6!!!!!
SIX of us!
One Daddy...
One Mommy...
One six-year old little girl....
One three-year old little girl...
One three-year old little boy...
AND
One 15 month old little boy!!!!
YEP you guessed it ~ we are doing it again!
You know, I truly thought we were done. Even had family portraits taken this past Holiday because I just thought we were. Well, as my good friend Sara keeps telling me, "You may have made those plans but God just laughed at them!" And boy how right she is!
{I know I mention before about signing on for China's new Special Focus program that has become available to returning families (within the past year of a completed adoption) this past September}
Keith and I did talk about "doing it one more time" but with our agency telling us, it just might not happen, we figured it would just be the five of us. Now fast-forward to January 20, 2011 {while we were at Disney celebrating Francesca's 6th birthday}, our agency was trying to get in touch with us. While I hardly had my cell phone on let alone with me...I never got that call and once we arrived home, we were left with no power for 4 days (because of that snow/ice storm that hit on the 26th)!!!!
Saving every bit of cell phone & notebook battery I had, I was *trying* not going on the Internet at all. Half way through Day 2 with still no power, something told me to check my emails...so I did and there it was ~ an email from our agency. I knew even before I clicked on it that it was a referral. I quickly opened the email and called our agency.
I knew at first glance, this precious little boy would be better off with a family who could care for him like he needed to be cared for. With currently having two {of our three} children under going serious bowel surgeries and procedures, I knew what I needed to do to help this little boy (all the while being heartbroken & sick over it). I did have our team of doctors at Children's National review the file and within a few days (and our power restored), they confirmed my worst fears and after spending several sleepless nights, endless phone calls to my dear friend Sara and my mom, and endless talks with Keith, I called our agency.
Within one hour of making that phone call, my girlfriend (or as Keith calls her "my twin") Lori called asking me if I saw the little boy on our agency's web site that is post surgery bowel repair? I told her no and before I could get another word out (and explained to her what we just had to heartbreakingly do), she told me I must stop what I was doing and GO SEE HIM! So I logged onto our agency's site and there he was ~ our son! I felt it the moment I saw his face on my screen. I rushed Lori off the phone and called our agency to see if I could review this little boy's file. Within minutes, I had his file sitting in my mail box. I sat there on our couch just looking at the "inbox" page on my computer screen for I could not opened it. After getting a little {OK a lot} of emotional support from my good friends Sara & Lori, I opened it and I knew exactly why he is meant to be with us!
As the photos jumped across my screen, I noticed the paintings on the wall, he is currently being care for at Hope in Beijing (same place Annabelle was cared for too after her surgery) and this little boy is also from the same province (Henan) & same orphanage (Jiaozuo) as our Annabelle as well. I knew, just knew he is the one! I called our agency immediately and ask what do we do next. Than I called Keith and we waited...
{{{for you see he was not listed as a "special focus child" {even though he had several surgeries on his bowels already and is currently using a colostomy bag} so that would mean our agency would have to request the CCAA to make him a "special focus" ~ plus ~ it was the beginning of China's New Year Celebration so the CCAA would be closing for at least the following week}}}
...and waiting is what we did until 9 days later when our agency called and said that the CCAA has changed him to "special focus"! We than waited another 4 days for our pre-approval! It arrived on the 17th and while we were celebrating, our to-do lists came rolling in from our agency and social worker.
So this is where we are currently at...doing another home study, another I800A, and few other things to bring our fourth child home! Not sure when we will be traveling...my agency thinks it could be as soon as September, but after everything that happen during Benjamin's adoption, I am thinking next February. Only time will tell...
In the meantime, here are a few photos of our little boy...
ALEXANDER DAVID ZHE LEONARD (date of birth 11/30/09)
