tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88982843370435371172011-04-21T19:31:09.634-05:00"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." Chinese ProverbSteve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.comBlogger551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-45254590403344102632009-03-02T13:37:00.008-06:002009-03-02T14:16:02.722-06:00

Wow, so its been almost 9 months since our last post. What has happened in that time frame? Well, alot. We opened our home to Maureen Hsu, an exchange student from Taiwan. She is attending Berkner High school, and has really taught us alot about different cultures, and life with a teenage girl! I think it is a hint at what we will see in about 14 years with Gracie. But Maureen is great, and has

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-34581612552293068812008-06-03T21:47:00.004-05:002008-06-06T13:38:55.605-05:00

and other things, too, but mainly dinosaurs:) I hope you enjoy this little movie we made. Jennifer

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-57007029808235932362008-06-03T20:53:00.009-05:002008-06-03T21:45:37.313-05:00

Great, mom is taking pictures again!These jets are awesome. (mom's passe word, not mine)Now I am having fun!Freebie pose for mom.Where are my shades when I need them!Ok, she isn't actually swimming yet. She is learning all about the pool and water. It is a slow process, but she does enjoy it. We recently joined Lifetime Fitness. We like it because it has things for the little ones, and the

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-35108802110445715952008-05-04T12:28:00.007-05:002008-05-04T13:03:48.298-05:00

Grace, Jenna Kate, and Peytie-instead of the red couch, it is the red wagon...and just as hard to get them to all sit still for the picture:)And now we have big sis, Claire, in the picture, too!Mama Robin and Peytie relaxing.Another picture of the our picnic-thanks for organizing everything, Robin!Claire and Jenna Kate playing ball together. Last time we saw Jenna Kate (in China) she wasn't

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-67845458475488703512008-04-16T13:40:00.004-05:002008-04-16T14:26:47.437-05:00

What a pretty smile! So what exactly is in these eggs? Mmmmmmm... candy....In her pink Easter dress--a girl can't have just one Easter dress.In her green Easter dress, trying on Mama's slippers.At the Arboretum--a flower amongst the flowers!We are all doing really well. Gracie is growing up waaay too fast. She repeats so many words...we are amazed at how fast she has learned English. We have

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-47557197196726028402008-02-09T11:14:00.000-06:002008-02-09T12:50:12.177-06:00

We have been so busy having fun and celebrating or family, that posting to share all of it just fell to the wayside. So here I am to try and catch everyone up.I think the last post was before Christmas, so Ill start there. We had a wonderful Xmas with Gracie. She got to see her Great Grandma Arnold again and she met her Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary Kate for the first time. They drove in from South

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-15677688908997561512007-12-16T10:55:00.000-06:002007-12-16T11:00:17.469-06:00

Gracie loves the computer--takes after her father!Honey, don't you think she is a little young for World of Warcraft?This is what I woke up to several mornings ago...Mom wasn't amused but Gracie sure was (and Daddy, too).

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-53270722838972471932007-12-06T21:05:00.000-06:002007-12-06T21:43:54.689-06:00

The excitement is overwhelming. Gracie likes the slide oh, so much more.A small birthday party for Gracie after we arrived home. She is a neat girl--she didn't want to just grab the cake with her fingers, so I had to feed it to her with a spoon. She loved the cake, though.Gracie with her great-grandmother. It was so special to have all four generations together for Thanksgiving.An early

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-83379218806167219792007-11-20T04:58:00.000-06:002007-11-20T05:47:45.635-06:00

We made it home safe and sound on Friday late afternoon. That was the hardest traveling we have ever experienced. Gracie slept the 1 hour flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong and then was wide awake for the next 17 hours. We tried to get an upgrade from Hong Kong to San Francisco, but no going. We were packed in like sardines and Gracie was wired. Steve and I literally were taking turns with

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-52021508150041276142007-11-14T21:48:00.000-06:002007-11-14T22:22:46.093-06:00

These pics didn't come out great, but you can see some of what we saw. The lights are great--Guangzhou is a big city with a big city atmosphere. There are lots of discos and restaurants.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-87429553937917724702007-11-14T21:27:00.000-06:002007-11-14T21:48:37.596-06:00

We had a lovely stroll yesterday around Shamian Island here in Guangzhou. The children are practicing their presentation for the Olympics. And you can see Gracie on the slide. She seemed to really enjoy it. And we were so happy to find Starbucks.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-57908308203496003682007-11-13T20:58:00.000-06:002007-11-14T00:42:42.551-06:00

Gracie is ready to go to the zoo! Hi Everyone...just wanted to say thank you so much for all of the kind words for all of us. We are doing better. Gracie was quite sick--very congested--when we first received her, but luckily we had an antibiotic our pediatrician had given us, so we gave her a round of that and it seems to have cleared most of the congestion up. She still has a little cough.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-82019871386237353102007-11-13T05:49:00.000-06:002007-11-13T06:05:41.237-06:00

We greatly apoligize for the lack of posting, but it has been crazy around here. We are in Guangzhou now at the White Swan. It is a very lovely hotel and our room faces the river. Jennifer has been very sick since we got here and is now on the mend after seeing the hotel doctor last night, so the last two days have been Daddy and Gracie time. We spent the day at the Zoo and have lots of pictures

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-66290533579988758182007-11-06T23:33:00.001-06:002007-11-06T23:49:03.473-06:00

Thanks so much for all the comments guys, its great to know we have so much support! Here are a few more pics. We are starting to calm down a bit on the traveling, so now we are catching up on our sleep and play time. Gracie is doing wonderful considering the change that she has been going through. She is happy and quick to smile, unless she is tired, and she will let you know when that is! We

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-4161677598864853502007-11-05T23:41:00.001-06:002007-11-05T23:50:47.045-06:00

We are so sorry it has taken so long to post, but we have been going non stop since we got our Gracie last night (Monday) around 7 pm. Everyone is happy and healthy and tired! We will post more details later, but here are the first pics!!!

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-59893581456546846642007-11-03T16:52:00.000-05:002007-11-03T17:04:32.350-05:00

This reminded me of the poorer parts of Mexico. There was a nice lady who invited us into her compound. Basically, a hutong is like a little village with compound after compound. Each compound consists of several small buildings with a courtyard in the middle. The nice lady who showed us hers said it was only one family in her compound--but 8 people. Many compounds have several families.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-75058754744567978612007-11-03T16:40:00.000-05:002007-11-03T16:52:18.783-05:00

We had a great time at the Forbidden City--walked our feet off! It is huge! We walked along Tianammen (sp?)Square and paid our respects to Chairman Mao. The Forbidden City consists of hundreds of buildings. You will only see a few in our pics, but they are all decorated pretty much the same way. Each building has a significance, which our guide explained, but my retention is very low right

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-20574018952126542532007-11-03T15:33:00.000-05:002007-11-03T16:01:02.553-05:00

Gorgeous, like the Summer Palace. We saw these on Friday.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-35253448545954641792007-11-03T15:19:00.000-05:002007-11-03T16:03:33.195-05:00

I hope this goes through..had some troubles before. So we are here in Beijing! This city is huge and amazing. There is so much to see and do--it can be overwhelming. We have had a wonderful time so far. Our flight was long and achy, but ok other than that. We had no problems with finding our luggage--all the signs in the airport are in English, thankfully. We were exhausted, so just

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-24069616399696306322007-10-30T21:45:00.001-05:002007-10-30T21:56:21.136-05:00

We were lucky enough to have dinner tonight in San Francisco with John (Jennifers Brother), Mitch (Jennifers Step Brother) and Natalie (Mitch's Girlfriend). Had wonderful italian at a small family owned restaraunt in a questionable neighborhood, but it was very good, along with the company. We called it an early night since we are leaving for the airport at 5:30 am, but im sure we could have

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-12273101262498059352007-10-30T19:41:00.000-05:002007-10-30T21:57:04.981-05:00

If you guessed San Francisco, then you're right! We left early this morning with no problems. Our flight was very uneventful, which is always great when you're flying. Steve and I had fun walking around the wharf-especially watching the sea lions (they are the grumpiest animals--and loud-lol). We will be leaving in a few minutes to meet our brothers John and Mitch and friend Natalie for

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-25888704862552249052007-10-26T10:21:00.000-05:002007-10-26T10:33:37.241-05:00

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-58945014244336296752007-10-26T10:07:00.001-05:002007-10-26T10:40:16.524-05:00

We had to move the crib into our room, but we are keeping her pack n play in her room for nap time. There are several things in her room right now that will not stay there--such as the car seat and the stuff in it (must have car seat protector and gear), and her stroller. The 3 pictures on the wall was an inspiration I had to copy pages out of a Winnie the Pooh book and frame them. The little

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-34952846704530676602007-10-26T09:59:00.000-05:002007-10-26T10:06:42.123-05:00

Or our luggage may bust...check out our picks. And this does not include our clothes or personal items. We have used our spare bedroom as our loading dock. I suggested that we just pile what we want to take with us and then we will see what we can actually handle. Too much, you say? Awww, pshaw--Steve is a strong fella-he, he.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-83975805538859122512007-10-24T10:27:00.000-05:002007-10-24T10:48:15.859-05:00

So, depending on how you want to count it, we have six days till we leave for San Francisco, seven days till we leave for Beijing, or 13 days till we have Gracie in our arms. Right now we are going through our list and getting things done before we leave. With so many things in the air, thank goodness for lists! Ours has become smaller and we delight in crossing things off each day. We haven't

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-55165020072081207532007-10-09T08:29:00.000-05:002007-10-09T09:06:19.571-05:00

We have scheduled and rescheduled so many times, but we finally received our consulate appt. and that was the key date we needed. So first let me say that these dates are not 100% confirmed because we sent them to our director this morning and he has to give the green light before we can actually purchase them. But here it is:Tuesday-Oct. 30--DFW to SFO in A.M. Wednesday-Oct. 31--SFO to

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-62551803883178663812007-10-03T08:29:00.000-05:002007-10-03T09:14:05.162-05:00

We are so happy that we received updates on Gracie Monday! She seems healthy and happy, except the crying picture. I was amused that it was part of the pictures--maybe they are trying to prepare us as first-time parents---here is Gracie crying with a messy nose-lol. We were thrilled that we have a picture of her ai-yi (foster mother or nanny) and one of her foster sisters. The last picture is

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-34962837964895983642007-09-20T10:35:00.000-05:002007-09-20T10:39:25.064-05:00

Survivor China starts tonight-9/20-and it is in Jiangxi Province! That is where Gracie is and where we will be too! It is about 24 miles outside of Nanchang (this is where we will be staying), the capital of Jiangxi Province. Check it out here:http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor15/We will be recording it. I hope there are lots of scenery shots and info. about the area and its people.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-70884202475102819012007-09-17T11:00:00.001-05:002007-09-17T12:20:30.746-05:00

We have received such lovely and kind responses on our receiving our referral. We really appreciate the love and support! So what are we doing now? and So what is next? Well, we are working on getting everything we need--at least what we can do now. Basically, I am in list mode--I have a packing list that I add to everyday (and need to be more realistic with, but that will come later when I

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-83982019860835918062007-09-05T19:22:00.000-05:002007-09-05T19:25:47.995-05:00

Just click on the image to enlarge. We are so in love with her!

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-19545109903212567692007-09-04T16:18:00.000-05:002007-09-04T16:34:02.762-05:00

Sarah Grace Chun Hua PriceDate of Birth 11/8/06Ruijin SWI, Rui-Jin City,Jiangxi Province, PRCAccording to our social worker she is a deep sleeper, can roll to a sitting position, locate sounds, smiles readily, laughs out loud, likes to play with toys, and look at picture books. We are just over the moon! We expect more info. tomorrow and the full referral in about 10 days. We hope to travel

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-24631423280504324482007-09-03T21:19:00.001-05:002007-09-03T21:27:24.781-05:00

Australia has reported receiving referrals today and CCAA has updated their website. They referred through Nov. 25, 2005. Woo hoo! We haven't gotten the call yet, but anticipate it for tomorrow. We will send out an email to all and you can find an update here, too. Thanks again to everyone for all of the love and support! We couldn't have made it without you:)

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-15168197006117585582007-09-02T21:08:00.000-05:002007-09-02T21:25:11.589-05:00

Ha, ha, ha--wouldn't you like to know? We would too! Waiting for our referral puts a whole new spin on labour day for us:) There are reports that this batch will have lots of boys, therefore Gracie could be a boy. Poor baby-- a little boy named Sarah Grace--he, he. Ok, we don't have a boy name picked out, but if we are referred a boy we would be thrilled, too! We will have some quick

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-47502575337204524912007-08-29T12:01:00.000-05:002007-08-29T12:17:25.203-05:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting...You would think we would be used to it, but it gets harder everyday. We haven't heard a peep yet, but we know the stork is flying! We could have our referral any day now, but I am sure we will have it by the end of next week. Do you think if I stare at the phone long enough it will ring from our agency? No? That is what Steve says too. Humpf. As for the Rumor

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-2474543607247095722007-08-18T08:13:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:37:59.195-05:00

Hi, my name is Steve and I'm a Rumor Queen Widower.Nah, not really, but sometimes I know how football and hockey widows feel :) (Kidding Honey!) Since Jen is in El Paso this weekend celebrating Grandma's birthday with Sandy and John (her brother) I decided it was time for me to start posting on the blog also. Ive always been a part of the postings, but I have tried to step aside and let Jen run

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-18644020168032117642007-08-05T09:21:00.000-05:002007-08-05T09:34:14.772-05:00

In our excitement in finally being able to plan on when we might travel, we looked up the average temps. in Beijing and Guangzhou. Let's just say we will have a lot to pack. Beijing's average temp. in late Oct. is 60-37. I wonder what the temp. will be on the Great Wall (brrrrrrrr). Guangzhou's is 75-60. That sounds lovely! We know we will travel to these two cities and probably a third,

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-59852618779325392862007-08-02T21:33:00.000-05:002007-08-02T21:49:59.647-05:00

This is from the CCAA:The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before June 30, 2006.The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 21, 2005.We wanted our referral this batch, but we just knew it wasn't our turn. We are so very happy for

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-74206492945837718512007-07-30T22:21:00.000-05:002007-07-30T22:27:45.861-05:00

Many agencies are reporting the new batch cut-off is Nov. 21st. We are waiting for CCAA's confirmation, but I am certain we will get it in a day or two. Of course they had to cut-off right before ours! Sheeeesh. (that is not the actual word I used, but you can add your own expletive there). Well, I did write that I thought we were in the Sept. batch. Steve says the good news is that we are

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-42257823850419134212007-07-26T16:25:00.000-05:002007-07-26T17:37:00.715-05:00

But congrats to our friends Jeanne and Jerry who recently gave birth to twins-Jacob and Katie. They are so beautiful and sweet. Mom and Dad and big brother Nick are all doing fine--very happy and content. Congrats to Dean and Becky who are, as we speak, in Beijing and are scheduled to receive their daughter, Paisley, on Monday July 30th in Changsha! We are so excited and happy for them:)Also,

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-13841287256508186002007-07-07T11:29:00.000-05:002007-07-09T19:55:30.506-05:00

Today is our lucky day! After much wrangling, we finally got it in. Seems so silly to get excited about paperwork, but this is critical. I will be walking on clouds for the rest of the day:)

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-49061914180292214422007-07-06T07:01:00.000-05:002007-07-06T07:43:59.008-05:00

Steve taught me how to put the picture here--I am not computer saavy, but can be taught--he, he. So here it is officially. We are 8 measly days away from our LID, yet 2 months from referral. I think that has been our story all along--so close, yet so far away! We are still keeping busy while we wait--what else can we do? Steve is doing a good bit of travelling for work--good news is he is

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-75856186076650988922007-07-02T13:29:00.000-05:002007-07-02T14:02:41.537-05:00

There are rumors floating that the next batch of referrals will go to the 14th of Nov. This is pretty much what I thought. That is 7 days worth of LID's, which has been right on track with what has been happening. The last two months were both 6 days of LID's.So if the cut off is the 14th, then we have 7 days until our LID. Theoretically we could be NEXT! That would mean we would get our referral

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-46562235568654740972007-06-17T09:34:00.000-05:002007-06-17T10:00:38.505-05:00

Today is Father's Day so I want to tell my husband and father what loving men they are and I am so lucky to be part of their lives. They are both smart, funny, and incredibly kind, good people. My thoughts are also with Weldon, Steve's Dad, who is departed but in our hearts and minds. Steve has often told me stories about what a great dad Weldon was and how much he misses him. To Dad and

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-78646622665262797262007-06-06T20:58:00.000-05:002007-06-17T09:29:47.383-05:00

And we are not in them. But we didn't suspect we would be this time. Here it is officially:"The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 7, 2005."So six days. It sounds like we are so close, but we really are quite further away than we were. If they continue to refer in 6 day batches, then it

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-48341488834948803182007-05-24T15:28:00.000-05:002007-05-24T15:49:45.445-05:00

It has been too long since last posting and I promise things will improve. No new news to report on the adoption front. It has been a loooooong wait. Another batch of referrals is expected in the next few weeks, but we don't expect to be in them. We are still waiting for the ever elusive 171H. In the meantime, I have been doing retail therapy. Not wise on the pocket book, but boy is it fun!

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-85415373579455010082007-04-30T11:37:00.000-05:002007-04-30T12:18:21.017-05:00

This is my absolute favorite time during this long wait. Confirmations from agencies are out that CCAA has sent new batches of referrals. We are finally in November! The cut-off date is Nov. 1st. Woo hoo! The fact that we are in November is beautiful.As soon as we start getting blogs sent in with referral info. I will post them on our blog. I love looking at everyone else's blogs, especially with

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-60417551196195539202007-04-12T17:34:00.000-05:002007-04-12T17:48:21.758-05:00

It may seem silly to get excited about this, but we are. We FINALLY received our homestudy update, so now we can file it and supporting documents (too numerous and boring to list here) with USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) and with the Dept. of Homeland Security. Yes, that's right, Dad, DHS. What does all this mean? Well, it means that when we file the homestudy update with the

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-10166917408569191862007-04-09T20:47:00.000-05:002007-04-09T20:52:48.851-05:00

I am numb and don't know what to say. We have received so much support from all of our friends and family, and we thank everyone; it really makes SUCH a great difference. Here is the official information from the CCAA website:The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 31, 2006.The CCAA has finished the placement of children for

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-31475257200320833522007-04-09T09:40:00.000-05:002007-04-09T10:01:56.554-05:00

So the current run down is that CCAA has issued a new batch of referrals. That is great news! But--yes, Virginia, there is always a but--it was only for two days. Yuck!!! So now they have referred through 10/26 (at the beginning of March, CCAA sent referrals through 10/24). For those who are trying to figure out what this means (who isn't?), it means in 30 days of waiting we are now only 2

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-79508595267240970542007-03-14T15:35:00.000-05:002007-03-15T09:41:50.407-05:00

I found these from another site. We hope you enjoy!BùBù in Mandarin Chinese mean "no". It can also be used with a verb to show the negative tense. It is said in the falling tone - the way you talk if you are really frustrated. This means no playing Peek-a-Boo. When you say "BOO" the child will think you are saying "NO". Maybe try playing it as Peep-eye instead and then say the child's name at the

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-10051506202511847252007-03-14T15:05:00.000-05:002007-03-14T15:34:48.197-05:00

Steve and I talked about attachment and how we were going to handle various situations. We have read a number of books, talked with professionals, and spoke with parents who have already adopted from China. What we have learned is that there are many resources for attachment disorders, to expect/be prepared for some issues, to pay attention to the child and let her be your guide. On that note,

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-84537545474105792792007-03-13T10:31:00.000-05:002007-03-13T10:37:33.550-05:00

One day an elephant saw a hummingbird lying on its back with its tiny feet up in the air."What are you doing?" asked the elephant.The hummingbird replied, "I heard that the sky might fall today, and so I am ready to help hold it up, should it fall."The elephant laughed cruelly. "Do you really think," he said, "that those tiny feet could help hold up the sky?"The hummingbird kept his feet up in

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-8122502383822926112007-03-05T17:51:00.001-06:002007-03-05T18:15:01.691-06:00

Gladney announced in a conference call today that CCAA has sent out more referrals. We have been anxiously awaiting referrals as they usually are announced at the beginning of each month. These have been delayed because of the Chinese New Year. The actual New Year Day is Feb. 17, but offices shut down for several weeks.The referrals only go through Oct. 24, 2005 which is only 11 days since the

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-53475014154407310212007-02-25T16:47:00.000-06:002007-02-26T17:16:01.176-06:00

We are just now putting this together as the only thing we have really had to report up to recently is the fact that we are still waiting. Now that we are getting much closer to referral time, we decided we better figure out how to do this. Ok-actually Steve has been teaching me how to do this. I may be a good teacher, but I am a pitiful student! We will be posting regularly on any new

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898284337043537117.post-12765426250371232522006-12-15T08:38:00.000-06:002006-12-15T08:40:37.427-06:00

This is the starting point. Our journey has been long so far and it will not stop until we bring Gracie home.

Steve and Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346659429744406970noreply@blogger.com0