news. great news.

TLuA5

Our Article 5 has been picked up from the Consulate and has been dropped off with the CCCW@. Which probably sounds incredibly confusing, if not totally boring, to any non-adoption folks. But to us? It's spectacular news. The Article 5 letter is issued by the Consulate after all the necessary paperwork has been received and reviewed. This process usually takes two weeks from the time the Consulate receives the cabled information from the NVC, and ours was issued right on schedule. So as of today, we are one big step closer to bringing Tallula Mae … [Read more...]

Oh my.

TallulaMae-1

We sent a care package to Tallula and her foster family for Chinese New Year. And we sent a list of questions, with no idea if or when they might be answered. We didn't have to wonder too long, though. We received not only answers to our questions, but two new pictures of our little robust girlie... (1) Who chose her name and why? Does she have a nickname? The orphanage staff picked that name for her, Juan means beautiful and pretty. Her nickname is Juan Juan. (2) Has she had any health problems or allergies? She does not have any kind of … [Read more...]

All About Tallula

tallula-1

Since we shared our news about Tallula, some of y'all have asked a few questions... 1. When did all this happen? How are you so close to being able to bring her home? Well, a lot has been going on behind the scenes. We chose to keep it to ourselves so we could focus on Poppy. And so we could keep our sanity. And, honestly, during the homestudy, and the wait for USCIS to complete our paperwork, our sanity was in short supply. But now that things are finally moving again, and travel is on the horizon... well, we are so happy to be able share our joyful news with … [Read more...]

the road to Tallula

ZJ

Tallula Mae. She came to us as a surprise. A big surprise. In mid-May of last year, we were still reeling from the passing of our beautiful Esther when our agency contacted us to broach an incredibly painful subject. What exactly did we want to do with our dossier for Esther? It took us days to even be able to consider *thinking* about it. How could we? All we wanted was Esther. Our hearts ached for her. Thinking of anything else seemed to minimize who Esther was to us. And the place she would always hold in our hearts. But we prayed for - more than … [Read more...]

the news

TallulaAnnounce

Y'all are too much. I loved reading your guesses. Some made me smile. Buying a cow? Not it, but I do kinda like that idea. Another pony? Hmmmm.... Going blond? The funny part was how I'd look after my over-processed fell out. Some made me cry. Victoria getting engaged? Not my baby! Engaged? Getting a new puppy? Seriously, Seamus is enough puppy for everyone. And moving... again? Makes me teary just thinking about it. And some made me positively queasy. Being pregnant? Oh my. No. NO. NOOOOOOOO!! Our joyful news is a beautiful little blessing … [Read more...]

some news on Gus. and some news on us.

I had to share with y'all who have been so gracious to pray and help spread the word about this precious little peanut. Gus has found his forever family. So very excited for the little guy, I can hardly stand it. And, in case you're wondering... it's not us, y'all. But we do have a little bit of news to share. Hoping to get it all finished and ready to post tomorrow. In the meantime, anyone want to take a guess? … [Read more...]

Gus

gus-1

Look at this little guy. His name is Gus. And he is just one year old. And his special need is dwarfism. Ooooh, I can't stand it. Don't his little chubby, dimply arms look just like Vivi's? As y'all probably know, our Vivienne has dwarfism. We still aren't quite sure what form of dwarfism she has, as there are many, many forms. The truth is, we may never know exactly what type of dwarfism she has. But what we do know for sure is that she is, to us, the most precious peanut on the planet. We could not be more crazy about her and we feel so very blessed … [Read more...]

dear xiaoyun,

ForXiaoYun-1

We hope you feel better soon. Our mom told us that you are in the hospital for a long time. And that you will have many surgeries to fix your back. So we made these cards for you. We hope they make you smile. oxoxox, Sophie, Isabelle, Jude, Shepherd, Vivienne and Poppy I learned about Xiaoyun from my friend, Annie. Annie also shared a link to a video that made me cry like a baby in which Xiaoyun shares her thoughts on being an orphan, and what we can do to help those left behind. Xiaoyun was adopted just days before she was to age out. … [Read more...]

Sunday Snapshot: {two years}

vivi 2 years 4

The something special I mentioned earlier? A two-year anniversary. The someone special? Miss Vivi Cakes. Two years ago, Asher and I were in China to bring Vivienne home. Somewhere between gotcha day and the red couch. … [Read more...]

language acquistion. and poppy.

As I have shared, and shared, Poppy is doing marvelously. She has even made the leap from sleeping in mom and dad's bed to her very own toddler bed. Placed within arm's reach of me, but in her own bed nonetheless. And, since we made the big switch a few weeks ago, she's been just fine with it. Which, to me, is an indicator that she's truly feeling 'settled' and safe. Yay for Poppy! And yay for no more midnight karate chops to the head for Poppy's mom and dad! Really, in every way, sweet Poppy has been finding her way incredibly well. Except one. … [Read more...]