Letters to Lilly

As I scrapbook milestones in Lilly's adoption, I have been writing her letters. I did the same thing for Liam while we waited for him.  Each month when I scrapbook Liam's pictures from the month, I also include a letter of what he learned or did that month.  I want our children to know that even though I didn't carry them in my womb for 9 months, I did carry them in my heart while preparing for their arrival, that I love them, and that every day they bring me joy.  So, in Lilly's most recent letter I included this verse.  Someday, when she looks back at her adoption story I want her to realize that God created her for a purpose, protected her, and directed her path so that it would lead to us.  I also want her know that in addition to our immense love for her, her Father in heaven loves her the most.  He made her according to His plan and she is beautiful.  We are so thankful that God knit our daughter together, knowing she would be ours.  We are so thankful for His hand of protection for her when she was abandoned.  We know her life has purpose and she will do great things for God's glory.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:13-16

It's a Girl!

We would like to announce that our daughter, Lillian Rae (Gu Jiayue), was born on September 5th, 2011.  She is beautiful!  The moment we saw her picture, we knew that she was our daughter and loved her instantly.  She is our little Asian Lilly.  Unfortunately, we are not able to post her pictures online.  We can tell you a little bit about her...

On Sep 25 2011, police received a report that an abandoned baby covered by a white quilt was found on the floor of a wooden shed at the east end of the Changhong Bridge in Yushan Town of Kunshan City, China. The policemen came to the spot and failed to find her parent and relatives. At 10:35 on Sep 25th, 2011 she was sent to the welfare institute of Kunshan city.  The doctor identified that she had a cleft palate III degrees.  She was 6.6 pounds.  He estimated her date of birth as September 5th, 2011.

She is described as shy and quiet, but smiles easily.  She is a great sleeper, not a picky eater, and cries only when wet or hungry.  She has reached all her developmental large motor skills.  Some of her fine motor skills are not as developed.  She has weak muscle strength, which we have been assured is common.  She loves dolls and playing games, specifically games that involve imitation.

Lilly weighed 16.5 pounds according to her most recent paperwork (done at 13 months of age) and was 28 inches tall.  She has dark black hair.  It looks thick, but is also very short right now (common for children in an institution).  She has beautiful brown eyes with a slight slant.  She has a round face and chunky arms and legs.  She has the classic China doll complexion.  

Here's how we learned about our little lady...

The Referral

One week prior to referral night, we got e-mails from our two social workers stating that the children available for adoption would be listed to the CCCWA website on January 21st and we would hear either way whether they were able to 'lock' (claim) a child for us.  They went over our packet of information again.  We were hopeful, but also a bit guarded, since we didn't get a referral in December.

On January 21st, at about 9pm, we got a text from our social worker saying she was able to lock a child for us, but it would take time to download all her files and send them to us.  She said the little girl had a cleft lip and palate.  So, we waited... again.  We tried watching a movie, but our minds swirled.  We toasted with red wine and prepared ourselves for what we might see.  We felt peace that whatever she looked like, or whatever medical concerns she had, she was our daughter, and we already loved her.  Finally, a little after 11pm, we got an e-mail containing her medical information and two pictures.  We clicked on her pictures first.  We both just stared at the screen - she was beautiful!  We thought maybe we got the wrong picture, because she didn't have a cleft lip.  After reading her medical chart, we found out that she has a cleft palate, but not a cleft lip.  Honestly, she looks just like we dreamed she would.

The next day we sent the referral to our doctor for review.  We also took time to research the area that she is from in China (That information will come in a later post).  We got in contact with our social worker to clear up some things that didn't make sense to us in her file.  After the doctor called us back on January 23rd, we e-mailed our social worker and said we accepted our referral.

Now, we are getting ready for the LONG wait.  We need to wait for our LOA (letter of approval) from China.  Once we have that we will have a better idea when we will travel.  Our social worker said to plan on six months from now, but it could be sooner or later.  July seems like an eternity away - we just want to snuggle our little girl now!

Liam likes to look at her picture and says, "Aw, she's cute."  He knows where Lilly's room is in the house, knows his sister is in China, but calls her picture "Yona" (the name he calls his cousin Verona).  So, we're working on that.  He does pray for her every night by saying, "God b-yess Yi-yee."  We know Liam has an adjustment ahead of him, after being an only child this long.  However, we think they will be great friends.  They are 17 months apart, so we're in for some fun!

Please pray that the adoption process continues to go smoothly and that God would wrap our little Lilly in His arms until we can.

Life with Liam

Everyday we are so thankful to have Liam as our son!  He is so bright and creative.  He is a bundle of energy.  With his active imagination comes many messes, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  We love going with Liam on all his adventures.  Here are just some of Liam's most recent activities.  Welcome to life with Liam.

Mr. Independent likes to do things himself.  He is so proud of his accomplishments.

Liam is a lot like his mom - they both like things a certain way.

He is ALL BOY!  He loves to be outside.

Liam is very artistic.  

Liam can turn ordinary things into an adventure.

Liam loves to read.

Who needs toys when you can sort diapers?

Grandpa Herman made Liam a desk.  Our little artist creates many masterpieces daily.

Liam is a problem solver.  He found a way to make a garage for each of his cars.  And yes, that's his pirate bandana.

Liam gets so excited to try new things.  Here's his first snowman.

Liam has a story and explanation for everything (he talks all day long).

Another amazing adventure.  Where's Liam?

Liam loves to snuggle with Mommy.  He gives many hugs and kisses.

Everyday is a great day with Liam.  

Crochet Projects

I have been working on crochet projects for the last several months.  It was so fun to give homemade Christmas gifts this year!  Now that I am done with Christmas gifts, I am working on a small baby blanket to send to our daughter in her first care package.

Frilly Scarves

White Lacy Scarf

Mens Scarf

Toddler Headband and Scarf Set

Baby Headband (with changeable flower accents)

Toddler Booties

I think Lorelei liked her hat and scarf set!