I’m trying to set the record for world’s fastest dossier! Our goal is to get it all done in a week! Is it gonna happen? hmmm I’m not sure. But we are doing our best to get it done as fast as possible. Any tips on the dossier would be appreciated.

Oh my goodness, I thought I was in love before, but now….I’m absolutely smitten. We recieved our referral packet on Saturday. We recieved many pictures and video of Ahrana. I must say that watching my DH, who was never 100% gung ho about the adoption (though definately supportive), during our first “video viewing” I was holding back the tears! He was glued to the screen and saying things like “She looks so much like Ollie! She’s so big! Look at her go! Ah Oh, here comes trouble!” He was smiling the whole time and he was falling in LOVE~ I’m so happy. Maybe it just never felt real to him until that moment. I haven’t had a chance to talk with him about it yet. All I know is that he keeps grinning and kissing me! We are going to have a daughter and he’s pleased as punch!

Just wanted to share our joy. Oh and her bilateral nystagmus eyes are so cute! I have to say we had to really watch to notice it. You could tell, but it wasn’t bad, it was quite endearing!

Can I just say…I LOVE THIS BOOK! It is so informative and so honest. I finished it a few days ago and I’m so grateful that a resource like this is available to us.

A few thoughts…though

Yikes! Sometimes as I was reading, my heart started beating faster and I wondered “Am I really going to be able to do this?” Somedays when I find myself losing patience with my birthchildren, I wonder if I’m going to have the patience to deal with a grieving toddler. It’s kindof scary to think about. Not to mention the fact that I will be dealing with not one, but two toddlers at the same time. My baby will only be about 20 months old when she comes home. They are close in age, and I’m sure that it will be difficult. But you know, I take a deep breath and think again. “Can I do this?” and the peaceful thought comes loud and clear “YES! I can do it! And dang, I will probably be good at it too!” LOL

I am so grateful there is a book like this though, so that I know what I can expect. That way I can make plans in advance for how I will handle different situations. I definately recommend this book for anyone who is considering adopting a toddler from here or another country. Two thumbs up!

Thanks to the journey to China for this poem.

Esther’s Song
by Martha Hackenberger

There’s a little girl who’s waiting
In the Public Market Square,
Straining to hear her mother’s voice
(Her mother left her there).

She’s four and all alone now
As the voices fade away.
Still listening for her mother’s voice,
She longs to hear her say,

“It’s time to go on home now,
The hour is getting late,
The sun sets on the mountain,
I’m sorry you had to wait.”

She senses that the sun is gone,
And the day has turned to night.
As tears stream down her sweet round face,
She prays with all her might:

“Dear Mama please come back for me
I waited all day long.
I’m scared, and hungry, all alone,
I’m listening for your song:”

“It’s time to go on home now,
The hour is getting late,
The sun sets on the mountain,
I’m sorry you had to wait.”

There’s a little girl who’s waiting
She’s six, and how she’s grown.
She’s hoping daily in her heart
For a family of her own.

And half way ?round the world I heard
Every tear and every word,
I’ll come to bring you home to stay
And finally you will hear me say,

“It’s time to come on home now
The hour is getting late,
The sun sets on the mountain,
I’m sorry you had to wait.”

(Copyright 2001 Martha Hackenberger)

AIAA approved our homestudy and Rani is ON HOLD for our family!!! We should be getting our actual referral packet soon. I am so excited to get all of her information.

I’ve decided that if we don’t get our NOC by January that I’m going to take our real estate money and use some of it to go and visit her. At first I thought that wouldn’t be a good idea. But maybe it would help her get used to me before she has to fly millions of miles away to her new home. Or if somehow an exra $2,000 bucks just happens to land in our laps LOL before then I will go sooner. But who knows, the Lord knows when she needs to come and maybe we will ge our NOC very quickly. First I’ve got to get my dossier into India though! So that’s what I’m concentrating on at the moment. We have allready taken care of the BCIS paperwork. So our dossier is the last step! (other than fingerprinting)

I have a copy of my certified homestudy in my hot little hand! YAY!

We are off to Idaho for a week, I’ll miss you!