Thursday, November 29, 2007
Travel Dates Finalized!!!
Hard to believe we are actually writing this . . . We fly out of Dulles to Beijing on Saturday, December 8, 2007 and will return on Wednesday December 19, 2007 @ 7:21PM. We will stay in Beijing Sunday night and fly into Kunming Monday morning and we'll have Audrey later that day! Please keep Tom, Emma, Audrey and I in your prayers while we are in China and Alena, Owen, Hugh, their grandparents, friends and neighbors who will be keeping things going in Ashburn.
WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!
We received a consulate appointment (CA) for December 17th @ 11:00AM which means we actually have concrete travel dates. We will leave for China 12/6/07 and return 12/19/07 . . . the only thing tentative about it for us is the departure date. This will be finalized later today or tomorrow at the latest. We will have Audrey in our arms Monday, December 10th!!!!!! Remember China is 13 hours ahead of us, so it will be Sunday night here. Can't believe we will be on a plane in just a little over a week. More details to follow!
Monday, November 26, 2007
WE HAVE OUR TA!!!!!!!
We just received the phone call and we have our TA . . . finally!!!! Now only one more hurdle, we need a consulate appointment (CA) before we have our finalized travel dates, but the plan is to leave 12/6. This means we will all be together for Christmas. We should know in the next 3 days or so.
Uniquely Ours
Dear Audrey,
It's your Dad here. With the news of our TA we can't wait to head to China and bring you to your new home. How is it that we found you, uniquely you in a country of Billions. I can't wait to meet you, I can't wait to see your mom hold you for the first time. You will never know how hard she has worked and loved to bring you to us. She is truly the rock of this family and without her you would not be possible. Thanksgiving passed this week, a major holiday here in the US where families gather to give thanks for all they have. We have lots to be thankful for, dear daughter, and now we will soon have you to add to our prayers of thanks. I am so truly humbled to be your Dad. I don't even know whether I can express how important you are to us. Like you, I was adopted as was your Aunt Diane--who just had her first baby, Ava, the two of you are going to be "best" cousins. You are a few months older than her. Here she is and there's your Aunt Diane (don't let the giant freak in the red hat scare you, it's your Uncle Scott, he's a teddy bear):
I wasn't abandoned, I was brought to the Sara Fisher home a Catholic Social Services adoption agency and orphanage in Franklin, MI. Two wonderful people, who had a son, your Uncle Brian (I don't have a picture of him, but he wasn't that cute of a baby), were matched with me, like we were matched to you. They didn't have to travel to another country, but like us, they were ready to love their new baby no matter where he or she were from. Audrey, I have never felt "adopted", in fact, I am not conscious of it most of the time. My parents are incredibly loving, giving people--they too can't wait to meet you. They provided me with an amazing childhood that was my foundation for becoming an adult, a husband, father, professional...I don't know what I am good at as a father, when you understand the enormity of the undertaking--raising another human being. Those who don't understand it are unfortunate parents, but that's another topic. Half the time it is all happening so fast I feel like I am winging it (your mother thinks I am winging it too, so best to spend lots of time w her!). But I can promise you, you will never feel adopted, at least not in your heart. There a characteristics that people will point out and as you get older we will share your adoption history with you. And at some point you will wonder what that country was like from where we adopted you. And at some point you may want to travel there and see where you were born. You may even want to know who your birth mother is. Many, many little girls just as beautiful as you are left to be found, not bc their mother's didn't love them. Quite the contrary, the circumstances in your home country are such that mothers who have a baby daughter want a better life for them. They love these little babies so much that they are faced with what must be an agonizing decision. We here in America can't even guess what it must be like, but thankfully many people around the world, want to bring these babies to a new home, where they can be nurtured and loved.
I know your birth mom loved you. She probably set you safely somewhere in Kunming City, where you wait for us to this day, somewhere you could be found. She probably waited from a distance to watch you be discovered and taken to the right authorities where you would be given a chance to be adopted, at least that's what someone told her would happen or someone she knew did the same thing or God forbid she had to do this before. We simply don't know. She was probably in a great deal of pain to watch you go, knowing that after weeks of holding you as her own--she would never see you again--and believe me Audrey it takes all of a half second to fall in love with a newborn baby and feel so utterly responsible to love that tiny little being, and I expect the same experience when holding my adopted daughter for the first time. She put herself through that, all in the hopes that you might find a better life.
I don't know if your mom and I are special people, but we hope to be that "better life". As I said, many people are adopting babies from Russia, Africa, Central America and Asia. Your birth mom is a special person, you are a special person. We are just two people who love their kids and their dogs and we have room, more than enough for you. And for me personally Audrey, this is a circle completing for me: from my parents to me, from me to you. It's not more complex than that--we want you in our family and you deserve a family.
Love,
Dad
It's your Dad here. With the news of our TA we can't wait to head to China and bring you to your new home. How is it that we found you, uniquely you in a country of Billions. I can't wait to meet you, I can't wait to see your mom hold you for the first time. You will never know how hard she has worked and loved to bring you to us. She is truly the rock of this family and without her you would not be possible. Thanksgiving passed this week, a major holiday here in the US where families gather to give thanks for all they have. We have lots to be thankful for, dear daughter, and now we will soon have you to add to our prayers of thanks. I am so truly humbled to be your Dad. I don't even know whether I can express how important you are to us. Like you, I was adopted as was your Aunt Diane--who just had her first baby, Ava, the two of you are going to be "best" cousins. You are a few months older than her. Here she is and there's your Aunt Diane (don't let the giant freak in the red hat scare you, it's your Uncle Scott, he's a teddy bear):
I wasn't abandoned, I was brought to the Sara Fisher home a Catholic Social Services adoption agency and orphanage in Franklin, MI. Two wonderful people, who had a son, your Uncle Brian (I don't have a picture of him, but he wasn't that cute of a baby), were matched with me, like we were matched to you. They didn't have to travel to another country, but like us, they were ready to love their new baby no matter where he or she were from. Audrey, I have never felt "adopted", in fact, I am not conscious of it most of the time. My parents are incredibly loving, giving people--they too can't wait to meet you. They provided me with an amazing childhood that was my foundation for becoming an adult, a husband, father, professional...I don't know what I am good at as a father, when you understand the enormity of the undertaking--raising another human being. Those who don't understand it are unfortunate parents, but that's another topic. Half the time it is all happening so fast I feel like I am winging it (your mother thinks I am winging it too, so best to spend lots of time w her!). But I can promise you, you will never feel adopted, at least not in your heart. There a characteristics that people will point out and as you get older we will share your adoption history with you. And at some point you will wonder what that country was like from where we adopted you. And at some point you may want to travel there and see where you were born. You may even want to know who your birth mother is. Many, many little girls just as beautiful as you are left to be found, not bc their mother's didn't love them. Quite the contrary, the circumstances in your home country are such that mothers who have a baby daughter want a better life for them. They love these little babies so much that they are faced with what must be an agonizing decision. We here in America can't even guess what it must be like, but thankfully many people around the world, want to bring these babies to a new home, where they can be nurtured and loved.
I know your birth mom loved you. She probably set you safely somewhere in Kunming City, where you wait for us to this day, somewhere you could be found. She probably waited from a distance to watch you be discovered and taken to the right authorities where you would be given a chance to be adopted, at least that's what someone told her would happen or someone she knew did the same thing or God forbid she had to do this before. We simply don't know. She was probably in a great deal of pain to watch you go, knowing that after weeks of holding you as her own--she would never see you again--and believe me Audrey it takes all of a half second to fall in love with a newborn baby and feel so utterly responsible to love that tiny little being, and I expect the same experience when holding my adopted daughter for the first time. She put herself through that, all in the hopes that you might find a better life.
I don't know if your mom and I are special people, but we hope to be that "better life". As I said, many people are adopting babies from Russia, Africa, Central America and Asia. Your birth mom is a special person, you are a special person. We are just two people who love their kids and their dogs and we have room, more than enough for you. And for me personally Audrey, this is a circle completing for me: from my parents to me, from me to you. It's not more complex than that--we want you in our family and you deserve a family.
Love,
Dad
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Introducing Audrey Clare
Please follow our journey to bring Audrey Clare Qiuhong home. We are hopefully just a couple short weeks from traveling. We will continue to update with new information and post our itinerary as our travel dates get set. We will post pictures on this site as well. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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About Audrey"if a butterfly flutters in China"
Dear Audrey, We have known about you since June 26th, 2007. In our prayers we have known about you since we started in February of 2006. We so want to hold you in our arms. We made a decision a few months into this process to seek out a special little girl. We were shocked when we got the call that you could be ours. You are so beautiful, you are indeed special. You are an angel, like our 4 other little blessings. Like them, you will become our life's work. You were left alone and you were found. You aren't alone now, but you haven't yet been found again until we are with you. You won't be alone ever again. Emma, Alena, Owen and Hugh can't wait to have their little sister here. Dune and Mocha (your labs) have been starving for scraps from a highchair for two years, they can't wait....well to eat. Your older sisters can't wait to share their dolls. The boys are fighting over who's room you will sleep in. 10yrs ago, November 1, we were married. A commitment for life. We knew we wanted a family, we didn't know how much our love would bring us to love even more than we thought possible. The more we open ourselves to our children's love, the more we can love. We hope to travel to you around that same time, the only anniversary gift, to hold you. We say our Novena to the Holy Spirit, to inspire those who control your fate, to bring us to you, so we can bring you home. It's a strange and different land but we will do everything to make it yours. Love, Mom and Dad
Friday, November 23, 2007
Audrey's "Finding Ad"
We believe this is Audrey's Finding Ad. In China, each abandoned baby's picture is published in a local newspaper with the date she was found. Her gender is listed, we haven't begun to interpret the other characters. I am certain they say, destined to be loved!
Audrey would be the little girl on the left, date of her finding we know was 9/05/2006, so the dates seem to match and the picture is not too foreign from the one you see posted on the front of our site.. Since we learned about her birthday--8/21/06--every significant day for her, is a day we wonder where we were, what we were doing. We always knew these dates would have a certain randomness too them...we keep searching for those little signs that tell us we were always destined for her. We believe we are as destined as we were for our 4 older children.
Any number of infinite possibilities exist when you bring a baby into this world. For us the process of adoption is no different. We know God ha
d something to do with our first 4 blessings--the miracle that is birth, but it isn't predetermined, nature runs its course at conception and you have the baby you have. There are a lot of deterministic things posted on the blogs, chats and email strings of adoptive parents..."in God's time, in Him every time the wind changes direction, and so on..." I certainly understand the sentiment, but with so much variation in people's experience...3yr waits or 6mos waits, 4 week LOAs or 4 month turnarounds, 2month waits for Special Needs or 12month waits, a perfect file or a file w/ one missing item, smooth sailing or lost files or files stuck in adoption purgatory, it's hard to accept that this is somehow more than just human beings managing a bureaucracy bigger than they are. The US gov't, the Chinese gov't, the AWAA..forms, rules, mailings, signatures, process upon process all add up to a wildly random set of possible circumstances that could either benefit or punish the anxious adoptive parent. I see no good reason after learning of our daughter in June, why we should still be waiting for our travel date 5 mos later. I thank God every day for the blessings he has bestowed, I ask the Blessed Mother for patience and the Holy Spirit for the will to act more Christ-like in my everyday words, thoughts and deeds. I try not to blame him for every micro event and every once in awhile i act on those prayers and my life is always better for it. It's a team effort, God betting on me, that i will find the right way to live, and me assuming that it isn't so random that i can't make a few things happen bc well....i want too.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Still Waiting
Still waiting for TA
November 13, 2007
Today would have been the first chance as getting a TA . . . although still early, we were hoping to tag onto a travel group leaving this week. Doesn't look like we'll make it. TA's usually come on Tuesdays, but as we have found out things don't always follow a specific plan. Hard to say that if our TA were to come next Tuesday, if we could still travel on Thanksgiving? Anyway, it's been a little more relaxing even with all the things to remember for travel, just knowing she is our daughter is such a hugh relief. Last week brought another birthday for me and the end of Emma's field hockey season. She did awesome!!! She really got in a rythmn the second half of the season. Her team won the final game and Emma scored both of their goals. Owen continues with skating lessons so he can move into hockey this winter. Alena and Emma are both still dancing and we're hoping to get Alena into gymnastics or possibly a sport this winter. Hugh continues, well . . . . , being Hugh. All things Star Wars, Cars and Scooby Doo continue to be of special interest to him. Emma's 4th grade class put on a wonderful musical for us to enjoy last night. Go West was the theme. They did a great job. We have some turkey dinner lunches to attend at the school as well as attend some special activities in Owen's Kindergarten class this week. So things are still hopping at the Lokar house.
Reality Setting In
November 02, 2007
Although, the call came yesterday, the package arrived this morning from AWAA with the precious "Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter". It's amazing how much power a single piece of paper holds. With all the documents, doctor's visits, forms, trips to DC, home visits, photos, copies, and the trips to our local UPS store, waiting, hoping and wondering, it all comes down to just two pieces of paper that mean the world. The 171H . . . the most unofficial looking thing but it means we are approved by USCIS to bring a child to the US and the RA which means Audrey is matched to our family. Tom and Hugh made the important trip back to AWAA with our signed document to be sent on to the CCAA Monday morning. Now, just one more approval and an appointment with the Consulate in Guangzhou and we can book flights. Still hoping for sooner than the end of November . . . it will be tough.
10th Wedding Anniversary & LOA
November 01, 2007
Wow! What an unbelievable day. Most importantly we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary, because without that the rest of this would not be possible. We've had quite an adventure these past 10 years and it's only getting better. To top that, we finally received the call we've been waiting for since we saw our daughter's face this past June. It has been a tough wait, but the call came @ 1PM today and we have our LOA. Three simple letters that mean the world in adoption. Roughly translated, Audrey is now "officially" ours. No more time to wonder why it took so long, why others got their so quickly and wondering if she would really be ours. We will now just wait for travel approval (TA) and we'll be on a plane to China. TA's usually take about 2-3 weeks, we can always hope it comes quicker. Time to get organized and get serious about packing and triple checking all our documents! We won't bore you with the specifics. Our heads are still spinning trying to take it all in again.
Monday Again
October 29, 2007
We had a good weekend. Emma's field hockey game was cancelled due to the rain so it was a little relaxing this morning. Owen started his next round of skating lessons. Tom took the boys, while I took the girl's for pedicures. Saturday turned into a busy day of running errands for the kids. Each of them have a project to do for school which is due Monday. Tom and I were able to snag a babysitter so got to get out for a couple hours which is nice. Sunday turned out to be just as busy and then day flew by. We've had some great fall weather the past couple of days and it looks like it will continue through the week. Hugh has party's Tuesday and Wednesday. Emma, Alena and Owen all have something going on at the school Wednesday. It is supposed to be sunny and 70 on Wednesday so we should be good for Halloween!! Trying to pass the time a little this afternoon . . . it's 3:30 which means we're running out of time to hear any good news from China today. The balance of the families (except the 4 of us) are either in China or traveling this week. Happy for them they get their children, very hard for us not knowing when we'll go. Having Audrey home for Thanksgiving is almost not possible and even Christmas is questionable? Our Agency was able to request some updated information on Audrey, so at the very least we hope to have that some time this week. They sent in for translation last Friday. No pictures, but hopefully some updated size,health information.
Tom's Birthday
October 24, 2007
Kind of a dreary day in Virginia. We are getting some much needed rain as we are under water restrictions. Good thing Tom got a bikeride in the other day. Owen and I are working on the cake this morning while Hugh is at "Spanish" preschool. Much easier to gets things done without all of his help. Just a quiet dinner at home as things have been a little crazy the past couple of weeks. Day 107 wait for our LOA, but who's counting anymore. Not much chance of hearing anything this week, so our best chance at any updated information might come Monday or Tuesday. Typically LOA's arrived early in the week, but then they started coming throughout the week, so who knows. We think our dossier is through review, but until the CCAA posts officially or someone tells us or our LOA arrives, we won't know. Just to pass the time I was talking with Carla, who is in the same boat we are, and we did a little on-line shopping together. New outfits for our girls. Well, Alena should be home any minute and the chicken should be done so it's just about dinnertime.
November 13, 2007
Today would have been the first chance as getting a TA . . . although still early, we were hoping to tag onto a travel group leaving this week. Doesn't look like we'll make it. TA's usually come on Tuesdays, but as we have found out things don't always follow a specific plan. Hard to say that if our TA were to come next Tuesday, if we could still travel on Thanksgiving? Anyway, it's been a little more relaxing even with all the things to remember for travel, just knowing she is our daughter is such a hugh relief. Last week brought another birthday for me and the end of Emma's field hockey season. She did awesome!!! She really got in a rythmn the second half of the season. Her team won the final game and Emma scored both of their goals. Owen continues with skating lessons so he can move into hockey this winter. Alena and Emma are both still dancing and we're hoping to get Alena into gymnastics or possibly a sport this winter. Hugh continues, well . . . . , being Hugh. All things Star Wars, Cars and Scooby Doo continue to be of special interest to him. Emma's 4th grade class put on a wonderful musical for us to enjoy last night. Go West was the theme. They did a great job. We have some turkey dinner lunches to attend at the school as well as attend some special activities in Owen's Kindergarten class this week. So things are still hopping at the Lokar house.
Reality Setting In
November 02, 2007
Although, the call came yesterday, the package arrived this morning from AWAA with the precious "Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter". It's amazing how much power a single piece of paper holds. With all the documents, doctor's visits, forms, trips to DC, home visits, photos, copies, and the trips to our local UPS store, waiting, hoping and wondering, it all comes down to just two pieces of paper that mean the world. The 171H . . . the most unofficial looking thing but it means we are approved by USCIS to bring a child to the US and the RA which means Audrey is matched to our family. Tom and Hugh made the important trip back to AWAA with our signed document to be sent on to the CCAA Monday morning. Now, just one more approval and an appointment with the Consulate in Guangzhou and we can book flights. Still hoping for sooner than the end of November . . . it will be tough.
10th Wedding Anniversary & LOA
November 01, 2007
Wow! What an unbelievable day. Most importantly we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary, because without that the rest of this would not be possible. We've had quite an adventure these past 10 years and it's only getting better. To top that, we finally received the call we've been waiting for since we saw our daughter's face this past June. It has been a tough wait, but the call came @ 1PM today and we have our LOA. Three simple letters that mean the world in adoption. Roughly translated, Audrey is now "officially" ours. No more time to wonder why it took so long, why others got their so quickly and wondering if she would really be ours. We will now just wait for travel approval (TA) and we'll be on a plane to China. TA's usually take about 2-3 weeks, we can always hope it comes quicker. Time to get organized and get serious about packing and triple checking all our documents! We won't bore you with the specifics. Our heads are still spinning trying to take it all in again.
Monday Again
October 29, 2007
We had a good weekend. Emma's field hockey game was cancelled due to the rain so it was a little relaxing this morning. Owen started his next round of skating lessons. Tom took the boys, while I took the girl's for pedicures. Saturday turned into a busy day of running errands for the kids. Each of them have a project to do for school which is due Monday. Tom and I were able to snag a babysitter so got to get out for a couple hours which is nice. Sunday turned out to be just as busy and then day flew by. We've had some great fall weather the past couple of days and it looks like it will continue through the week. Hugh has party's Tuesday and Wednesday. Emma, Alena and Owen all have something going on at the school Wednesday. It is supposed to be sunny and 70 on Wednesday so we should be good for Halloween!! Trying to pass the time a little this afternoon . . . it's 3:30 which means we're running out of time to hear any good news from China today. The balance of the families (except the 4 of us) are either in China or traveling this week. Happy for them they get their children, very hard for us not knowing when we'll go. Having Audrey home for Thanksgiving is almost not possible and even Christmas is questionable? Our Agency was able to request some updated information on Audrey, so at the very least we hope to have that some time this week. They sent in for translation last Friday. No pictures, but hopefully some updated size,health information.
Tom's Birthday
October 24, 2007
Kind of a dreary day in Virginia. We are getting some much needed rain as we are under water restrictions. Good thing Tom got a bikeride in the other day. Owen and I are working on the cake this morning while Hugh is at "Spanish" preschool. Much easier to gets things done without all of his help. Just a quiet dinner at home as things have been a little crazy the past couple of weeks. Day 107 wait for our LOA, but who's counting anymore. Not much chance of hearing anything this week, so our best chance at any updated information might come Monday or Tuesday. Typically LOA's arrived early in the week, but then they started coming throughout the week, so who knows. We think our dossier is through review, but until the CCAA posts officially or someone tells us or our LOA arrives, we won't know. Just to pass the time I was talking with Carla, who is in the same boat we are, and we did a little on-line shopping together. New outfits for our girls. Well, Alena should be home any minute and the chicken should be done so it's just about dinnertime.
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