times in her life when those she had become attached to had simply walked away?  We'll likely never know.  Adoption always comes with a loss.  She has lost so much in her little life.  I wish I could just kiss the boo boos to make them all better.  But some of those losses will stay with her forever.

I'm hoping the weekend is a memory that will serve her when I make the trip to China to bring Isaac home.  Sometimes Mama has to go, but Mama always comes back.