Words of Encouragement

Dearest Joey,
Momma knows this time of transition will be challenging for you. My heart aches knowing the pain of separation you will endure when you enter our family. I promise to be there for you and to comfort you with a soothing tone and open arms. Your Chinese name means "brave" and I know you are already a brave little boy. I want you to know that if you do not feel like being brave, it is okay. I will be there and I will be brave for you.
God gives us great pearls of wisdom in His word. I would like to quote a passage from Deuteronomy 31:6 that seems to fit this moment.
"Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; He will never fail you or forsake you."
I love you my sweet son. I will be there to get you in four more days!
Love,
Momma

Single Digits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!! I am amazed at how the time has flown!! 9 more days to take-off!! WooHoo!! Joey, your MaMa and BaBa will there soon :-)
Joey was doing a puzzle Monday morning on the webcam and he tapped the nanny on the shoulder and pointed to the webcam. He wanted to go sit in front of the camera and show us his work! What a good job you did Joey!! We are so proud of you!!

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.....

The countdown to departure is now underway! Today is ten days from our trip to China! I am so happy!!! I am also very reflective of the changes that are about to take place in our family as we add another member to its ranks. I find myself waking up and looking at Joey's bed and wondering what his mornings will be like once he is here. Will he look out at me with eyes filled with hope and trust or will he regard me as the enemy who took him away from all he knows and is familiar with. Possible a bit of both at times.
Funny how a particular time of day is more intimidating than another. Mornings are tight on time because I drive our daughter to school each day, so leaving on time is important. I pray for smooth mornings..at least for most days...after all...everyone has a bad morning once in awhile :-) We are not "early to bed people", so if he is having trouble getting to sleep at 8pm, we have a few hours to play with. I do, however, pray for his transition into our time zone. It will a rough couple of weeks adjusting to the 14 hour difference.
Well, I need to go do something productive today..after all..I ONLY HAVE 10 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Weeks From Tomorrow....

Did I just say "two weeks" from tomorrow?? Where has this week gone?? Oh my! Time is simply flying! I still have so much to do, but I am trying to stay calm and not go around shrieking at everyone that two weeks from tomorrow we are flying to China to pick up our son!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I feel much better now, thank you:-) I knew you all would understand and cut me some slack if I am a bit dazed and absentminded as I try my best to focus on all of the "to do" lists I have laying around. I have so much to remember that I am most certain I will forget something. Hopefully that something will not be of great importance. You know, like forgetting to clean all four of our bathrooms. Oh, darn...I just remembered to do that!! Maybe I will forget it again tomorrow!!
Truly trying to do at least something adoption related and something non-adoption related each day has been my mantra. Today I printed documents and talked with USCIS and organized the documents we have to take to China with us...and took Kelly over to a friend's house and gave everyone in the house clean sheets!! WooHoo!
Staying focused is very difficult when I pass Joey's room and have to go in and lie down on his bed and look at his wall decorations and his toys and feel the softness of his bed and see the little woooden train track on the floor just ready for his little hands to push the four car train around and around. I envision him there already. I envision him looking up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and me looking back at him. My eyes are always filled with tears of joy as I look at him. As much as I love this little fella, my Beloved loves him even more! Thank you Jesus for the joy of Joey!

It's a Date!

We have our confirmed dates for travel!! WooHoo! We have waited so long for this day. To finally KNOW the actual day we will meet Joey (and hug him to pieces if he will let us) is surreal. I really don't know how to describe the feelings I am experiencing. Awe. Wonder. Disbelief. Unworthy. Humbled. God loves me so much!! I don't deserve it. Good thing He doesn't hold that against me :-)
Joey has brought me so much joy. Before I see his feet for the first time, they will have walked across my heart. A journey that has taken him deeper and deeper into its very chambers, where love for him flows like my life's blood. He cannot yet understand this love, it will be new to him, as will everything he experiences after Monday morning August 15th. We will refer to this day as "Gotcha Day". The day we first met Joey. He will one day tell us how he felt that day. I wonder how different our stories will be....

As happy as I am to be making travel arrangements, I must pause and pray for Joey. He knows we are coming. He has known for a long time. What is he thinking and wondering about during the wait? He is only 5 years old. The world as he knows it is about to turn upside down. We know he will be safe with us, but he will have to learn this for himself in time. He has seen three of his friends leave the Center where he lives. None of them have returned. I wonder if he realizes the correlation between what has happened to his friends and the fact that they did not return, with his upcoming departure from the Center? Does its cause him excitement or anxiety? I pray that the days until we get there are filled with fun activities and some "normalcy" too. I want him to savor the goodness of his home before he leaves it permanently. I know he is loved where he is at. He will be loved beyond measure where is is going. He brings Joy everywhere he goes. That is The Joy of Joey.

Travel Approval!! YIPPPEEE!

YES! The news we have been waiting for! We have our travel approval!!! It came so much earlier than expected by us, but not unexpectedly for my Lord. He knew before I did...well He knows EVERYTHING before I do!!! LOL!
I want to give Him thanks and praise for all of the blessings He has given  to me. I do not deserve a single thing He has blessed me with, yet He keeps on giving. To Him goes all of the glory in this adoption. He has given me the strength to endure all I needed to endure. He has given me peace when I needed rest. He has given me insight and wisdom when I remembered to ask for it. He is my Lord and Savior and I want everyone to know that without Him, I am nothing.
Joey is waiting for us in China. Not for much longer!! I will e-mail the head nanny when we know our exact travel dates so she can prepare Joey for our coming. I have so much to do, yet here I am typing away because I want to be able to save this in time. This moment of awesome wonder, as I stand on the precipice of a new beginning. I am enduring the final stage of my labor. Joey will be born into our family very soon. My heart is all soft and squishy inside as I contemplate what it will feel like to actually touch his soft skin and smell his hair and feel his little body embraced in a hug. I pray that the Lord has prepared Joey to receive the love we offer so willingly. I pray the Lord will make known to Joey His power and strength. Joey will need to be brave and trust us who are strangers to him. I pray the Lord will ease Joey's transition and give Joey a sense of familiarity with us, so he will somehow "know" us even when we first meet. I pray...always I pray.
Momma's coming Joey. I am almost there...

The Last Step!!

Hello fellow waiters and those curious onlookers too! We have confirmed it officially that we were submitted for travel approval on July 12th!!! This news just takes my breath away!! The last step!!! The next event will include packing and boarding a plane!! It is amazing how God has worked to bring Joey into our family. This precious little boy, who was not known to us until almost a year ago, is now about to officially become our son. He has only seen us in pictures. We have had the ability to see him in pictures and live on a webcam. The nannies at his center have told us that he is waiting for us to come.

" Please Lord prepare Joey's heart for the huge transition he is about to encounter as he meets his new family for the first time. Please prepare him for a change in his culture, language, and caregivers. Place in his heart a sure sense of peace that only You can give him. Please let him feel the love that will be poured out on him and let him "know" that we are his family right from the start. Please remove all fear from his heart as he transitions into our family. Help us bring him home and into Your family and into Your church! Amen"