When Half Your Heart is Half a World Away

Dear Vivi -

The last picture of you that we received is just beautiful.  You are so cute, and you keep getting cuter all the time.  It was definitely the last picture that we will receive before we meet you in person.

We hope it's soon, because we can't wait to hug this girl.

We signed our Letter of Acceptance.  We got so excited that we had it delivered to Daddy's work and he brought it to Mommy's and we signed it right away so we could send it right back to our agency.  (Sorry to our respective places of business for taking a few minutes out of our days to do this!)

You are ours, Vivi.  The letter proves it.

What we didn't know was how difficult the process of adopting you would be.  Not the paperwork, although that's been a big chore.  Not the wait for the Letter of Acceptance, although that was l-o-n-g. What has been the most difficult has been watching you grow up over the past year without us.

From the minute we saw your face, we knew that you were our daughter.  And we knew that we wouldn't have you for months and months.  But we didn't know that half of our hearts would take up residence in a Chinese city where our baby girl was rapidly becoming a big girl.

It's been challenging, maybe even more so now that the light is at the end of the tunnel.  We just want to go already, and bring you home!  We want to get to know the little person behind the big eyes and contagious smile.

We know we will be there soon, but until then we wait - sometimes patiently, sometimes not so patiently until we can get you and put our hearts back together!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

L.O.A.

Dear Vivi,

One day you will learn your letters.  We will sing the alphabet together, your brother will teach you to do it backwards, and you'll start to learn all about how to put letters together to make words or create abbreviations.

Here's your first lesson on the value of putting three little letters together.  Apart, these letters don't mean much.  Together, they signify a hugely critical step on our journey to you.

These letters don't mean much outside of the adoption community.  Once you're a part of the adoption community, however, they mean the world.

They mean that the Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Affairs has approved us to adopt you.

Letter. Of. Acceptance.

Tomorrow, we will receive this L.O.A. from our adoption agency.  It formally asks us if we want to adopt you.  Once we sign that letter, you are ours. Officially.  No turning back.  And no one can take you away. Ever.

The countdown also begins once we mail that document back to the agency, which we will do tomorrow along with your immigration documents..  It means that we will come and get you most likely in the next 10-14 weeks.  That means we'll have you by the end of the year, and that we'll most likely be traveling over Thanksgiving or Christmas to get you.

In a post from last Christmas, I mentioned that we told Micah and Liam that there would probably be one more Christmas without you.  Now we have hope that you will be here with us as we celebrate Christmas together.  Which would lead to three more letters that, not so coincidentally, spell one of your middle names

J.O.Y.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

So Blessed

Dear Vivi -

I feel like I say this a lot, but you are so blessed.  One day when you're older, maybe we'll be able to explain it to you so that you will understand how much people already love you and are waiting for you and praying for you - and helping us bring you home.

The puzzle fundraiser is closed, the statistics are in, and they are astounding.

• 114 - number of people or families participating
• More than 20 - number of different ways we are connected to all the people that gave, including complete strangers, family, coworkers, former coworkers, lifelong friends, family members of friends, and our church families
• From 1 to 100 - the number of pieces given in one donation
• 33 - the most number of donations made in one day (when Derek Maul wrote about our journey to you on his blog)
• $5,965 - the amount of money raised through the website
• $1,660 - the amount of money people handed us in checks or cash to buy puzzle pieces

And the totals are...

• 1,525 pieces sold
• $7,625 raised to help bring you home

I have never claimed to be a math genius, but even I know that we oversold by having sold 1,525 pieces on a 1,000 piece puzzle.  We did this because we had so many people who purchased large numbers of pieces tell us to please only write their name on one and sell the rest so we could make more money, so we took their advice.  Everyone who contributed to the puzzle will have their name written on at least one piece.  We are also putting a book together so that we will have the puzzle for you and a book you can read one day so you can see not only the names of all the people that purchased a puzzle piece, but how they know us, along with any comments they made on the website or cards/notes that they sent with their donations.

Why all of this meticulous notetaking?  We know that this won't mean anything to you for quite some time. You are still so little, and the next months and years of your life will be spent focused on exactly what they should be focused on - learning, healing, bonding, growing, laughing, talking, being part of our family, being a little girl.

But the day will come when you will want to know your story, when you will want to know about your history and how you came to live with us.  We keep these notes for that day.  We want you to know who they are because without these people, you would not be coming home to us. They are part of our story and now they are part of yours.  Forever. 

One day, we'll get to tell you the story.  It's a long one, but Vivi, it's one of the most beautiful stories you will ever know.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

"Loves to Accessorize"

Dear Vivi -

You got our care package!  We got an email and an update this afternoon, and it included the critical information that you had received our care package! 

This was particularly important to us because we had already sent one that did not get to you.  We desperately want you to know that we love you and are preparing to bring you home forever. The only way we can currently express this is through care packages to  you.

We are waiting for this one little piece of paper, our Letter of Acceptance.  We have been waiting for this piece of paper for 58 days.  In the overall span of time, we know this is nothing. When it's a piece of paper that tells us that you are officially ours and we will soon be on our way to bring you home, it's an eternity.

While we wait, we rejoice in new pictures of you.  The Baobei Foundation helps to treat your medical needs and, together with your foster family, has taken such good care of you.  The director told us to send the care package directly to her so that she could make sure you get it.  This is what we sent to the director for you:

Among other items, it included a stuffed animal that the boys picked out, an outfit that Aunt Heidi had sent, and a book with lots of pictures of our family.

Below are some pictures that we just got yesterday, along with a quote from the Baobei director.  What she had to say about you is in italics, but we also noticed some familiar items in those new pictures!

"Seeing the beautiful faces of An Xin Ran's forever family brought tears of joy. What a beautiful family! They will so love her. 

 

She is just gorgeous and so funny. 

She actually speaks Spanish, English and Chinese! Super smart & cute.  

Loves to dress up and accessorize ;).

The family will adore her."

We do, Vivi.  We already do.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Facts and Figures

Dear Vivi,
  I haven't had the privilege of writing to you yet, but I'm so excited to become your Dad!  As we continue to wait patiently, some of us are concerned about some parts of bringing you home, and others of us are concerned about other parts.  There are many things we are trying to do make sure we get you as soon (and as securely) as possible.  Part of what I've been concerned with has been all of the funding it will take to get you here.  I haven't been worried, but it takes many dollars and many steps to get you here.  As we have let people know about you, and as they have shown such amazing love for our family, we have been blessed beyond measure. . .except part of it has to be measured!
  Our calling to bring you into our family has been strong.  We have trusted that God would provide what we needed to make this happen, because we believed very deeply that we were supposed to search for you and find you and make you part of our family.  The journey has been nothing short of amazing, and we are so humbled by the generosity of so many that we know and love, and even many others that we do not know.  So, here's some of what we've done to get you here. . . and the part so many have played in getting you to your forever family.

As of today, July 26th, 2013, here's the latest on our progress and all that has come together so far:

Expenses:
 Adoption Agency fees for our agency, CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption International):  $8476
 CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption):  $900
 Clearances/Fees/Documents:  $1724
 Postage/Courier Services:  $415
 Total Spent so far:  $11,515

Blessings:
 Open Donations:  $5145
 Yard Sale #1:  $1320
 Yard Sale #2:  $1075
 Yard Sale #3:  $430
 Puzzle and Associated Donations:  $6140
 Total Given so far:  $14,110

So, the amazing gift to us is that God has provided each step of the way.  We have put some of our own money into this process and yet, we have not had to borrow anything.  So many different people have joined this process and we continue to be overwhelmed.

But there is still more.  We still have a long way to go, including our travel to get you, payments to various agencies in China, getting you adopted, out of China and on a plane back home.  Those are the big things, and then we will be able to help you join our family and all of the daily blessings we get to experience each day right where we are.  Here's what we estimate is still in store for us.

(promotional consideration given to Airtran, who by the way, does not fly to China)

Expenses Yet To Come
   Our Visas to enter China: $400
   Airfare: $4000, including your ticket home
   Travel and Accommodations in China:  $3800
   Adoption Registration and Notarization:  $800
   Your Passport:  $150
   Orphanage fee:  $5700 (cost of caring for you your whole life so far)
   Food in China:  $800
   Your Physical and Photo:  $120
   Your U.S. Entry Visa:  $230
   Your birth certificate:  $20
   Court validation fee in Hillsborough County: ???? (varies by county)
   Total yet to go:  $15,810

While these estimates are on the high end, that's still a lot of money.  However, we have lots of help and hope to get some grants and assistance through several options available to us.  Besides, people just keep giving!  It is truly amazing!  In the end, you are worth every bit of it.

Here's one more number to consider: 712,000.  That's the number of orphaned children in China alone who need a family.  Because of a calling from God and the incredible generosity of people, we are thrilled to say that there is now one less child who needs a family.

While you are just one, we know that our life together will be so incredible.  We have been so moved by your pictures, the stories of your progress, and the many gifts that you possess.  We are ready to get on a plane now and come get you.  As soon as the paperwork is ready, we will do exactly that.  We have so many others who are waiting to meet you and enter your life when you are ready.  We are also praying for you and for the wonderful joys we have come to know every day. 

The "bottom line" is that we are thrilled to be welcoming you and we simply cannot wait to meet you!

Love,
Daddy and Mommy

Scrumptious

Dear Vivi -

It seems as though the update floodgates have opened... and we hope they never close!!  We now have an address to send the book about our family to so we know that it will get to you, and we have another picture:

Daddy says we can't bring home your little friend. :(

And here's a quote from the director of the medical foundation that has provided for your medical care: "An Xin Ran is absolutely scrumptious and doing well."

Good night, our scrumptious little girl!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

An UPDATE!!!

Dear Vivi -

It has been six l-o-n-g months since we've seen a picture of you and gotten an update about how you're doing.  We had almost given up on knowing anything more about you until we actually meet you in China when today, out of the blue, it's you - there you are!  In all of your 19-month-old glory!

We have never wanted to be able to reach through a picture and touch someone more than we had when we saw this picture.
Along with three gorgeous pictures, we got an incredible written update as well.  Here's what we know about you now:

• You love the iPad and all things technical.  You will get along with your brothers just fine.
• You are in a house where they speak three languages - Chinese, English, and Spanish.  You know several clear words in English, "pretty" and "milk" in Spanish, and "mama" and "papa" in English. (Wow - we have a lot to learn!)
• Ironically, your foster family says that hearing three languages leaves you confused because you talk all day and they don't understand a lot of what you're saying!! (Maybe we're safe after all!)
• You're learning your colors.
• You sleep 11 hours at night and take a two hour nap every day.  Ah, another sleeper. 
• Your foster family calls you "Sharon" or "Xinran".
• The family says that you are "not the crying type", and that you have a beautiful smile.  We agree!
  
  

• You're still learning to walk on your own but love to cruise the furniture, especially when you're bribed with an electronic toy when you get where you're going.
• You're happy and easygoing and have a great personality.
• An eater.  You're an eater.  You're 27 pounds and you love cheese, tofu, chicken, potatoes, yogurt, and all kinds of vegetables.

Those are all wonderful things and believe me when I say that we covet every little teeny nugget of information that we can get about you.  But here are the most important things:

• You are healthy.  You have 12 teeth, weigh 27 pounds, and are 32 inches tall.  You had your last ETV surgery, which drained fluid from your head, in October, and not only did you totally recover in a week, but you haven't needed any additional procedures since then.
• You are clearly happy.  We can see it in the pictures, in your smile.
• You are loved.  That we know from what your foster family says about you and even how they say it.

And they're not the only ones that love you.  We love you too. So much.  We're praying for you, thanking God that you're in a great family now, and wishing away the days until you are part of ours.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy