Hunan Spice is about to be Twice as Nice!

We are done with the paperwork!  This little girl is coming home, next month!  Yippee:))

Last week we received our Travel Approval after a few months of waiting for the final paperwork to be completed.  Now we have our dates and travel itinerary and we're waiting for our Visas.  I was holding my emotions in check for almost 8 months now and when I look at this sweet face I can't believe she is going to be my daughter and I will soon be a Momma to two beautiful children.   We are all so very excited, it's truly another blessing to be able to adopt another child and welcome her with open arms into our family.

Though I have not blogged for months I still wanted to blog about our journey to this very special little girl.

Because of the seriousness of her condition this blog will remain private.  Quite honestly I wasn't going to blog at all but realize how much I miss documenting the milestones and it's a nice way to keep myself organized and occupied during nap time.

So where to start?  How about her name!  We decided after much thought that her Amercian name will be Miss Shelby Emmalin.  Shelby is a name I chose as I wanted her named for my beloved Mother.  Then we found and fell in love with her middle name Emmalin.  I even think she looks like a Shelby!

These are the latest photos we received back in July after we sent her photos of us.  She is finally smiling as she looks as her soon to be new big dog.

She is quite petite from the last update, standing 31 inches tall and weighing in at only 17 pounds.  I know I did this before but totally forgot sizing for onesies, diapers and clothes.  Well at least I'll bring warm clothes this time.  

I have asked our agency if we can get another update on her feeding schedule too as she may still be using bottled milk.  Already put away a few different pacifiers since from the looks of many photos she's quite attached to it and a little green ball given to her when she was in a hospital in Bejing.  

My nerves are starting to get the best of me when I think of what the transition for her will be like.  She is said to be very shy and close to her foster mother, so I am sure it will be very difficult for her.  I think this is always the hardest part of the adoption process.  While we can't wait to hug and love her, it may take her weeks or months to accept us.  I remember how hard Kira cried after the orphanage directors handed her over to me.  Oh my goodness it was heartbreaking and so I am preparing myself that this babe will be do the same.  I guess you do what you can to console them, but ultimately it takes time and so much patience, love and understanding.  Kira undoubtedly is excited and keeps asking when "are we getting my sister"?  I tell her soon, very soon and she just smiles.  Thank goodness Kira is such a sweet and affectionate little girl whom I know will play a major role in helping her sister  make a smooth transition to her new home.

Now there is a checklist of things to bring with us, and I can't forget teething biscuits.  Those were essential when we were in Hunan and I never thought of bringing them.  I think it will be interesting to see how much I can fit in two suitcases!  

So for now I am reminded of one of my favorite poems, which says so much in just a few paragraphs.

Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there were two women who never knew each other,
One - you do not remember, the other you call mother.
Two different lives shaped to make yours,
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
The first gave you life, and the second taught you to live in it.
The first gave you a need for love and the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality; the other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent; the other gave you an aim.
One gave you emotions; the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile; the other dried your tears.
One gave you up - that's all she could do.
The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you.
Now you ask through all your tears the age-old question through the years;
Heredity or environment - which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling - neither - just two different kinds of love. 

Author Unknown

There is something wonderful about Adoption

I know so many of my friends and family are waiting to see more photos of our new baby girl but I have been pre-occupied by daydreams!   Honestly I am still overwhelmed by the fact we really are going to have another daughter and a little babe at that:))


My heart is full of joy,  because adoption has changed my life for the better.  I have learned that I am a better person, because I am my daughter's mother.  I have learned that I can love unconditionally and only want the best for my daughter(s).  I have concluded that this job of motherhood is harder than any job any person can take on, but it's more than it's weight in gold.  And, I have realized that adoption transcends all boundries and you realize you are stronger than you ever thought as are the children.   I am still learning and recently discovered how I've become a bit over protective  this time around, of both girls. Perhaps it's because of the nature of her defect or just normal concern.  Now I have two girls to worry about!!!  It's a totally different scenario trying to prepare a tenacious 4 year old for a sibling.  Kira has become very inquisitive about everything, often asking questions that take me completely off guard.  Such as "Why was my sister hatched in China?" yes, she did say that and now asks "Is my sister okay"?  I have explained in very simple terms the nature of her boo boo and thankfully there are many resources available to help me.

We received more photos a few weeks ago but most of them were blurred. As I rushed to open each jpeg I would carefully look at her face, tiny little fingers and think how perfect she is! Then I came upon this photo, actually pretty good quality and thought my goodness, she is so beautiful, with big almond eyes that seem to speak to your heart!  I completely melt when I look at her face and the first time I printed it off, Kira grabbed it and hugged the photo.  I of course, cried, then wiped my face so Kira didn't get upset.  I feel like a complete emotional wreck sometimes because I know all too well the challenges and pain this baby is going through and will continue to go through till she is surgically corrected.

There is something beautiful and wonderful about adoption and right now I just can't seem to put it all into words.  I now understand things I never would have, had I not been give the chance to parent a child.  I also bask in the sweetness of innocence and laughter that takes me back to my own happy childhood memories.

She's so sweet I smile every time I look at her face!

Thinking about the Children of China

Since the day we arrived home with Kira, my husband and I fell in love with our daughter's birth country and desired to adopt again one day.  Now three years later, we completed another Dossier for a special needs child from China.  Two weeks ago were accepted as the proud parents for a sweet 16 month old baby girl from Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China.  She is a very special little girl indeed and we all so happy that she will be joining our family soon.

My days and nights are filled with the chattering of little Kira and her never ending desire for knowledge.  She seems to want to catch up on things and lately starts out every sentence with "I have a question Mommy".  It's so cute, and most of the time her questions are fairly simple.  But at this time, she doesn't really want to discuss her little sister, but will add that "she can have my old clothes" or "I want to come to help fix her boo boo".  Kira is thoughtful, compassionate and certainly wise beyond her 4 yrs.  She also asked me why I had to go to China to get her, because I told Kira that her sister is with other very special babies that do not have parents.  It think that's when she stopped the conversation and changed the subject.  Preparing Kira for this arrival will be tougher than anything I really expected.  She is very attached to me, though happy eager to get to school so she can play with all her friends  Recently she does have "Daddy time" and I love hearing her question him and giggle on and on.  But the reality is our new little addition will require a lengthy surgical procedure and 5 week hospitalization at John's Hopkin's in Maryland.  So I am now trying to figure out all the logistics of how to swing bonding with Baby Wu Ke Xiu  while not affecting Kira for weeks on end.  It occured to me to ask if siblings can stay wtih during the long hospitalization, especially since we'll be from out of town.  I so hope so, because this is such a crucial part of bonding for us all.  However, the baby will be sedated for the most part, from what I understand.  I won't kid myself by saying I am not frightened by it all too, but I have to do what's best for both girls and know staying strong, keeping Kira informed and happy and trying to stay focused will be my goals.

We have the absolute best agency in the World, Holt International Children's Services, whom I like to consider my extended family as they truly look out for both the child they are matching and the families they want to place the children with.  I have worked a bit with Holt over the years, trying to advocate via webinars and writing articles describing our experience in the hope that other waiting families will consider the special needs route, or as Holt now calls it, the "Child of Promise Option".  These are children with fairly correctable conditions or sometimes just older kiddies who for some reason, did not get adopted when they were younger.  As most of our friends and family know Kira had her cleft lip and palate repaired and will require another surgery next year to finally close her palate.  We decided to be more open to a child with a more extensive need such as a heart defect or perhaps another clefting issue.  We also wanted the children to be closer in age or perhaps the same age.  However, it would all depend on the referrals that Holt were receiving monthly.   But when we got Baby Wu's referral, she has a condition called Classic Bladder Exstrophy, something I never hear of, let alone knew exactly what it meant.  But I could not stop looking at her beautiful face, her long eyelashes, tulip lips and long fingers.  I gazed over every inch of her face and just wanted to hold her as tightly as possible.   No doubt she is a most gorgeous child.  Then one by one we looked at all the photos till we got to the photo that shows her condition.

I must say the first thing that entered my mind was how much pain this child must be in all the time.  Her bladder was sitting right outside her tiny abdomen and urine just leaks continually onto raw skin.  The rash on her bottom was awful to look at, her entire bottom was bright red with open sores and tears just filled my eyes.  Then just when I thought I was going to loose it, there was another updated photo of her bottom with the rash and sores all healed.  A sense of relief came over me knowing that somehow she was now receiving some sort of medication to help prevent skin breakdown.  Immediately I got on the internet and called the resources we were given to see exactly what her condition was about and who and where we would consult for surgical correction.  It took perhaps a few days to get the information we needed to make the decision to accept her referral.   One of the many important people I spoke with was, Dr. John Gearhart a delightful children's urologist who will be performing her surgery.  He was so optimistic and re-assuring that he could help her, I just sighed.  He then put me in contact with another family, in fact a nurse who adopted her son with the same condition 11 years ago.  She too was sweet and re-assuring, especially about the hospitalization part.  I felt so much better speaking to families of children with this defect and even watching you-tube videos of teens and how they are dealing with self-esteem.  Pretty amazing in my opinion.


So for now, we wait until our Immigration paperwork gets done.  We have received more photos and even a video clip yesterday.  I'm not sure how to upload it, so I'm posting mostly on Facebook since it's easier!


Will follow up shortly with some fabulous photos.


If anyone is interested in this there is so much information, you just need to know where to look.  I came upon this video and instantly knew that there was no more research to be done!