Our Care package arrived

Ann from Red Thread emailed me today to let me know our package got there safe and sound. She is so nice I forgot to include in my note that I made Emma a blanket and me and Ryan slept with it for a couple weeks and we really wanted her to have it and get familiar with our sent. So I let Ann know that and she will add it to our letter for me. That was so nice of her. She is going to ship it to the orphanage tomorrow for us. In the meantime she did call to see if she could get any updates or new pics and they said right now the weather turn a cold so they don't want to take her outside until it get warmer in fear of her getting a cold. So now we have to wait for the weather to get a little warmer until we see some new pics. I am not really sure why they can't take her pic inside. But I am not going to complain. Evertying has been going fast and smooth for us this is just one little thing. I can wait a couple more days. I know you can't get a cold just from weather but it is nice to hear that they are worried about her and want to keep her healthy, that says allot. I feel great that she is being well taken care of. Thanks Andrea for posting about you experience. Its always nice to hear from other Zhangshu families.

Zhang Qi Fu

Let me formally introduce you to our daughter, Emma Lin Inch. Her Chinese name Zhang Qi Fu which means Special Blessing and she truly is special blessing to us. Emma was born April 15, 2009. She was born Premature and was found in the pediatric ward in the hospital of Zhangshu City. She is living in Zhangshu city SWI. Everything we read about Zhangshu SWI seems very positive. The other families that have traveled there all say there baby were well taken care of. They said they all were healthy and happy. They all seemed well fed and when they had there gotcha day, they were dressed nice and were clean with fresh haircuts and manicures. Even the families that adopted from Zhangshu chipped in for a care package to send to the SWI for the babies and nannies. That really says alot. We are happy to know our baby is being well taken care of until we can come get her and bring her home with us. Emma's weight at 9 months was 18 lbs, we are hoping to get an update soon. I cannot wait to see new pics of her. We sent her out a care package and we are waiting to hear if it arrived yet. We sent Emma a blanket I made for her. Some cloths and sock. Some snacks for the babies and the caretakers and a doll for Emma. We also included a picture book of for Emma to meet us. I sent a couple pics of Me and Ryan and my mom and dad. Google is great I typed in words i wanted translated and it translated all these words into Chinese so I could attach them to each picture.
We know Emma likes things that crinkle and she likes egg yolk soup. She likes complete quiet when she sleeps also does not like any cover on her. Right now we are in the process of decorating her Nursey. I got a blind that blocks out all light so I hope that help her sleep. We do have two dogs that like to bark so as for complete quite I don't know what I am going to. I might have to get better cutains for our windows so the dogs can't see whats going on outside and wont bark. Well it will be really nice having her home for the summer. we cant wait to take her for walks outside and in the park. going to the beach and most of all A phillies game.

One day later!

Wow what a day yesterday. I have heard rumors this weekend that LoA coul be coming out on Monday but I didn't beleive ours would be sent. I really thought after reading people's blogs and Rumor Queens blog that we were not going to hear anything until April 15. So I got to work around 2 in the afternoon and was setting things up when my cell phone rang. As my phone was ringing two customers were walking in the door. I almost didn't answer my phone usually when I am at work I don't answer my cell. Thank God I answered because it was my socail worker Sarah telling me LOA arrived. I couldn't scream or get very excited because standing in front of me were a bride and her bridesmaid ready to pick out bridesmaids dresses. So I put Sarah on hold and rushed them into the room with bridesmaid gowns and returned to phone call to tell Sarah I be there in an hour to pick up the paperwork. I couldn't hang up with her quick enough to call Ryan. I don't think he beleived me when I called him. I joke around alot but this would never be something I would joke about. I called my mom made her come to work and off to our adoption agency to sign our paperwork and we are now just waiting for a phone number so we can next day it to Texas for immagration to give us the ok. Then we wait for Travel Approval. We can't wait. Yesterday we had plans to go to my cousins house for dinner, just a nice dinner for me and my cousin John. Well I call Rose to tell her abour LOA. When we got there it was a nice suprise she had champagne ready for us and a nice toast. This is all very exciting for us. Hopefully this month will fly by and all of our paperwork will process and get back to us sooner than later.
Congrats to all the other families that got to see there baby today!!! We wish you lots of luck and hopeing you LOA's and TA get here really soon.

Letter of Acceptance

We just got word, we received our Letter of Acceptance!!! I will post more tonight. We are super excited.

Red Thread

Wow the more I think about the red thread the more things I am realizing. Well we started the adoption process Jan 19th 2009. Well that was the offical date we gave Living Hope our application. This Jan 19th we recieved our referrall of Emma. A couple days before my b-day. Our LID was Aug 6. Aug is Ryan b day and the 6th of Oct is our wedding anniversay. Emma's bday is April 15th also Ryan mom's bday month.
Well hopefully we will travel in May which will really tie the thread together by May being a really important part of my life. First my mom's bday is in May also my nephew's and grandmother bday. And what a wonderful mothers day present that would be for me.

The Best Feeling ever

Well its been a little over a week since we got the call to check our email. Needless to say I didn't even need the call because I was on the computer at 6:00 am waiting to see something. And sure enough a little after 9 we received a file. Our file consisted of the most beautiful baby ever. I didn't know what to do laugh, cry get excited, be nervous. As I opened up each attachment my heart starting racing and I said to myself this can't be real this baby is perfect and I just feel in love. My husband happened to be at work before I even read through the file I called him. I said get to a computer right now we got a referral and she is beautiful and seemingly healthy. He printed out the files and I could just tell by his voice he feel in love to. Ryan took the files to his family doc and in the meantime I was called CHOP and forwarded the info to them. In our hearts we had already knew this was our baby and both Doctors confirmed we were right. WE called our social worker and told her yes and sent our letter of acceptance. As of right now we can post to much about our daughter until we receive our LOA from China. We have to be the happiest people in the world and if I could i would bottle my feelings up and give them out to everyone so they could be just as happy. We named our daughter Emma Lin Inch. We decided on the name because we both liked Emma and Lin after Ryan's Mom. For now this is all I am going to post until we get are LOA. Please pray we get it pretty quick I can't wait to hold my daughter in my arms.

Emma's Bedding

Well today I got the rest of Emma's fabric for her bedding. I wanted to design my own unique bedding for her crib. I found this beautiful China girl pattern that came in flannel and cotton. which is great because i can use the cotton for the curtains. Then I found this really cute panda bear for the bumpers and this awesome ladybug fabric for the dust ruffle. I purchase a couple other plain fabrics for the trim and undersides of the comforter to tie all the colors and patterns together. I can't wait to start putting everything together it going to look great. I took a quilt class so I can put together Emma's 100 wishes quilt. I am still waiting or more squares before I can start.
We were hoping to hear something this month but no new lists have come out yet this month. I think now that we signed up the the SN program that is going to slow up now.