Dreams do come true... part 2

Since the day we got our referral, I have read and re-read every piece of paperwork we got on our son. We were fortunate to get measurements from each month. I was able to share those with our International Adoption Doctor. I also plotted them out on Vietnamese and American growth charts. I have done research on the area where his birth mother is from. Every little detail is an important part of his story. I don't want to leave out a single crumb of information.

One night, I decided to look back in my email history to January. I wanted to see what was going on for us when our baby boy was born. I know approximately, within a day or two, when he was born. When I found my emails from that week, I found emails between a good adoption friend and I. I was telling her about some dreams I started having about our baby. The first dream was so realistic, I dreamt the whole trip. I could feel myself holding and rocking him, kissing his head,and smelling his sweet baby smell. My friend recalled having a similar dream about her daughter around her birthdate. It was also very realistic. She could feel her baby snuggled up on her shoulder. She joked that maybe our baby was born that night.

My dreams continued for a few days. I had these dreams over the days we now know our baby was born and when he was relinquished. I am so grateful I don't clean up my email box often! I am so happy to have this record. Not only do I know when he was born to his birth mother, but I know when he was born in my heart and in my dreams. A

Dreams do come true... Part 1

On August 1 we got "The Call". Our coordinator called me at home really early to say she had our referral and ask if we could come to the office. Of course that answer was YES! We had been expecting "The Call" all week. Some other families with our agency had gotten their referrals the week before, so we knew we were very close. Each day, we thought it was going to come. Each day, by 10AM I couldn't stand it anymore, so I contacted our coordinator to hear, "Sorry, nothing today". It was a nervous week. With all the talk of Vietnam deadlines, I was worried that some little glitch would prevent us from getting our referral in time.

I was so excited when I got to work, I couldn't concentrate on much. I canceled some meetings so I could meet D at FTIA on time. At FTIA, They have a small conference room where you generally go to talk to your coordinator. The first time I was in that room was when we met with a China coordinator to turn in our application. She informed us that China wasn't a good fit for us because of a minor medical condition my husband has. I was completely devastated. I was numb. We had planned to adopt a baby from china since before we were married. I had been researching China for years. I belonged to a support group full of families with babies from China. I had never looked at any other options. I just sat there and cried. They recommended Guatemala and Vietnam as good fits for us, but I couldn't even consider them at the time.

I got lots of support from my Adoptive Parent friends. I started looking into Guatemala because there were no Vietnam adoptions at that time. A friend gave me a push toward Vietnam. She had a friend who had adopted before the shutdown. As I thought about it, it made a lot of sense. When I was in grade school, our Church sponsored some families that had fled Vietnam after the war. We had Vietnamese children in our school and I was familiar with the culture. It seemed more and more like a great fit for us. I made an appointment with the FTIA Vietnam coordinator at the time. Once again we met in that room. The program was really new, so she didn't have a lot of information at that time. We had a very engaging and long conversation. I cried again, but they were happy tears. I felt God was leading us to Vietnam, and this comfort I was feeling was a sign. When we were done, she told me that I would cry one last time in that room, when we saw our baby's face for the first time.

So, I was prepared for the crying when we got to the agency. I pictured the papers being passed across the table and my uncontrollable burst of tears. It didn't happen quite like that. D met me at the agency. I took a deep breath, and we went in. They paged our coordinator. When she came out, we headed down the hall to "The Room of Tears". Before we got there, she surprised me by thrusting a stack of papers into my hands. On top, was a picture of our baby. It was the sweetest face I've ever seen. My eyes welled up with tears. I didn't cry right away. I was completely overwhelmed with joy. It was like a giant hug of happiness. We went in the room and D and I were able to stare at the pictures. We couldn't take our eyes off this little boy who would be our son. Our coordinator went through all the documents and explained what they were. I remembered to ask the right questions, but my heart was too busy to listen. I don't know if tears ever actually escaped my eyes in that room this time, but there were many times they were so full, I struggled to focus on the pictures.

After leaving the agency, we went to my Mom's work and to my work to show off the pictures. Then, we went to Build-A-Bear and made him a sweet little monkey. D & I each added a heart when he was being stuffed. We ate lunch at the food court and I made lots of phone calls. A good friend was able to meet us at the mall with her kids. Her beautiful daughter (I like to refer to as my future daughter-in-law) was adopted from Vietnam. It was wonderful getting to spend our special day with special friends.

We came home and promptly shared photos online. We had lots of extras printed up. I filled photo albums for work, added photos to D's wallet, a photo frame by the bed, and album in my purse, computer backgrounds everywhere. The little boy who had captured out hearts that day was making his way into our everyday life. The best part was the necklace. I had bought it several months before anticipating our referral. I added two photos to the charm and have worn it next to my heart every day since. I wasn't able to carry this sweet boy inside me, but he will stay next to my heart instead. A

Gifts for baby...

We are so excited! The director of our adoption agency will be traveling to Vietnam very soon. He has offered to take packages to the babies in our son's orphanage. We are so happy to have the opportunity to reach across the world to our baby. We have stuffed a ziploc bag with goodies for him. We included a photo album with pictures of Mama & Daddy, granparents, his new home, and friends/family that can't wait to meet him. I have translated the "who's who" into Vietnamese. I am hoping his Nanny will read to him about all the family he has who are waiting for him and loving him. We are also sending three little outfits, two teething toys, and a Tigger snuggle blanket.

In other news, our sweet baby was also showered with love from friends and family. Good friends from our local adoption support groups threw a lovely baby shower for our little man. How cute are these diaper cakes! The large one has a bottle of Champagne inside! I am so lucky to have met such a great group of people. They have been so supportive through this long process. We are truly blessed in so many ways.


Adoption updates: I don't really have a lot of news on this front. We hope to file our I-600 in the next week or two. Other than that, we are just waiting. We expect we will get a notice of required DNA testing shortly after filing the I-600. DNA testing is pretty new to Vietnam adoptions, but it has been done successfully in other countries for some time. We hope that this process will go smoothly. While it makes me anxious, I am forever grateful for the information our baby will have about his birth mother. I am glad we will have this important piece of his history.

We also hope to maybe get updated pictures soon. I can't get enough of that sweet face! That's all for now... A

And Then One Day...

My sister wrote and illustrated this as a gift to our family. It is very special to D and I. We had the illustrations printed and bound into a book. I look forward to sharing this story with our precious boy. We are so blessed with loving friends and family! A

Song for Lucy

Dear sweet boy...

I almost lost my breath and tears filled my eyes... I saw your face today. My heart swelled with joy. More than I can imagine, my love for you already grows. I have stared at these pictures a thousand times. Each time I study every last detail. I am so lucky to have pictures of you over time.
In February, you were so tiny with a full head of spikey hair and almost two months old.

In May, you had filled out some. You have the face of an angel.

In July, you are fussy. I want to snatch you up and comfort you. The pictures are so precious to me, my connection to you. I can't wait to hold you in my arms. Until then I will see you in pictures and in my dreams. I love you dear sweet boy.

Cháo gà

I am well aware that I never finished part 2 of
Adventures in Pho post. I never explained why. I was hoping to try again with tastier results, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Let me just say that my first try at Pho was unpleasant. I will try again sometime. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Anyway, I tried another Vietnamese recipe tonight. This time I was very pleased with the final results. This newest culinary adventure brought me to Cháo gà (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Chicken). There are many types of thick rice soups found in Asia. The key to this dish is "Comfort Food". Think a steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle soup or chicken and dumplings, when you aren't feeling well. It is valued for it's healing properties, a cure for what ails you.

It goes by many names and is served with different toppings depending on the country. Check out Things Asian for more information about this traditional dish.

The recipe I used can be found on the blog Halfway Between Ca Mau and Sai Gon. (It just so happens that our son is currently in an orphanage "Halfway Between Ca Mau and Sai Gon") Anyway, I was really happy with this recipe. It was very similar in taste to the homemade chicken and dumplings I make. The texture was different, obviously, but it was very comforting. It was a very simple dish, and required few ingredients. I cooked mine longer as the author suggested. It made for a thick and hearty dish. I have already saved this recipe. I see myself making this for our little boy when he is feeling under the weather.

I highly recommend this recipe. You should especially give it a try if you are expecting a little sweetie from Vietnam. Many babies are fed a version of Cháo in the orphanages. Please, let me know what you think.

Adoption Update - There aren't a lot of updates for us at this stage. It has been almost six weeks since we were matched with our baby boy. Our referral is estimated to take 6 - 8 weeks from the match. So, it could be anytime now, but likely at least a week or two. Our expired documents have been re-done and sent to the Embassy for authentication. We have filed for an extension of our I-600A pre-approval. There isn't a lot to do now, but wait. We did get a dresser to match the baby's crib. I can finally put the finishing touches on the nursery.

I think about our baby all the time. It's particularly hard when I try to get to sleep. I just pray that he's getting the attention and care that he needs, and that God will protect and comfort him. Please keep our little peanut in your prayers. A.