Passport Photos

Two weeks ago we tackled passports! It was a learning experience, as is everything lately ! We went to CVS and met a client friend Joe who kindly spent the time to take our photos. As he was cropping them on the very high tech looking machine I asked how much they were, just small talk! I about choked when he said they were 10-15$ a PIECE??? I embarassed my children with my next comment of, "oh no- never mind!"  Thankfully it was a learning day for him as well on the big high tech machine and he said no problem !!! There is a reason I have a photo studio in my house and with the help of google I found the guidlines for passport photos, and voila - we had our pictures for a whopping $2.00 :)   Thank you Lord for a kind person who understood my GASP!!! and to the nice lady at the court house who loved our photos more than anyone elses she had seen in her 15 years :)

no words...........

I have no words to express the feelings in my heart right now.  We have already experienced a few mini roller coasters of emotions through this process, but tonight was the ultimate joy filled high! We received a three minute video of Jackzhen taken on Monday.  This is not something that is ordinary.  In fact, most people only have 2-3 pictures to cling to during their entire process.  However, the orphanage staff is guarded for Jackzhen's heart because of what he went through last month, so they sent a video for us to see the extent of his handicap. Although, to us the video was nothing more than an awesome way of seeing our son, for them it was a peace of mind that we knew what we were "getting into".  It is my belief that the family before us did not know the extent of his limb difference and they couldn't accept him for who he was. However, the video just affirmed our love for him and the fact that he is, without a doubt, 100% perfect!!! God absolutely has a plan for Jackzhen's life, and clearly, he was meant for us.  Their loss, and I mean that in every ounce of that word, is completely our gain!!!
We couldn't be happier to make him a part of our family !

We are doing all we can to get this process completed - soon very soon !

Jackzhen's Jar

We thought it would be a good idea for the kids to be a part of raising support in bringing home their brother.  We came up with the idea of Jackzhen's Jar ! I made up a little card to attach to it and the kids helped me tie red "threads" around the top of each jar, as well as some red "threads" in the bottom of it.   I am excited for them to see that every little bit counts ! The kids will be in charge of keeping track of where the jars are, as well as collecting and counting the money that comes from them.  We already have 3 local businesses that have allowed us to place our jars on their counters.  We are also sending one jar each to our older sisters.  Their kids will also be able to be a part of raising support in bringing home their cousin !  This whole process is so amazing to me.  It is awesome to see how many people can be touched by just one little boy.  In the past month I have heard so many people say what a lucky little boy he is, and although I appreciate the kind thought that our family is worthy of loving and providing for this little boy, we truly are the ones that are being blessed by this process.  I am excited to share with him one day all the love that is being exuded, and all, just for him !

Born in my Heart !

Much to my amazement I had an email today from Ann... There were 13 pictures of a handsome and perfect little boy!!! On top of that there was a summary of his little life ! We are over the moon in love with this little guy, I can't imagine how much more love we will feel when we finally get to hold him in our arms.  It is the same kind of love that I felt when I saw my children on the ultrasound machine for the first time, just a glimpse, but enough to hook my heart !

Thank you Lord for Jackzhen, he may not have been born from my womb, but by your grace, he was born in my heart and forever loved !

On it's way..........

I spoke with Ann today and she has our album done and ready to send to Jackzhen. She had requested more pictures so that she could make an even bigger album. She wanted to prepare him and the orphanage staff for our family. I am thankful for her. This is not something that she had to do, it was all something she chose to do for us ! Below are the pictures she took for us to see our care package before she sent it !    Thank you Lord for providing the right people at the right time, your ways are perfect.  Deuteronomy 32:4

 

We will only love..............

I received an email from Ann, of The Red Thread, last night.  I was hopeful that she would have some new information about Jackzhen, new information was an under statement.  The email read like this.....

Dear Mandy :

First ,I just requested xxxxx's  information for you .

Second ,the orphanage told me that one family supposed to adopt XXXX but gave him up on adoption day in June ,the orphanage staff is still very pity and sad on this part ,they worried that he got hurt on this part too,so it might take longer time for them to share updates and pictures .

Third ,I will suggest you to email me 20 more family pictures ,this way I can make one silk album for XXX,it will be better for the orphanage staff to prepare XXX for you this time ....

How??? that is what I asked her.  How could someone do this.... Why??? Why would they give their heart to a child only to take it back in the end? This poor boy has faced rejection from his birth mom when he was three weeks old, possibly because of a special need that he possesses,  spent almost 3 years of his little life in an orphanage, just to find out that his prospective adoptive family has changed their minds. I requested more information from her.  I wanted to know how much of the situation he knew about.  I was even more saddened to find out that they had, in fact, met him and then decided that "their hearts were not ready for this boy".  I felt totally deflated, I was hoping that the pictures we just sent to him would help prepare his heart and mind for our family, but instead I was fearful that it would instead frighten him from the mess he just endured.  My mind was spinning in so many directions, I was mad and sad just to name a few.  I just couldn't stop crying.... My poor boy, I just want to hold him in my arms and tell him that it will be alright very soon.  I want him to know that we will never abandon him, we will never leave him, we will only love him !

Jason just hugged me and said, it only proves that there really is a reason that this little boy was meant to be in our family! I love him for that, the strong, reassuring voice he has, comforts my heart, and I know it will be ok !
.

I spent all night and day in prayer.  I prayed for Jackzhen's heart to feel love, to feel safe, and to have a peace.  I prayed that the orphanage staff would see our love through our letter and choose to release new information to us.  I am stronger now because of this revelation and ready to blaze through this process, even more than before.  I believe that although sometimes it hurts, everything happens for a reason ! I have to keep my faith strong. I have to trust that God knew this was part of Jackzhen's story and He also knew that one day he would be in our arms! The seeds of sadness may forever mark his heart, but the love of this family will grow stronger and deeper than any circumstance that will ever come his way....

Scanning and Emailing....

This has been such an amazing week, approval to move forward with the adoption for Wu, and revelation that we have an amazing support system here. Friends and family are brainstorming fundraising ideas and are willing to help me be the feet behind it all. We didn't go into this process thinking that we would be going this route, but let's face it, if we do have help from our community we will definitely be able to travel and pick him up a whole lot sooner!!!

USA Soccer is on the tv and I am scanning documents for our home study  ! Thinking of you Jackzhen man and wishing you were here with us now !  I got word from the Red Thread that she will be processing my order and request tomorrow. I am hopeful that we will have a response by the end of the week if she was able to get an update and a new picture of our little man! But none the less, even if not, he will be receiving a photo album of our family, labeled in Mandarin, so that he can start learning our faces ! The thought of that makes me well up! I wish I could see his face when they tell him, you have a mommy, daddy, brother, and sisters!!!  Your forever family is in love with you Jackzhen !

another check for the list.....

Today Jason and I went to have physicals and blood work done.  My dear husband has a huge dislike for needles so our doctor friend Josh is the only one that he will allow to puncture his arm!!!  Thank you Josh and everyone at the Springs Family Medical Center for letting us bombard your morning and getting us through another check off our list............

Monday I will tackle passports.......... 

As I go to bed tonight I am reminded of that song, you know the one from American Tail, where the mouse sings to the sky.....

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1foSWTOIFc

We love you Jackzhen and we ARE praying for you underneath the same big sky !!!  Be safe little one.... We are coming soon............

you asked for it..................

I debated on posting this picture because it is not recent.  However, he is just so sweet not to share!!! This is the most recent picture I have of him and I am guessing that it is almost 2 years old.  He will be 3 in September ! Thank you all for sharing our Joy!!! Introducing Jackzhen Wu Aldrich...................

Jackzhen - almost a year old !

What do you say.......

We are excited about the opportunity to utilize a service known as the Red Thread of China.  It is a service for adoptive families to be able to send care packages to their adoptive children as the process of international adoption can be long ! As part of the service this lady, Ann, automatically requests updates and pictures of the children to share with the family.  When I found this out I about fell off of my chair !!! I mean the chance to gain a little glimpse into Jackzhen's world, even though he is miles away, is priceless. I ordered a photo book, which will be filled with our pictures and labeled in Mandarin, as well as a cuddle blanket, and a camera.  The orphanage can use the camera (labeled for him) to capture his life over this process ! I am very fond of pictures *in case you didn't know * haha
So this is a very precious gift they can capture for us.  Another part of the service is a letter.  You can write a 400 word letter to your child and Ann will translate it so that the orphanage staff can read it to your child.  WOW I was floored when I found this out, the only hard part is, what do you say? Do you tell him his new name? *how frightning to a 2 year old * Do you tell him that we can't wait to come and get you? *stranger danger* Do you tell him that............. I played this game all day, and my final conclusion was LOVE ! You just tell him that you love him, so I did... It was the strangest, yet heart felt, letter to write.  I think the last time I took so much time to write something so special was my first letter to my other children.  The times I would stay up late to write in their baby books, I didn't want to miss a thing ! This is how I know that this love God has given me for Jackzhen is divine ! He is our child just as much as these three other blessings are to us! They are each a gift from God and I will cherish each one of them until the day I go home..... Thank you Lord for Love................. night...........

Poor Maggie

Maggie was minding her own business being the family dog when wouldn't you know even she has to be a part of the adoption process!!! We have to get her shots up to date as part of our home study!!! So off we go to Pet Luv.....  Madison said she may faint at the thought a needle - oh brother !!! :)

Approved !!!

We got the approval today !!! It could have been a 14 day process but it only took 5, thank you Lord !!! The kids are bursting at the seams to tell their friends and frankly this blog is a little boring, considering I am the only one that reads it HA !!! Thank you Lord for your little trinkets of grace as we start this process.......

Happy Anniversary Thai Style...

So today is our 12 year wedding anniversary!!! We had no clue where we wanted to go for dinner ( we have just a little on our minds right now hehe ) We just decided to head south!!! I really wanted Chinese, I really like it, but truth be told it makes me feel a little closer to our potential situation as I use my chop sticks haha!  Well we settled for Thai and as soon as we walked into the restaurant and sat down, I got tears in my eyes.  Jason thought I was a little nutty *as usual* but I could not help it, I was over come with emotion of our surroundings and I just kept thinking about Jackzhen sitting in his little orphanage... I drew the line when I felt compelled to hug our waiter (thought that would be taking it too far) :) :) :) Jason and I had an awesome dinner!!! I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing guy!!! I love you Jason Aldrich ♥

Invisible Red Thread

There is an old Chinese proverb called the Invisible Red Thread - it goes like this........

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." - Ancient Chinese Proverb

Although I believe that God allows everything to happen according to his perfect plan, I think that it goes along perfectly with this way of thinking... I know that there are so many pieces to our puzzle that didn't make sense at the time, but they were all a part of His perfect plan ! Wu Man we love you so much already and we are thrilled to be your forever family !!!

and we wait....

Our application was submitted today.  It could take up to two weeks before we get an answer, Jason suggested that we wait to tell everyone our news until after we have the approval from the CCAA (China) I am not sure I can wait that long !!!! eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk :)

72 hours...

We have 72 hours to submit the paperwork we need to be considered as the adoptive parents of Mr. Jackzhen Wu Man.... letter of intent, birth certificates, marriage license, and a whole list of other things.  That is just the initial application.  After our approval we will have a whole list of other things and hoops to jump through !!! I am so excited to get this paperwork process under way!!!

Let's move forward....

Those were the words that I heard from my awesome, God fearing, husband tonight as I stood in the kitchen with my two older children preparing dinner.  I literally screamed and ran in a circle, hugging anyone in my path!!!  I was so JOY filled..... Joy that Jason sought God and His will for our lives, Joy that my children are so excited about the thought of a new sibling, and Joy that we are going to adopt a beautiful little boy who will quickly learn the love of a mommy, a daddy, a family..... Just so much JOY!!!

Didn't mean to fall in love....

Website after website I read and researched adoption, wondering what God was going to do with the desire and love that was in my heart for another child... I questioned if these feelings were from the Lord and prayed that if they weren't then He would remove them from me, but they didn't go away ! I found myself sobbing like a baby for no reason at all for a child that I didn't even know, hadn't even seen, so in July 2010 Jason and I started looking into domestic adoption.  We wrote emails, researched agencies, and door after door, nothing opened.... We felt a peace that God was at work but we weren't sure exactly what was in store for us.  So we put seeking away for the time, although it was never far from my mind! I would very often come back to the thought and pray that God would use me and make known His will.  Now fast forward to March 2011, I have a fellow homeschoolin', Jesus lovin, photo taking friend named Lindy who, with her husband, was in the process of adopting 2 special needs boys from the UK.  I was so excited to read her journey of raising support and preparing her own paperwork for the adoption.  As they traveled in May to pick up their boys, my kids and I watched each video with joy in our hearts.  I, of course, also had tears in my eyes knowing that God was again at work in my heart.  I started praying about it again and then in June we watched a show about a family that adopted 5 children from Ethiopia, the most beautiful children, and then the seed in my mind FINALLY blossomed into something more ! "What if we look into international adoption?" Jason thought I had gone off of my rocker a little.  You see the bug doesn't "travel" although he loves our sisters, he very much dislikes the travel to another state here in the US, let alone a transpacific flight! But none the less I encouraged him to pray about it! Then I found the website that changed everything ! It all made sense when I saw this beautiful little face ! I didn't mean to fall in love, I was just trying to find more about this international adoption thing.... But that is how our God is, when it is His time, it is right !  Jackzhen, "Wes" at the time, was made available on the Rainbow Kids website the afternoon that I started researching.  I just kept coming back to his little face, so after a few days Jason agreed that it would be a good idea to get his profile.  I requested his information on Thursday the 30th!  I knew in my heart he was the one that God had burdened my heart for a year prior.  I knew that there was a divine plan and it was finally all coming together.  However, this wasn't a decision that I was making on my own, knowing that Jason hadn't reached the peace in his heart yet, I waited and prayed... If you know me in the least bit, you know I am far from patient person, so this in itself was a miracle !!! I wrote the adoption agency asking if this sweet little "wes" still needed a forever family to love him, it was Saturday before Independence day so I was not expecting to hear back from anyone until Tuesday, but much to my amazement she wrote me back right away ! She said that she had checked his status on Friday and he was still there, but that she would check again Monday and let me know!!! That was the ounce of hope that I needed to get through the weekend, all the while praying for God's will to be done !!! Tuesday July 5th I got an email confirming that he made it through the long weekend and was still available on the list.  I forwarded the email to Jason and then waited........ again..... :) He called to check on the kids and I around 3:30 that day.  As we were about to hang up I asked him if he got my email, he said "yes", that is all, just yes he got it.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh But it was OK, God was at work and that I was confident of !!!  Be still my heart is what I kept telling myself...