Nana Birdie loves her little Maya. She spoils her already. Today we went out for pizza and then to downtown Disney to shop.
She bought her a beautiful princess baby dress, some toys, books and a music cd of Disney's famous movies.
Maya's new tricks. She can make fish lips and blow raspberries! She is too cute and so funny.
Today we went out to lunch with Nana Birdie. We ate at Mia Pizza in Davenport. She did great-tried some crust and pretended to read the menu.
We have been working with Maya on her walking--it is more like running. I say "Ready, on your mark, get set, go" and the laughter coming from her is great. She "runs" toward Patrick then he turns her around and she "runs" back to me.
We spend time in the afternoon outside on the patio. Maya likes to play ball-or I should say-drop the ball and have one of us get it for her. She loves being outside. Hopefully we can her used to being in the stroller again--right now she is not a fan.
We decided to let Maya try real food-and she loved my meatballs! She really was meant to be my baby!
Maya eating her pasta and peas!
Maya "walking" through the house
The dancing queens!
Daddy feeding Maya lunch
Maya is finally adjusting to time change from China. She was wide awake at 2 a.m. on Monday morning and did not go back to sleep until 5:30! We woke her up at 8 a.m. and she pretty much followed her schedule the rest of the day without any problems.
She is practicing walking and has learned how to eat Cheerios on her own. She is also like her Nonnie--she loved the peas and pasta we gave her for dinner. For lunch today she eat Nana Birdies potatoes and carrots! No baby food for this one!
Maya met Beatrice (Jim and Jill's dog) for the first time today-it was really funny. Bea did not know quite what to think about having a baby around.
Dorothy couldn't have said it better!
Three airplanes later-we arrived home with Maya on Saturday night. We left Guangzhou for Hong Kong and nearly missed our flight to Chicago--but we made it. Maya slept pretty much the entire flight-thank God!
We were welcomed in Chicago by Mike and Kathy (my aunt and uncle). They were the first family members to meet Maya and welcome her to US. She had just become a US Citizen moments before! We then boarded our final flight to Orlando-the 2.5 hour flight seemed to last forever. We were greeted at the airport by Nana Birdie, Jill and Jim, Jim's parents and Kim and Sara. It was awesome. There were lots of happy tears flowing! Everyone followed us home-we knew we would not be sleeping anytime soon! My mom (Nana Birdie) made my favorite dinner and had cupcakes with American flags on them-sweet.
Finally we after everyone left we went to sleep. Maya did well for a few hours in her crib but then had to come into bed with us. We ended up sleeping until 10 a.m.!
Our friends and neighbors came by today to meet Maya. It was great! She is really getting adjusted to her new life and so far it is great!
Thankful to be home and begin our new journey as parents!
A P and MLD
Maya waving hi to Mama while Daddy feeds her a tasty lunch of rice ceral mixed with apple and carrot paste!
Maya wearing her new birthday present from Sam at the White Swan.
Yeah-this journey to China is about to end and a new one is about to begin--the journey home as a family of three!
It has been an amazing trip. We've seen so many cool things and have met an amazing group of people who are now part of our extended family.
Today, we'll go to the US Consulate for our swearing in ceremony. We were approved for Maya's visa to leave China and enter the United States. She will officially become a US Citizen when we arrive in Chicago on Saturday, May 26th at 2:20 p.m.
Thanks again for sharing this journey with us-we hope to see you all soon.
A P and MLD
The Dunns
Daddy seems to think that Maya prefers me over him! Yet she says "Da da da da da da" all the time and loves when he reads to her. She also likes it when he feeds her a bottle!
The Ladies of Lian Jiang! The red couch photo at the White Swan Hotel. This is a tradition for all adopted babies and their Chinese "cousins" to have a picture taken on the couch wearing Chinese dresses. We celebrated Maya's birthday along with Regan's. Kaitlyn's, Sophia's and Lexi's. We bought a birthday cake that said Happy Birthday in English and Chinese. Maya got a beautiful purple and white cotton Chinese outfit from Sam. She also got a lovely bracelet from Tanya and another one from Christine. Maya certainly is a lucky girl!
Playing with Mama! Maya is very playful-especially in the late afternoon. We have been taking her out into the hallway at the hotel and she loves it. She has been laughing a lot and showing us the fun side of her personality.
Rubba Dub Dub-Maya Lily sitting in the tub!
Maya loves getting a bath! She even lets me wash her hair--she only screams for a few minutes!!
Maya and Mama at the pool!
Maya is just like her Mama--a fish in the water. She loves to splash and float around.
It was one week ago today that Maya was placed in our arms-yet it feels like she has been with us forever. We are learning something new about her everyday. We know when she cries after breakfast it is because she is wet and her teeth hurt from chewing. We know that she loves to play in the afternoon and loves a warm milk bottle before bedtime. We read Good Night Moon and A You're Adorable to her every night--she now grabs for the book and wants to turn the pages.
It has been raining here in Guangzhou for the past few days--so we are doing all we can to keep from getting cabin fever. We have limited internet access--so I may not be able to post again until we get home.
Maya turned 14 months old today-she is doing great.
She typically sleeps 7 hours a night-YEAH! When she gets up we change her diaper and have a bottle. Patrick and I take turns with her while we each take a shower. Once we all dressed and ready we head down stairs for breakfast. She has been eating oatmeal with mashed bananas and pieces of watermellon.
We then take a stroll around Shamian Island do some shopping. This helps her get ready for a nap-which usually lasts about one hour. We then have some lunch and play. In the afternoon she takes another 1 to 2 hour nap. We have a bottle before dinner and some more playtime. Dinner has been pretty good-since we've learned to feed her first! She then plays with her toys while we eat.
At night we give her a nice warm bath and massage her with lotion. I then wrap her in a towel like a newborn--she loves it. We snuggle for a bit then Daddy reads Good Night Moon and A You're Adorable to her. She then has a nice warm bottle of milk and it is na-night time again.
We are so blessed and she thankful that she is so healthy.
We officially became her parents yesterday and have a beautiful certificate from the Chinese government. We also did her passport and medical exam yesterday--she weighs 19.6 lbs.--she is smaller than some of the 10 months olds!
Today, we bought her a white Chinese dress and matching shoes for her Christening. We also got her some gifts for when she is older. Patrick bought me a beautiful jade necklace that says Mother and Daughter in Chinese. We'll get one for her that is the symbol for happiness.
We bought her some pearls, and a Chop with her name on it. She also got a placemat set with matching napkins and chopsticks, a doll from Guangdong Province and a few other Chinese dresses.
We will be at the White Swan until Sunday the 20th and then we move over to the DongFeng hotel until the 26th.
We love being here with her-but we are ready to bring her home!
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
Here are some pictures from Beijing.
We represented Boston on the Great Wall with our Red Sox hats!
The middle picture is taken from Tiananmen Square heading toward the Forbidden City.
The last one is of the neighborhood across the street from the Hua Du Hotel.
Hey,
We arrived in Guangzhou today after being in Beijing since Saturday. The flight was easy-only 3 hours!
We are staying at the famous White Swan Hotel--it is beautiful.
We walked around for a bit and had dinner at Lucy's Cafe--it was really good-and cheap.
We also bought a stroller for tomorrow--why?! Because we are getting MAYA!!!!
Our guide Ms. Lee said we are heading to the Guangdong Province Civil Affairs Office Tuesday afternoon--she will be sleeping in this room tomorrow night. Her crib is all set up.
Can you tell we are excited?
We will post pics as soon as possible. We know you are all anxious to see her!
Love,
A & P
We're here-we made it!
We arrived safely and enjoyed two days at the Hua Du Hotel in Beijing. We toured Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China as well as a jade and pearl factory.
Kevin-it was exactly the same as it was nine years ago!
We bought Maya some jade and pearls as well as a handkerchief for when she is older.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
The bags are packed-they've been checked and re-checked! I seriously doubt I will sleep tonight! It feels like Christmas Eve when I was a little kid.
We will be posting from China. This way you can see photos of Maya right a way!
We thank all of our family and friends who have supported our decision to become parents and have been on this amazing journey with us--we could not have done it without you!
Maya is blessed to be coming home to all of you.
Love always,
Aleisa and Patrick
My Papa would have been 90 years old today. He passed way in July of 2000 and we love and miss him very much.
I cannot wait to tell Maya all about him. He was so funny and loving. He wouldn't let us wish him a Happy Birthday until it was 6 p.m.--he claims that is when he was born!
We are 10 days away from going to China--I know Papa loved his China girls (Katie and Caroline) very much and is watching over Maya Lily.
Happy Birthday Papa!
Love "Lisa"
Today my cousin Julie's daughter Julia turns 2!
Happy Birthday Ju-Ju!
We love you and we miss you!
Yes--we are getting close! 14 days from now we will be on our way to Beijing!
We are pretty much all set to go--Patrick still needs to pack.
I will pack all of the last minute stuff right before we leave.
29 days from now Maya Lily will be here--in this house! Wow-I am soooooooooo excited!!!
Here is our itinerary for our trip to China!
1. (May 12) Family arrivals in Beijing-staying at the Huadu Hotel
2. (May 13) Great Wall and other sights
3. ( May 14) Go to province (Guangzhou) Meet your child (Gotcha Day!!!!!) We will be staying at the White Swan Hotel.
4. (May. 15) Legal process
5. (May 16) Local sightseeing
6. (May 17) Orphanage visit (tentative) We may actually get to see Lianjiang after all!
7. (May 18) Sightseeing, shopping
8. (May 19) Sightseeing, shopping
9. (May 20 ) Switch to the Dong Fang Hotel in Guangzhou
10. (May 21) Obtain legal documents
11. (May 22) Go to Guangzhou (for Families coming from other provinces) Free day for us!
12. (May 23) Medical visit
13. (May 24) Consulate appointment 10:30 a.m.
14. (May 25) Obtain visa-after 4 p.m.
15. (May 26) Go home! We leave for Hong Kong in the morning and catch a 12:20 flight to Chicago. Arrive in Chicago at 2:30--Maya officially becomes a US Citizen!!! Leave for Orlando at 5:55 p.m. and arrive at 9:40 p.m.
Today is my oldest cousin Kathleen's 40th Birthday!
We wish you a very happy birthday. Have fun!
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
This is so exciting! Not only did we receive our e-tickets--we got Maya's tickets as well.
This is amazing to know that she is really truly coming home very soon.
17 days til we are Beijing Bound!
Wow-it is amazing to know that we will have Maya in 24 days! Today marks the 18th month since our log in date with the CCAA.
We will be leaving for China in 20 days.
Jim and Jill celebrated their six month wedding anniversary today--I can't believe its been that long since our Disney Cruise for their wedding!
We love you Strakas and can't wait for your niece Maya to meet you at the airport. Thanks for being her fairy God-parents!
I love this picture! Maya looks like she is saying,"Mama and Daddy, please come get me!"
We are on our way sweetie.
21 days til we leave for Beijing!
Our CA date was confirmed today for May 24th!
We will be leaving for Beijing on May 11th and returning on May 26th.
Maya Lily--here we come!!
Love Mama and Daddy!
Wow-I can't believe that Maya is already 13 months old! Hopefully we will have her before she turns 14 months!
It looks like we will be leaving on May 11th and arrive in Beijing on May 12th--23 days from now!!
We will be in Guangzhou through May 26th--then we will be heading home. We have decided not to go to Hong Kong--we both agreed that we just want to bring Maya home as soon as possible!
Hang on sweetie--Mama and Daddy will be there soon!
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families from Virginia Tech who lost their lives yesterday. It is a tragic situation.
Our agency has informed us that we may have a Consulate appointment on May 24th. We need to be in Beijing on May 12th--which means we will be leaving on May 11th!!
We are hoping to go to Hong Kong for a few days after our CA--so we would most likely return home on Memorial Day.
Thanks,
Aleisa and Patrick Dunn
Hey,
I received our TA from FEDEX today--wasn't expecting it until tomorrow--so this was a nice surprise!. I did not get to make this FEDEX person cry (see previous post when the referral was delivered!) because he just rang the bell and left the envelop on the porch. It reminded me of a game we used to play as kids called "Ding-Dong Ditch"
Now we have to wait for our confirmed Consulate appointment before we can call the travel agent to book our trip.
One step closer to Maya--and the best is yet to come!
Aleisa
Happy to announce that we have confirmation of our travel authorization!! We should have the actual copy on Tuesday. Our agency has also faxed the consulate to request our appointment date--which we will know next week as well. It looks like we maybe traveling in two weeks--OH MY GOODNESS!!
We only have to book our flights to and from China--our in-country coordinator takes care of everything else--thank God!
Tentative plans include the following:
Orlando to LA
LA to Guangzhou
Guangzhou to Beijing
Tour Beijing for 3 to 4 days
Sightseeing includes: The Great Wall of China, Tiannamen Square, The Forbidden CIty, Summer Palace and a few other places.
Then we will fly from Beijing to Guangzhou
We will most likely be staying at the White Swan Hotel--so awesome!
Gotcha Day--TBA--at the Guangdong Province Adoption Affairs Office in Guangzhou
Shopping, sightseeing and appointments in Guangzhou
Consulate appointment--Maya's visa and passport to be able to come home and become a US Citizen
Fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong
Hong Kong for 2 or 3 days
Sightseeing and Hong Kong Disney--we figured we would take her to Disney in her Chinese backyard before bringing her Disney in her Florida backyard!
Hong Kong to Guangzhou
Guangzhou to LA
Maya officially becomes a US Citizen
LA to Orlando--finally home--the Dunn Family of three!
Maya--Mama and Daddy are on their way!
28 years ago I lost my status of being an only child! My brother Eric was born today--ironically it was also "Friday, the 13th" that year--only it was Good Friday.
I remember being at the playground when Walter (Eric's Dad) came to get me to bring me to the hospital to see the baby. He wouldn't say if Mom had a boy or a girl. I of course wanted a baby sister (sorry Erica-haha) but I was so happy when I saw Eric for the first time and got to hold him.
Happy Birthday Eric! I love you and am so proud of you. You are going to be an awesome uncle to Maya!
Love always,
Aleisa
This is from our agency coordinator--which she emailed to us today!!
"Good news. We expect the travel approval letters in our office tomorrow. We will FedEx them to you upon arrival.
Once we have the TAs in our hands the US Consulate will allow us to fax the Consulate Appt request to them. So that will be done tomorrow. We should receive a reply from them by very early next week. When we get the date from the Consulate we will l let you know right away so you can make your flight arrangements.
One step closer!"
Bonnie (our coordinator at FHSA)
We could be leaving the first week of May.
We will keep you posted.
Today is the date that is stamped on our Visa. It would be so great if we could leave in the next two weeks--however I think realistically we will not be leaving until the first week of May.
It is only a matter of time.
Today will also have been my cousin Matthew's 29th birthday. He was an amazing young boy. He died in 1991 from health complications. Matthew was and will always be a very special person in my life. I had the honor of spending three weeks with Matthew in the summer of 1988. I taught him how to "swim" that summer. It was awesome. I also introduced him to rap music--something his dad-my uncle Bob--did not appreciate!! Every night we'd watch "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy"--he'd win every time.
Matthew--you will always be in my heart.
Love,
Aleia
Hope everyone had a great holiday. Hopefully we will receive our TA/CA this week. We'd really like to make our travel plans soon. We are both getting anxious to travel.
Love to all,
Aleisa and Patrick
We've started packing our bags for the trip of a lifetime.
We have paired down what we thought we should take to only taking what we need. We know that we can buy things in China for us and Maya.
We are going to bring a suitcase for her--and one for each of us. We are planning on getting an extra suitcase over there for packing all of our purchased goods.
Happy packing!
Our agency was closed today for the Easter holiday. It seems likely that we will receive our TA and CA next week. I am hoping, wishing and praying that we are in China on or before Mother's Day. I'd really like this Easter to be the last one without our baby.
Congratulations to all who received their referrals and TA/CA notices today--remember the best is yet to come!
We are happy to share that Al-my stepfather-is finally home from the hospital. He had surgery back in December and had some complications--however it is great to see him home where he belongs.
We also had a great visit with our cousins Tara, Drew and Alexandra who were visiting from NJ. We went to the Magic Kingdom with them today--it was a lot of fun. Alex and I rode the Teacups together--she was having a ball.
Maya entered the Lian Jiang City SWI on March 29, 2006. She weighed 5.29 lbs and was 20 inches long. They reported that she had big eyes and no belly cord. She was healthy and did not have her imbelical cord--so her birth date was estimated to be March 18, 2006. The name Lian Bao Yan was chosen by the staff.
The report indicates that she has developed well over the past 12 months. She has not been seriously ill since arriving to the SWI. She did have a cold once but recovered well after treatment. She has no known allergies.
Her daily routine is as follows:
Wakes up at 7:00 a.m.
Takes a nap at 11:30 a.m.
She takes a short nap for a half in hour in the afternoon
Goes to bed at 9:30 p.m.
Her feeding schedule is:
4:00 a.m. bottle
8:00 a.m. breakfast (porridge)
10:00 a.m. bottle
2:30 p.m. snack
5:00 p.m. dinner
9:00 p.m. bottle
They say she eats rice cereal, fruit juice, porridge, and milk 4 times a day.
Her favorite things are: playing outside, a bell and her caretaker
She has received all of her immunizations.
Her physical and intellectual development appears to be on target. At five months old she could roll over by herself, sit with help and knew what she wanted (that's my girl) She would also laugh when she was happy.
At seven months she started to crawl and say "Yaya" when she saw her caretaker. She is now standing up by holding herself up. She is a very fast crawler and if there is a struggle for a toy-she wins. Apparently she cries to be fed first--just like her uncle Jay and cousin Caroline. She is happy when she is fed and likes to be hugged.
Hopefully soon we will see for ourselves just how amazing this little girl truly is.
We received our referral four weeks ago--however--we have not yet received our travel authorization (TA). We are hoping it will arrive this week. Our agency will then schedule our consulate appointment (CA) which will then give us the ok to book our trip. We bought a book about Hong Kong--we plan on going there with Maya before heading home.
The ad appeared in the Nanfang Farmer's Daily Newspaper on Oct. 28th 2006. We think she was around four or five months old when this photo was taken. It confirms that she was found on March 29th 2006.
The translated information states that Maya was found in a box, wearing a white tee-shirt. The box was found under a tree out side of the local hospital. She was described as having big eyes, no belly cord--so her birthday date was estimated to be 3/18/06. She weighed approximately 5.5 pounds and was 20 inches long.
This is such precious information. It is how Maya came to be and how she was eventually chosen to be our daughter. I truly belive God watched over her that day and knew she was meant to have a Mom and a Dad and to become a caring, loving person.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
Some of the boards have people stating they have received their travel authorization and could potentially be leaving for China by April 23!
I don't expect to hear anything until next week. Once we receive our TA we should then receive information regarding our Consulate Appointment (CA)-which tells us when we have to be in Guangzhou with Maya in order to process her immigration paper work!
We will update you as soon as we know for sure when we will be traveling.
Thanks,
Aleisa and Patrick
On March 29, 2006, a miracle took place in Lian Jiang City, Guang Dong Province-China. An angel from God found our baby girl and brought her to a safe place. I will never know why Maya's birth parents did what they felt they had to do. We do not live in a perfect world and I am not going to judge their actions. However, I will forever be grateful for the gift they have given us.
I truly believe that God was called upon that day and stepped in. He knew this beautiful baby girl deserved a life of love and happiness. We have been chosen to be the ones to give her that love and more. Maya is a survivor!
I ache to hold her and tell her how much she is loved, how special she is and how honored I am to have been chosen to be her mother.
Patrick and I hope to travel in the next 35 days--so close!
We have truly been blessed.
Love,
Aleisa
This is our announcement that we have ordered to send out to family and friends.
Yes, I have found my true calling-Martha Stewart watch out! I've managed to do laundry, dishes, change the sheets and complete four scrapbook pages for Maya's book all in one day. My friend Mandy kindly pointed out that I managed all of this because my little one is not here yet :) She's home with two little girls under the age of two!
I did thoroughly enjoy my first day home! Each day that goes by is one day closer to bringing Maya home.
Aleisa "DG" Dunn
I have officially left my position with the Osceola County School District. It was bittersweet to say the least. I will miss my students and co-workers who have supported me over the past three years. However nothing compares to my new position--motherhood. This is a full-time position with the best benefits!
I have waited for what seems like forever for this moment and I am so excited to be able to have the next couple of weeks to get ready for our trip to China. I have a bunch of little projects I want to do around the house before Maya comes home. She will be running around here in no time!
Thanks again to all my PHS friends for being part of our journey. We couldn't have done it without you!
Love,
Aleisa
Our dear friends Matt and Mandy announced the arrival of their baby girl Morgan. Morgan finally arrived today at 5:20 p.m.
Matt reports that both Mandy and Morgan are doing well.
Morgan joins big sister Kelsey, who is 18 months old.
We can't wait until Maya comes home to meet her new friends and playmates.
Congratulations!
It has been two weeks since we first saw our precious baby girl's face! We received our visas and hope to travel within the next six weeks.
Today is also our 17 months since LID. We did our traditional visit to the China pavillion at Epcot. This time when we watched Reflections of China and paid more attention--especially the part about southern China--it was so pretty.
Happy Spring to all of you!
Love,
Maya's mama and daddy
To our baby girl-
We wish we could be with you today to celebrate your first year of life. You are our precious gift from God and we cannot wait to bring you home.
We had a birthday party in your honor with family and friends. You are loved by so many people! You got some beautiful clothes, books and a giant stuffed animal from Caroline.
Katie made you a special book for Mama and Daddy to write in when we come to China.
We hope that you are being well cared for by your "Yaya" and know that we are coming very soon.
Love always,
Mama and Daddy
Here is where Maya is currently living in Lianjiang City, Guangdong Province.
It is with great pride and honor that we share the news of our long awaited referral for Maya Lily.
Her Chinese name is: Lian Bao Yan--which translate to "Beautiful Pearl"
She is currently residing at the Lianjiang Welfare Institute in Lianjiang, Guangdong Province, The People's Republic of China!
Born: March 18, 2006--she is a Pisces!
Current ht/wght--as of Jan. 1, 2007--26 inches and 19 pounds--very healthy Buddah baby!!
She can crawl and hold herself up. She likes music and is very active!!
We are overjoyed and can't wait to bring our baby home!
Love,
Aleisa "Mama" and Patrick "Daddy" Dunn
Here is our sweet baby girl sitting pretty like a big girl--she is looking like she is full of personality--just like her mother!!
I first saw my beautiful baby's face while sitting at my dest at work. She is the perfect morph of Patrick and I.
She has her daddy's eyes and hair--my nose and lips--both our cheeks--my chin and hands!
It is uncanny how perfect she is and how amazing the CCAA matching room folks do at placing the right child with the right family. She is so meant to be our daughter!
I made the FEDEX man cry today!
My friend Jim and I were having lunch outside when the truck arrived. I ran in the house to grab the camera. The driver asked if I was Mrs. Dunn--I said yes. Then I asked him if he new what he was delivering--he said no--but that it must be important because it required a signature!
I told him that he was delivering my baby girl from China--I think I said he was the stork. At first he laughed and said he had never delivered a baby before. I then told him how precious this package was and that I would forever be grateful to him for bringing her to me. I then asked if I could give him a hug--I am bawling at this point--he said yes and then started to cry too! Jim of course was dying!! He managed to take a picture of the FEDEX man and me--which I will treasure forever!
I can't post pictures yet because they are in PDF format--however the FEDEX delivery will arrive tomorrow and once I scan them I will post them.
Thanks again for all of the love and support you have given us.
She is precious.
Love Aleisa and Patrick
FHSA called again at 5 p.m.
We are the proud parents of Lian Bao Yan, born March 18, 2006 (almost 1 years old)
She is currently residing in the Guangdong Province.
Photos to be posted as soon as we receive them!!
Karen from FHSA called today at 4:15 p.m. and confirmed that our referral will be received by their office on Wednesday.
She promised to scan a picture and send an email as soon as possible.
She also told us that we should receive our FEDEX package sometime on Thursday!!
So now we wait to hear from our coordinator Bonnie at FHSA. Apparently the agency did not receive their package from China today--hopefully they will receive it tomorrow.
Keeping our fingers crossed.
Aleisa and Patrick
That means we are in!
The rumors also indicate that the stork has landed in Europe--which means by later today or tomorrow our US agencies should have our referrals.
We are hopefully only days a way from seeing our little girl.
We are doing the happy dance!!
The latest rumors indicate that families with LID's of 10/27 will not be included in this batch--however--no can say for sure what the cut off date is.
The other big rumor is that the CCAA mailed a package on 3/2 to a US agency--the rumor is that this package contains the most recent referrals--maybe even ours!!
I cried when I read both emails--this is such an emotional roller coaster.
I got to play "Mama" today with my dear friend Matt and Mandy's daughter Kelsey. She is 18 months old and about to become a big sister. Poor Mandy has been having contractions for two days straight--the new baby--a girl--should be here any time now.
Kelsey, Mandy and I spent the day walking around town. We went shopping and went out to lunch--it was perfect. I met some other Moms here in town--and was psyched to realize that I too was going to be a Mommy--very soon.
Will post again as soon as we hear anything!!
Love-Aleisa and Patrick
Today marks the beginning of our third year in the journey to Maya Lily. It is our sincere hope that we receive our referral within the next week. We have been so patient--but we are both ready to be Mama and Daddy!!
Hopefully we will have news for all of you this coming week.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
What a great story to pass on to our kids, friends, anyone!! A lesson to be learned by us all.
Two Wolves
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Today we went to church with my Mom in Brooksville. When I went outside after Mass I sat down for a minute--it was such a nice day out--Patrick came over and noticed a ladybug crawling on my arm.
I took it as a sign of good things to come!
The CCAA workers should be back to work today--Monday for us-and hopefully they are busy putting the referral packets together and start sending them out this week.
It is surreal to think that we will soon see our little one's face!!
We will update the site with pictures as soon as we get them.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
Gary and Kerry Palmieri of Franklin, MA welcomed their third son Jackson Ryan to the world on Saturday!
Jackson has two older brothers Owen 5 and Kyle 3.
Gary and I worked at Dorchester High back in 2001 and have been friends ever since. We got to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom with the Palmieri's a couple of weeks ago when they came to Disney World.
Hope to see you guys when we come up to Boston in a few weeks.
Congratulations!
Aleisa and Patrick
I received this email from Bonnie--our coordinator--regarding the next batch of referrals.
I want so much to believe that this is really going to happen in just a few more days (11 to be exact!!)
Please keep praying and your fingers crossed that our referral will come in the next batch.
From Bonnie:
Happy New Year to you too!
We certainly expect the CCAA to cover your lid in the next batch. Generally
speaking, referrals are issued monthly, so hopefully it will not be too much
longer. But keep in mind they have been closed for the holiday as well.
There is nothing you need to do at this point besides wait for the referral
news. You are up to date on everything.
Hang in there. I hope we have news for you soon.
My best,
Bonnie
We are getting so close---here's the lastest number crunching:
We started this process 722 days ago (Feb. 28, 2005)
We were DTC 515 days ago (Sept. 23, 2005)
We were LID 487 days ago (Oct. 21, 2005)
We've been fingerprinted twice, been given an I-600A twice and an I-171H twice. We've had our homestudy addended.
and WE ARE STILL WAITING!!!
We could potentially receive our referral within the next 25 days (through March 17th)
We will update you all as soon as we hear anything.
Today, my cousin, Annemarie and her husband Erik welcomed their son, Finn, into the world. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. Anne had to have a c-section--know wonder--he was a pretty big baby!
Mom and baby seem to be doing fine. I just spoke to her on the phone and she was with the nurse getting ready to feed and change Finn.
We are so happy for them and cannot wait to meet him in a few weeks.
Congratulations Annemarie and Erik!
Happy Chinese New Year! It is the year of the pig. I just hope it the year that we become a forever family.
We spent the day at Epcot and had eggrolls in China. It was great.
Wednesday will be 16 months since our LID. It is still looking like we will receive our referral in the early part of March--15 more days and we should know something.
Jim and Jill Straka have agreed to come to China with us. We are so blessed to have them as our friends. We are going to have a great time over there with them.
Our friends Jessica and Doug McCard are very close to being able to adopt their foster child. They have had Trinity since she was six months old--she will be three in June!
Hopefully we will be celebrating our finalized adoptions together.
Somewhere in this vast country our daughter waits for her Daddy and her Mama. We pray that she is safe, healthy and loved.
We are so close to getting our referral--it feels like waiting for Christmas when you are a little kid--the excitment is overflowing.
For Valentine's Day--Patrick bought the her a cute dress with ladybugs on it. He is going to be the best Dad.
Love is in the air...hopefully with referrals flying over from China!
It does not look like we will receive our referral before Chinese New Year--which is what I had expected--so I am not overly disappointed. We can realistically expect our referral the first week of March--which is less than 20 days from now.
To all of you who have been so supportive throughout this journey--we send you our love!
To my hubby, I love you very much!
Happy Valentine's Day!
This is the date that the adoption forecast site has predicted a referral for us for awhile now! That date is this Friday--wow!
My cousin Annemarie just emailed that this is the day she is schedule to give birth to her first child. So come on CCAA--let's get those referrals in the mail Monday morning--in time for the 16th--before the CNY holiday begins.
How cool would it be if we both received our babies on the same day?
This is going to be the longest week ever--I will do my best to get through one day at a time!!
No referral yet!!!
Today is the day that the Adoption Forecast site predicted we could possibly receive our referral--their prediction goes up through St. Patrick's Day (3/17).
We have approximately 25 more days before we can realistically expect our referral.
Yesterday, my aunt Karen's mother, Gladys Griffey, passed away. She was affectionately known as Mere Mere. She had been diagnosed with alzheimers a few years ago.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Griffey Family--especially to Papa Lou.
The first week of February is a busy one for our family--we have six birthdays in eight days!
So Happy Birthday to:
Sam--my cousin--who on the 3rd turned 37
Jo-Jo--my stepsister--who on the 5th turned 34
Mom-aka Nana Birdie--who on the 6th turned 56
Charles--my uncle--who on the 6th turned 76
Taylor Rose--my "niece"--who on the 7th turned 13
Paul--my stepbrother--who on the 8th turned 37
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
Around 7 p.m. tonight I received a phone call from my cousin Kathleen--who said, "Guess where I am?"
She had just flown into Orlando from NY for the home builders convention--it was a last minute business trip and a nice surprise.
Patrick and I met her for dinner. We ate at Raglan Road--the Irish Pub at Downtown Disney. It was great to see her.
Congratulations on your first of hopefully many Superbowl appearences!! We are so proud of you.
To my dear friends in Indiana--hope you have a blast celebrating the Colts first Superbowl win!
Forever a Pat's fan!
Aleisa
Here is what the Adoption Forecast sites about our LID
"Our prediction for LID 2005-10-21"
"Our best guess - a weighted average of recent CCAA velocities, guessing that CCAA will perform about as well in the future as they are performing now, but might return to previous trends: 2007-02-16." 14 days from now!!!!!
"That's our best guess for when you might receive your referral. For completeness, we can also show the largest likely range for your referral, based on the CCAA either going as fast as it has ever gone, or as slow as it has ever gone. The CCAA probably won't do either of these things (go as fast or as slow as it has ever gone before, and stay at that speed), so your referral is very likely to come somewhere in between these dates: 2007-02-08 (6 days from now!!!) to 2007-03-17 (43 days from now!!!!)"
Last February the CCAA posted on the 26th--after Chinese Year. The month before they posted on Jan. 26th--not that this means anything to how they might post this year--but thought it was worth a mention.
May February go by super fast!!
Waiting patiently for our little one,
Aleisa and Patrick
WOW--the CCAA is finally in our month--this is so exciting!! Congratulations to all of the families who waited 473 days to finally see their babies faces.
They managed to do 16 days worth of referrals in this batch-they typically do about 14 days at a time.
We are at 468 days since LID. There are only 8 days worth of referrals until they reach our date!!!!
Which means WE ARE NEXT!!!!!!
Wishful thinking would have it so that the CCAA would post referrals again before 2/16/07 (just before Chinese New Year)
It is more likely that we will get our referral in early March--which is just four weeks a way. I really believe we will have our referral in 32 days--but who is counting!!!!
I am soooooooooooooo excited!!
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
