The Eagle Has Landed...

Actually, it's more of a box to be exact. We got an email from our case worker today that the package we sent to our baby made it to Taiwan last week. I hope the nursery workers are enjoying their $10 Starburst candies! On a more exciting note, this means that hopefully (please, please, please) our little one will be wearing one of the outfits we sent her in the next update we receive.

On the homefront we are still waiting for our fingerprints to come back confirming that we are not criminals and therefore, fit to adopt a baby. My mom can't understand what is taking so long and I quote, "If you were to commit a crime they'd have your fingerprints matched in a day, not six weeks!" I don't understand it either, but we will just have to be patient and pray that it will be soon because I'm not about to go rob a bank. Although, that would solve the question of how we are paying for the adoption.... I have instead used my time wisely - printing out pictures of our house and family for our dossier, getting Taiwanese Power of Attorney agreements notarized and bargain shopping for girl stuff. God bless consignment stores!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is our first baby's birthday! Six years old! I can barely believe he's growing up so quickly. After school today we are going to pick out a birthday balloon then come home so he can make and decorate his birthday cake. Then I will make him whatever he wants for his birthday meal - as of last night he wanted shrimp and grilled cheese. Odd combination, but definitely a step up from his original choice of chocolate. I image presents and playtime will follow and hopefully a bedtime somewhat close to normal.

Happy birthday sweetheart!

Caleb's Kindergarten picture. What a little man.

Oh Baby!

What Graphic Artists do with too much time on their hands.

Going Postal...

Yesterday we went to the Post Office after picking Caleb up from school. After doing some research on the cheapest way to get a package to Taiwan (this is more complicated than you would think) we decided on the good ol' USPS. Our package weighed less than 6.5 lbs and according to rate charts on the USPS website, I was expecting a bill somewhere around $25. Needless to say, what the website doesn't mention is that the only 2 methods still available for shipping are Express or Priority (the website lists 4 methods). So, $45 later, after discussing all this with the postman, filling out all the customs forms and being told there is no way to track the package once it leaves the U.S., I am asked "And would you like to buy stamps with that?". No I wouldn't, because my budget is now messed up and the postage has officially cost twice as much as the items that are in the package, but could I please have some extra customs forms so I can fill them out at home where it is quiet and I don't have a five year old pulling on my arm every five seconds begging for something to eat and to go home. :-)

The slightly humorous and ironic thing about this is that probably 90% of the items we packed in that box were made in China. Maybe I should just find a penpal in China and have them ship directly to Taiwan. It would cut out the middle man, but where's the fun in that?

Our package included the following (I forgot to take a picture, so this is as much for my memory as it is for you to smile at):

1 Baby Blanket that we slept with for several nights in hopes that Pei-Chi
will get a whiff of our scent - poor baby.
1 Blue Dress - I love this dress and hopefully they will take a picture of her in it
5 Onesies - In girly colors!
6 hair bands
3 pairs of tights - pink, white and yellow
1 pair of the tiniest, most adorably cute sparkly jelly sandals you can imagine
1 Teddy Bear - from Daddy
1 Stuffed little pink bear - from Caleb
1 Stuffed Elephant - from Mommy
1 Bib with a duck on it - again, girly colors!
2 Sleepers
1 16oz bag of Starburst candies for the nursery workers -I don't even want to think about the cost of this bag of candy when you add in the shipping! (It's $9.50 - sorry I couldn't help myself)
1 Disposable camera so the foster family will hopefully take some pictures for us
1 Tube of Bath & Body Works Apple scented body lotion for Pei-Chi's foster mom
Miscellaneous rattles and toys

Looking back at this list, I'm actually surprised that the package didn't weigh more than 6.4lbs. I'm also surprised I fit it in as small of a box as I did. Thank goodness for strong packing tape! lol

(Not actual box)

It's Official!

We officially accepted our referral of Pei-Chi today! She received a clean bill of health from the doctor who reviewed her medical files, pictures and videos. Pei-Chi was only in the third percentile at birth but in the past two months has made her way up to the 25th percentile in weight and head circumference and 10th percentile for height. Not too bad for a progress report. :-) The doctor said she looks like a perfectly normal, healthy girl and there isn't any reason for us to hesitate in accepting the referral.

Today was also special because it's Rob's birthday. He made the call to our case worker to tell her of our acceptance. Here's a picture of the proud Papa making the call. Who could ask for a better birthday present?

Last Night At Dinner...

Last night I had a video shoot at the church. Since I'm not on my darling husband's payroll when it comes to video work, I made him take me out to dinner. Given the circumstances of the past few days, I was in the mood for Chinese. We went to a wonderful restaurant called Flo's Asian Kitchen and split Peanut Chicken - fantastic. Caleb had Chicken Potstickers (thank you half-price happy hour appetizers!) and actually liked them a lot. Anyway, after we were done eating, our waiter brought out our fortune cookies. This is where it gets good (and reminds us that God has a sense of humor). Rob's fortune cookie: You will have a happy adventure soon. My fortune cookie: Others take notice of your radiance. Caleb's fortune cookie: You will be rewarded for being a good listener. lol Too bad he didn't read this before dinner!

Pei-Chi's First Video

We all love the part where she sneezes. So cute! We kind of think she either just woke up or is really, really tired - she keeps trying to rub her eyes - poor baby.

A friend is going to translate what the foster mother is saying to Pei-Chi for us. Once we find out, we will post it so you can understand too. Not being fluent in Mandarin, the only part we understand is when the lady says Pei-Chi's name. :-)

We Have A Baby!

Pei-Chi Yang

We have received our referral for our Taiwan adoption! This has come as quite a surprise as we weren't anticipating a referral until February. We have a beautiful daughter from the Yunlin province of Taiwan born on October 9, 2007. She was born full term, but was quite the little peanut weighing in at 5.25lbs and measuring 18.5". She has grown quite a bit in the past two months as she now weighs 8.8lbs and measures 20.5". Her Taiwanese name is Pei-Chi Yang (pronounced Pay-chee). We have been trying to figure out what Pei-Chi means in Mandarin, but haven't had any luck so far. We are currently reviewing her medicals with a doctor who specializes in international adoptions. Once we receive notice of a clean bill of health from her (we have no reason to believe she isn't perfectly healthy) we will formally accept the referral. Once that happens, we will be buried in paperwork trying to get our dossier off to the Taiwanese government as soon as possible. Once the courts in Taiwan have our documents, they will schedule a civil ruling where the judge determines if the baby was given up willingly, have the parental parties relinquished their rights, etc. If all goes well during the civil hearing, then a final hearing will take place and the baby will legally be declared our daughter and the birth parent rights are permanently terminated. Once the final hearing takes place, we will have between 1-3 weeks of notice before traveling to Taiwan. We will stay in country for 7-10 days and then return home with our baby. The whole process will hopefully be done by late spring early summer. We will keep you all up to date on what happens.

Thank you all for your many prayers and kind thoughts throughout this process. Also, a special thank you to those who participated in our spaghetti dinner fundraiser. We are enjoying Phoenix very much and are excited about what the future holds for us.

PS - Caleb absolutely loved that she was wearing Mickey Mouse 'Pajamas'. :-)