Our Adoption: 21 weeks

How Far Along: 21 weeks and a day

How I'm feeling: Excited!!

Gender: GIRL!  

Total bills so far: $12246.39

Bills this week: $0

Ways God is working: Lots of ways… Let’s count them - 

1. We are DTC!!!  Trusting God that He had our dossier hit China’s doorstep at just the right moment.
2. After a rather long stand-still on my “special project”, the wheels are finally moving again.  My hot air balloon image finally has the right words to articulate the message.  Daddy to the rescue!
3. Our friend Whitney has been able to sell some of our stuff to raise funds!!
4. Whitney is putting together an online auction to raise funds for Jemma’s adoption!!!  Super excited for this event!  If you have any items that could be donated to the auction (gift cards, items from your business, craft or handmade items, new or unused things, etc.) please feel free to contact Whitney Barber through FB  (https://www.facebook.com/whitshereebarber) or via email whitshereebarber@hotmail.com
5. We’ve decided through much prayer that if we are going to replace the Sienna, we will be upgrading to a Nissan NV Passenger Van.  We are going to continue to pray about the financing and timing.  It will be very interesting to see what God does.  I kind of feel like I did when we bought our house (with only 2 children).  It is more than we need so clearly God has some intentions!  :D  I love it that God has “intentions”!!!

Things learned: Our dossier went to China yesterday!  We, along with our agency and the counsel of the in country staff, decided to hold onto the dossier until after the Chinese New Year.  We got an email first thing this morning saying that we were DTC as of yesterday afternoon.  YEAH!!!!!!

  

Stuff we've done for the adoption this week: Figured out what we could give to the auction; prayed; test-drove the Nissan NVP; got a bow for Jemma to wear coming home; worked on Jemma’s quilt.

What I am looking forward to: GOING TO CHINA (must be the DTC because I’m all ready to head there now and hold my sweet girl!)

Praying: I’m praying that we can be logged into the system quickly and start the process towards our Letter of Approval.  (Dossier has to be translated and then has to be approved for being matched officially with Jemma.)

Pictures of the week:
We celebrated Chinese New Year by making home made coconut oil fried donuts, doing CNY activities, and then going to Dragon Gourmet for dinner and ordering Dragon and Phoenix for dinner.

Phoebe's fortune cookie was so silly - "Sometimes even love plays a rerun."  She thought it was hysterical!

The girls each had their own date nights with Daddy.  

Here are the pictures from the Father-Daughter Ball:

We went to a dealership to look at the Nissan NVP
The kids all showed me the cars they wanted when they grow up:

Sammy liked this one -

As soon as we walked into the dealership, Lily points and says MOM, that's one of those cars that has the engine in the back!!!
This should not have surprised me since Lily has been able to tell cars apart since she was able to talk.

Titus said "When I'm a Daddy I want this car."  Awwww.

Phoebe has expensive taste like the rest of us!

Night 2 of the Father-Daughter dates

I got a special surprise package from my secret pal in my adoption group on facebook.  The theme was “think sweet thoughts” while I’m waiting and my secret pal included a really thoughtful letter.