Waiting For Ruby...

All Is Well

2007-12-13T21:14:00.000-06:00

Ruby. Sweet Ruby. Can I tell you how cute this little one is? I mean really cute!! It doesn't matter what mood she is in, we find ourselves constantly smiling! She is a treasure, an absolute pleasure! We are blessed beyond measure! We are so thankful for all she adds to our family.

We had an opportunity to minister in North Carolina this past weekend with Ruby. We are hoping and praying that God will use our story to inspire others to walk in faith and adopt a child in need of the love and care of a family. While we were there, we were able to see the sights of Mount Airy, aka Mayberry. That's where Andy Griffith grew up and where the show found its seed. The people there told us that the TV producers filmed the shops, business and homes and then recreated Mayberry on 35 acres in California. We had such a great time.

The cardiologist has decided to wait and watch this hole in Ruby's heart. We are praying we will watch it close on its own and have a good report as time goes on.... After having her blood analyzed, we have discovered that she did not have adequate amounts of many of her immunizations and so they will need to be done as soon as they finish testing her blood...

I am so thankful for the love and support of my family and friends during this transition. We had a difficult time at first with bonding between Ruby and myself but she loves me lots now! Yipee! When I have more time I will pop back on and share more pictures. School break is almost here and Christmas preparation is upon us. We are so excited... not only to watch her enjoy a warm home and a yummy variety of foods but we are so looking forward to Christmas morning when she opens her gifts and is overwhelmed with the shower of love we will bathe her in, in celebration of the One who moved us to the point of inviting her into our hearts and lives.

Up For Air

2007-11-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

Our girlies...

This was us in the airport at Hong Kong waiting to go home...
Sorry it has taken so long to post. We are adjusting very well though it was extremely difficult at first. After the dreaded biting incident in Changsha, Ruby was afraid of me and took to her Daddy which is perfectly understandable but it still left my heart in pieces. We have had to isolate Ruby and I to promote a strong bond and it is working. She still prefers her Dad when he enters the room and screams when he exits (you would think he was Elvis or something). Because of this, I have found that she and I feel the same that way about David. She just responds with reckless abandon and I play hard to get...

We are finally on schedule with our sleeping. They say it takes two weeks to recover and I can surely testify to that. Today is the two week mark and I am actually starting to feel human again. We have tried to get back into the swing of schooling but boy, is it a challenge. I try not to beat myself up about it and continue to make efforts to accomplish the tasks at hand. I can do this. It's not easy but I can do it by the grace of God.

Now... on to Ruby. She was a little aggressive at first but, thank God she is beyond that. I can't imagine what is going through her head with all of the changes in her life. She is an incredible sleeper and a great eater. I am enjoying so much watching her do the simplest things like eating a candy bar or sucking her big toe. She has picked up many new words like "hello, hi, wow, look, baba, bubble, meow-meow, yeah, love you, mama, dada". I know there are more that I can't think of right now. Bath time is her favorite time though in China we had to bathe standing in the tub. We take her to the pediatric cardiologist next week and I will let you know how that goes. Her heart feels so different that anything I've felt before. At first it was a little frightening.

My house is completely out of sorts as we had to get the tubs down out of the attic for the biyearly wardrobe change. Life is messy, meals aren't what I want them to be but we are blessed beyond measure. We have plenty of food, clean clothes, soft, warm beds and laughter every day. Ruby is such a bright addition to our family.

I'm in love...

Going Home...

2007-10-23T06:36:00.000-06:00

It's been a great trip, but we're all VERY ready to be home. We arrive in Nashville at 11:55 pm on Wednesday night after 30+ hours of travelling. UGH.. I am so dreading tomorrow. It's going to be soooo loooooooong. But it's okay. Please pray for an ABUNDANCE of patience and joy for our family tomorrow as we are stressing and rushing and being bored and all kinds of things like that...

Love you everyone. Thank you for all of your encouragement with Mom and the baby. Things will work out just fine, I'm sure.

See some of you within a few days!!!

Abbie

2007-10-21T07:11:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days... we just haven't been doing much. We're in Guangzhou now, and our flight here was fine, only about an hour long. Ruby is bonding very well with Dad, but she and Mommy haven't bonded very well yet, so they're spending some more time together tonight. Please pray for Mom... it's hard for her and Ruby not to bond very well. But everything will work out... Ruby is just more drawn to men. She won't let Mom or any women hold her, but she'll go to men that are pretty much strangers to her. It's crazy... but once we get home especially, it'll all work out. This happens often where the baby will bond better with men, but the babies always come around and bond with the Mommies. :)

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the last few days. Enjoy!

Abbie

These first two are pictures of the view out of the window of our hotel (the White Swan) at night and early in the morning...

All the girlies...
Sisters..... and my new parasol :)
Phoebe and Ruby
They always take the traditional Bethany "red couch" photo of all the babies together... they were all pretty upset

All the Mommies with the babies (Mom and Ruby are all the way on the far right)
Ruby in her little Chinese outfit for the red couch photo

This is our hotel from the outside at night.

Changsha

2007-10-18T06:58:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody... I want to post some pictures of the city tonight, because we've taken a ton, but I've been trying so hard to get Ruby pictures up that I haven't put up anything else...

We also have pictures from today and yesterday. Yesterday we went to a museum about the Han tombs. It's just these tombs they found here in Hunan province. An empress from the Han Dynasty was buried there. I have a few pictures that I took in there before I was informed that we're not allowed to take pictures... Today, we went to Yue Lu Academy, a 1000 year old school. It was very pretty there. We also went to an emroidery factory and an embroidery institute/museum. We got to watch some women in the middle of special order embroidery projects. You can bring a photo there, and they'll embroider it for you, but it takes like a year and it costs a ton. It was so cool to see them do it though.

Tomorrow is a free day... we'll probably do some shopping and get packed for our trip the next day to our final stop - Guangzhou. I am so excited to finally shop a lot in Guangzhou... they have the best prices there, so we've all been holding out for the deals! :D

Love you guys... Enjoy the pictures. :)

Abbie

Changsha Pictures

these next two pictures are of the view outside our hotel window

The Han Tombs Museum

some SUPER old embroidery found in the tombs

Yue Lu Academy

There was a gallery at the Academy of all these sand paintings... it was really fascinating!

a little music show at the Academy

Ruby and Claire

Embroidery

Oh, and we went swimming today in the hotel, so here's a couple of pictures of Ruby in her little swimsuit. :)

FINALLY - the pictures are uploading!

2007-10-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

Some more pictures from the Civil Affairs Building where we got Ruby...

Just hangin' out...

Ruby can do the splits!

bathtime...

her little Chinese hat from Walmart :)
breakfast

A Few More Ruby Pictures...

2007-10-16T19:02:00.000-06:00

Some of you heard that Emily came down with a little icky cold sickness for a couple of days, and I just wanted to thank you for your prayers and let you know that she is doing much better, and it doesn't look like anyone else has caught it. :)

I also wanted to mention that we WERE able to get all of the gifts that people sent us to the orphanage! Yay!

Alright, here are some more Ruby pictures. In the middle of loading them it did that dumb error thing again, so I only got like ten pictures up... But I have a ton more to load as soon as this website decides it wants to let me. :D

More Ruby pictures to come...

2007-10-16T07:09:00.001-06:00

We were able to dump the pictures from Grannie Annie's camera onto the computer today, but for whatever reason, the computer keeps saying there's some kind of error and it won't upload the pictures... I'm so sorry! I know you all want to see more Ruby pictures, and I'll try to get them up first thing in the morning.

Love you guys, and thanks for all your sweet comments & prayers :)

Abbie

RUBY!!!

2007-10-15T03:18:00.000-06:00

I couldn't stop thinking about Ruby all this morning. Mom's tummy jumped so many times she was nauseous. We left the hotel for the Civil Affairs building at 2:00 pm. When we got there, the babies weren't there yet. We sat down in the waiting room and waited 5 or 10 minutes, and then the orphanage director and two workers came in, carrying Ruby and Claire (the baby adopted by the other family from Bethany that's here in Changsha with us). We were able to recognize Ruby easily, as there were only two babies to choose from. She looks so much like the close up picture with the red background, with a little bit longer hair. She's ADORABLE. She had the little stuffed bear and blanket we sent her a while back. The ladies gave us a packet full of pictures of her at the orphanage!!!! That is very rare. It's also rare for them to give her back to us with the stuff we sent her! She has her bear in almost every single on of the orphanage pictures they gave us. :) It will be so good for her to have those two familiar things in the midst of everything else being so completely new to her.

She didn't cry at all when she was handed to Mom. This sounds good, but it could be kind of sad. You kind of hope that the babies will cry, because that means they attach to people well and are sad to be taken away from them. If they don't cry, it sometimes can mean that they have somewhat shut down emotionally. Then again though, she had a 7 1/2 hour car ride today with someone she didn't really know, so she may have already cried when they left the orphanage. Another good sign that she's not shutting down emotionally is how expressive she's been. She's laughed and babbled and giggled. She seems perfectly fine. The only thing is, she has a little bit of a cold, so she coughs some. And she's obviously VERY tired from being in the car for so long. They had to leave at 4:30 this morning to get here!

She's so sweet... and very well-behaved. We love her to pieces, of course! I am so happy for her and how much love is going to be surrounding her. Her life is going to be so different than it would have been. This day has been more emotional than I thought it would be. It's such a relief to finally have her with us.

Sad story - I don't have pictures from when we received her yet, because our camera died, and we had to use Grannie Annie's, and we can't upload pictures from it yet because we don't have the right cord. We're buying one soon, and I'll upload those as soon as I can (probably tomorrow). But I do have some pictures of us here in the hotel. I also took pictures of some of the photos they gave us of her at the orphanage.

Thank you all for your prayers. We love you people!

And HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY, Grandpa Jim!!! We love you!! :)

Abbie

Pictures of the orphanage photos... (sorry they're not very good)

From Beijing to Changsha...

2007-10-14T02:09:00.000-06:00

Our flight was very smooth today. Everything went fine - from getting all of our luggage switched around so that it meets the weight requirements, to meeting up with our Bethany guide for Changsha at the airport. Her name is Anna, and she's really sweet. Our hotel is very nice.

We're all so super excited for tomorrow. We get Ruby around 2:30 PM... FINALLY! :)

I'll probably post a couple of pictures from the airport and of our hotel tomorrow morning.

Love you guys.

Abbie

Cloisonne Factory & The Great Wall

2007-10-13T03:28:00.000-06:00

Today we went to a Cloisonne Factory (which was fascinating), and the Great Wall. It was so unbelievable to be standing on THE Great Wall of China... I can't really describe it. It was really great. We took a lot of pictures, of course, and I have some to post. Tomorrow morning we leave for Changsha, and the next day Ruby will be brought to us in our hotel there in Changsha. I am so excited, I can hardly believe it. I know mom's going crazy. She's having a wonderful time, but there's just this huge looming thing that's clouding her mind constantly, you know? It's so exciting. Sometimes I feel like I'm even more excited for mom to finally be here than I am for myself.

We also ate at a restaurant inside of a Jade factory. I don't really have pictures of that, because we didn't have an official "tour" or anything. But they had a ton of jade things for sale that were fun to see. On our way home, we also got to see the Olympic Village, which is where they're building all of the crazy buildings for the Olympics. They had a HUGE building that a bubbly-looking outside for the swimming competitions and another huge thing that everyone calls the "bird's nest". It's this twisty, nest-like metal building and it looks so cool. I'll add a couple of pictures of that too...

Please pray for a safe flight tomorrow for us to Changsha. I'm so silly... it doesn't matter how much I fly, I still get a little nervous before flights.. I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine. It comforts all of us so much to know that we have so many people praying for us back home!!!!

Well, I hope you enjoy the pictures for today... Love you guys tons! :)

Abbie

Cloisonne Factory...

The Great Wall...

(Above) All of our hands touching the Great Wall!

(Above) There was a ton of graffiti-ish carvings on the wall, which is kind of sad. But I thought some of them were really cool looking, like this one.

Olympic Village...

(Above) the bubbly swimming building

(Above) the "bird's nest"

(Above) "bird's nest" again

Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Hutong Rickshaw Tour...

2007-10-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was extra great. We took a bus to THE Tiananmen Square - which was bigger than I imagined. It was surreal to be standing right there. The Forbidden City was incredible. So much detail on all of the buildings, and tons and TONS of symbols and significance in the design. The Hutong Tour might have been mine & dad's favorite thing so far. The rickshaws are these little carts that fit two people pulled by a guy on a bicycle. Hutong is a little area in Beijing where there's a lot of preservation of old homes and buildings... So we rode around and got to see a bunch of different stuff. Every once in a while, we'd get out and our tour guide would talk to us about different aspects of the area's history. It was very informative, I think we all learned a lot. Near the end of the tour, we got to stop and actually visit a family that lives in the area. They told us about their family, their history, and about the perfect, "fung-shuay" (spelling?) layout of their home. Anyway, we had a fabulous day yesterday, and today should be incredible, too. We're headed to the Great Wall this morning. OH, and last night, we ate at a Chinese resturaunt in China for the first time!! It was very good. :)

Here are some pictures from the acrobatic show a couple of days ago. I couldn't get them up before for some reason...
This sign was in the auditorium where we saw the acrobats. I think they were trying to say "Be civil to each other." Pretty funny.

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City...

Hutong Rickshaw Tour...

This is us trying to take a smiling picture, but it smelled SO bad...

Hope you enjoy all the pictures. Thanks for your prayer and support!!!

Abbie

Hmm...

2007-10-11T18:10:00.000-06:00

For some reason, we can't access the front page of our blog, or any of your commments so far. I think I was able to set it to where it will email me all of the new comments from here on out... We could tell that there were several comments, and we thank you for being here with us. Know that we love you all. Today we are going to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and on a Rickshaw Hutong Tour. We'll try to post pictures later. Mom's so distracted and really wants to go to Changsha, where we pick up Ruby. But we are all having a really fun time. Love you guys!

We're on the other side of the WORLD!

2007-10-11T05:40:00.000-06:00

Here's an excerpt from mom's journal...

"Tuesday morning we were up at 5:00 and ready to leave by 5:30. I had envisioned the travel to Beijing as being dull and boring - no such luck. It was quite an ordeal to get through security. With six in our party, the line gathered quickly behind us as we found our baggies of liquid, took off our shoes and sweaters, and removed all electronics from bags. Sweating profusely before seven in the morning is not my idea of a good time... but in no time at all, it seemed we boarded the plane and were on our way. This was Phoebe's first flight, and she was such a joy to watch. During takeoff, her eyes swelled as she squealed with delight. In Washington D.C., we transferred to the monster plane that took us to Beijing. We had slept only four and a half hours the previous night, so we were running on empty. I thought hopefully we could catch a little rest on the plane. But somehow that didn't work out for most of us.

There was a Chinese grandmother with a girl a little younger than Phoebe, maybe six or seven. I noticed she was pushing this little girl and barking harshly at her. I had read about girls being treated like dogs - unwanted, a nuissance. But to see it played out with my own eyes really upset me. The mindset that girls are a burden, is so very foreign. And there in that circumstance, I saw it with my own eyes, shamelessly displayed, abusing the dignity and rights of a helpless child. On the plane this woman yelled further at this little girl, and slapped her cruelly in the face, just eight feet away from me. It was sad and angering. I smiled at the girl whenever she walked by. I so desperately want her to know that there are kind people in the world. This fuels my love and appreciation for Ruby as I am educated as to the country she's coming from. Oh, how will I wait until Monday morning to hold her (Sunday evening there at home)?"

When we arrived in Beijing, we met Joy (our wonderful guide from Bethany, the adoption service) at the airport. That afternoon, she walked us to the grocery store that's down the street from us. Beijing is so hustly bustly. Riding in taxis is pretty interesting because they're crazy drivers here. It's actually pretty fun.

We're getting a LOT of stares from people because they love to see Americans. One of the things that has been really new to us is the fact that EVERYONE is the same nationality here. In America, you see all these different kinds, colors, shapes, sizes of people wherever you go. So that's been neat. It makes me feel really foreign.

When we finally went to bed, we'd been awake for 24+ hours, excluding little catnaps on the plane. It was so bizzare to leave at 1pm in the US and arrive 12 hours later at 1pm in China. We basically just skipped a nighttime and lived two daytimes in a row. It was strange. Thankfully, we're getting on track with our hours now. We're pretty tired tonight though, even though it's not even 7pm yet right now.

Today, we went to the Summer Palace with just our family. It reminded me of the TV programs and things that I've seen about the Forbidden City - lots of reds, blues, and yellows, incredible architecture, and those cool Chinese roofs. It was really beautiful. We bought the first of our souviniers at the shop there. While we were there, we had to walk a lot, up & down LOTS of steps. At one point, Phoebe turned to mom and said, "My legs are vibrating, and the palms of my feet are hurting." :)

Then later today, we went and saw an acrobatic show, which was unbelievable. It was so impressive. We bought a DVD for 50 yuan, which is like $6-ish, I think...

We're having a really great time. We met some families in our hotel who are also here with Bethany Christian Services to adopt. It's nice to be here with other people who are on the same kind of journey we are.

We took a ton of pictures the past two days... Enjoy!

At the airport...

In the airplane...

This Chinese man in the picture with dad was really nice. His name was Alan, and he and dad kind of got to know each other during the plane ride.

Pictures of Beijing...

<-- A cool picture of the citaaay....

That is the building where we went to see the acrobatic show. For some reason the computer didn't want to import the pictures we took inside during the show... I don't know why. I'll just have to try again later to upload those.

<-- These cute little vans are everywhere...

This sign is actually an ad for the olympics in '08. I think each one of those cute little thingies stands for one of the five rings.

The electrical wires are all swirled and bunched up in some places...
I thought it was so cool to see the signs. -->

An add they have up in front of where they're building stuff for the Olympics. ^

Part of the big thing they're building for the Olympics.

The Summer Palace...

We rode on one of those awesome boats. :D

Thanks for reading everybody. We love you!

Abbie

We're here!!!

2007-10-11T02:06:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody!!! We made it here safely, and all of our luggage, thankfully, made it here with us! We're having a great time. I just typed up a lengthier entry about what's been going on, but I lost it due to the occasional spazzy strangeness associated with computers. I'll post more details (and pictures!) later on tonight, because we're on our way out the door to an acrobatic show! We love you all so much!

Abbie

Honey, It's Time.....

2007-10-08T05:48:00.000-06:00

"Honey, it's time. I am sure this is it!" God will deliver this baby into our hands. Everyone who has been to China to adopt without exception has made it very clear that this is a life changing experience. How do you prepare for that? In many ways I feel so beyond ready to go, go, go!!!! In other ways I feel inadequate. Have I studied enough about China to truly appreciate this experience? Have I read enough about the incredible transition that I will need to help Ruby through? Have I given my three girlies here enough Mommy time to justify an extreme attention shift for a time? Have I prepared their hearts and minds to receive this child? Am I ready to parent another child? I am so thankful that in all of my inadequacies God is able. I felt inadequate upon adding each of our girls to our family. I am not able. I am weak and thank God this is where He likes for me to be. This is where He has the best opportunity to shine. Please pray that we are able to receive and embrace each day fully. Pray that God would mold us into vessels that would be useful for His service. We go in the name of Jesus to a far away land to bring home a treasure to lay at the feet of our King.

And we're off on our life changing adventure... The next time I post, we'll be in China!!!!

THREE!!!!!!!

2007-10-06T08:25:00.000-06:00

The floors are scrubbed, the fridge is cleaned, her room is ready and so are we! The weather is going to be incredible! 70's and low 80's the whole time! Ann comes tomorrow......

SIX, FIVE, FOUR...

2007-10-04T12:01:00.000-06:00

...days! In just four days we will be flying to China! Ok, let's do this! We did receive our itinerary yesterday and it all looks great! I will post it in the sidebar soon. We get into China on a Thursday and are holding Ruby on the following Monday! As you can imagine, we are very busy with last minute preparations. My dreams are bizarre and my sleep fitful but I am so happy in my heart!!!! I have been studying a little Chinese to help comfort her when she is first placed in our arms. I thought I would share a few of the phrases I am working on.... I am working on about 50 different phrases...

you are beautiful ... ni chen peeow liang
I love you ... woh ai ni
I'm sorry ... dway boo chee
goodnight ... wahn ahn
I know ... woh jr dow
you are safe ... nee shr ahn chwahn
can we rest? ... woh merng nerng she oh she ma
I am your mama ... woh shi ni de mama
he is your dad ... ta shi ni de baba
sleep ... shui jiao

Seven Days and Counting......

2007-10-02T07:14:00.000-06:00

I knew this week would come and I told myself to remain calm. I am doing pretty well at this, though it is taking some work. I get to meet Ruby soon!! Wahoo!!!! I went to the airport yesterday and picked up her ticket from Hong Kong to Nashville. I am so glad I did because there were mistakes on it that needed to be corrected. If her name is spelled differently from her passport, they will not allow her to leave the country... I am relieved to have that behind me as it would have stressed me out on the morning of departure.

Today we are expecting our official travel invitation from China. This is one of the documents we need to bring with us when we travel. It has a picture of Ruby on it. We are hoping and praying it is an updated picture. I am so wanting to see a new picture of that little girlie's face!!!! Along with our travel invitation, we will also get our final itinerary! There will be some jumping and squealing done around here today. I am sure of it!

Nine Days, Nanny Prayers, And a Hole in My Heart

2007-09-30T17:06:00.000-06:00

Nine days! Exactly two weeks from today she will be in our arms! Does not compute. Does not compute. What an adventure! Everything is just about ready. I have bibs and bottles and formula and pacifiers and diapers and soft blankies and little sleepers and onesies and toys and books and all kinds of stuff and junk for our little jewel!

I am so relieved to have the knowledge that she has been in an institution with much care and attention. Whenever I see pictures of the children, they are dressed well, their hair is combed or done up with colorful ponytails (they use an assortment of hair accessories) and generally they look pretty healthy. I have seen pictures of the beds and they appear to sleep on wood with folded blankets as a cushion. This breaks my heart. I am excited to be able to introduce her to fine linens, fluffy pillows and jammies washed in Downy... Knowing that the nannies have potentially bonded with Ruby is an answer to prayer. It is also cause for continued prayer. This will be a very difficult transition. Not only for Ruby, but also for the nannies. They have given the greatest gift possible to Ruby of unconditional love in full knowledge of the painful day of goodbyes that is quickly approaching. Please pray a blessing over these dear ladies. And as they try to explain to Ruby about us, may they find the right words to help her understand what is happening.

We are praying that even now the Lord is working on repairing that hole in her heart. Wouldn't it be awesome if it was completely closed upon examination here in the states? Our God is able. Won't you stand in faith with us as we invite God to shine in this circumstance?

God is so good to create spaces for those we love before we even meet. I felt this way each time I was expecting my three girls... That expectation causes you to stretch out your arms, as if for a precious gift and a longing is born as you wait. A desire to see what unfathomable joys God has planned for you because of His great love for you forms a space deep within. In a place of mystery, He lovingly prepares us to receive a child. There is a hole in my heart soon to be remedied when at last I can look down and see her resting peacefully in my arms.

About Jiangyong Social Welfare Institution

2007-09-29T08:58:00.000-06:00

I have been in touch with a lady who has adopted from the same orphanage Ruby is in! She was able to have lunch with the orphanage director and she shared some of her findings about the orphanage with me...

The orphanage isn't very big and only one wing of the upstairs is for the children. All of the downstairs and possibly the other two wings upstairs are for geriatric residents of the SWI. She said she thought the director said there were only 4 girls left in the orphanage on the day they visited, two who were severe special who would never be adopted, Ruby and her girlie. They don't have air conditioning. In some of the photos she received, you can tell that they shared the clothes among the babies - no one outfit belonged to any one girl. She believes they receive lots of attention. Her daughter likes men better than women which later made her wonder if some of the geriatric residents didn't visit the children. Her daughter was very clean, wearing new clothes and shoes, and while she was thin, she was and is quite healthy.

We plan on keeping in touch and visiting her as she lives conveniently on the way to family...

I am sad to say that she believes the picture I was so excited about is not of Ruby. This really surprised me because it really looks a lot like her. I can't help but wonder if this little girl could be her twin sister? It satisfies my heart to know that soon I can take as many pictures as I'd like!! Just ten more days and we'll be off....

Ten Days and Counting...

2007-09-29T08:42:00.000-06:00

Need I say more? My list is still very lengthy, but every day I do make progress... Yesterday, I put latches on the cupboards and started on the gates. I shopped for smaller baby clothes because she will probably be in size 9-12 months. I bought some toys to bring to the director of the orphanage and a couple of new toys for Ruby. I planted mums and pansies in the front beds by the mailbox and added some pansies to my impatiens on the deck. I put up Ruby's swing and pretended to push her in it! I prepared the room downstairs and it's looking great! I found a wonderful large rug, soft and snuggly to lay in front of the sofa. I found this amazing bookcase for 15.00 at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago... just what I needed for the room! Today I will go through her clothes once more to make sure I have plenty for her if she is indeed a peanut. I will also finish the upstairs bathroom and put the gates up. Everything is coming along and, truly, I could leave this afternoon if I needed to. I am packed, read up and in an adventurous mood! Ten days... that's not too long, huh?

Tickets, Please...

2007-09-26T10:09:00.000-06:00

We received the tickets for the flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. This is really going to happen!!!! Her Chinese name Yong Jiangyuan is on the ticket because she does not officially become a US citizen until we touchdown in Chicago.

The remainder of the funds for the matching grant through LIFE International have been provided by our church, New Song Christian Fellowship. We are so thankful for everyone's generosity!!! Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. As we have all invested in bringing Ruby home, our heartstrings have been more tightly wound to hers and to the cause of so many orphans waiting for a mommy and daddy. Something mysterious happens when we give. In our response to the need, He deposits in us a love unconditional, a desire to see that investment flourish and even multiply. We become emotionally involved. And in the end we are overwhelmed by His pleasure! We realize that we can never outgive God.

Ten days from now, my mother in law, Ann, will be on her way to join us. On Monday, we will drop the kids at their tutorials, take the doggies to the kennel and the cats to Aunt Debbie's. We will cook a couple of meals to freeze for the week of our return. The next morning, we will wake before the sun and set our course for China!!!

Baby, Sweet Baby

2007-09-25T19:37:00.000-06:00

OH! I am melting. I have seen an updated picture of Ruby!!!!! It is not confirmed that it is Ruby, but after many hours of deliberation and investigation as to who the other children are in the photo, I feel certain in my heart and mind that it is her!!!I do not have permission to post it, but hopefully I will soon. She is breathtaking! "My baby" in Chinese is "Woh eenger". Oh, my baby, I can't wait to hold you! I will give you more details soon... I picked up our prescriptions for the trip today and did some more shopping. The kennel arrangements have been made and the kitties are going to Debbie's. We are working on painting the upstairs bathroom. Downstairs is shaping up, but I still need to paint the stairwell going down... Then I'm off to Phoebe and Ruby's room for final organization and finishing touches... I've washed everything in soft baby detergent and Downy... mmmm. Phoebe has enjoyed helping me pack (especially the snack bags for the plane). There are a couple of ladies that have adopted from the same orphanage who are sending me some things for the remaining children that I will bring to give to the orphanage director. In just two weeks from now, we will be a few hours from landing in Bejing. Can you believe it? Time is flying. And my list, though I cross many things off of it each day never seems to shorten. What's up with that????

2007-09-22T08:17:00.000-06:00

Whew!

2007-09-21T19:32:00.000-06:00

What a week! In the midst of the dozens of phone calls, unending emails, and overwhelming details there is a quiet place that is so reserved, set apart for Ruby. I can't explain it, but it keeps me going forward. I regularly dream of holding her, playing with and feeding her. We are so right for each other, like God has truly matched us. These are dreams I will cherish.

In booking our flights we were able to save 3,500.00!!! How about that? I am so relieved that the big money decisions are behind us now. We got our confirmation for in China arrangements today too! So everything is set. We are ready to go! The only big bummer so far that I see is we'll have a seven hour layover in Hong Kong before we get on our flight back to the states. What will we do for seven hours!? I'm sure Ruby will have a few ideas...

We bought a cozy car seat for Ruby. We decided to get a great one, a really, really soft one because she's probably never been confined in one of those things before. We want her to be as comfy as possible when we pop her in it after flying for 20 hours! We'll get home past midnight and I fear she will protest about being buckled up. We also have a trip to Texas to plan as soon as we feel she is able to handle it emotionally.

I bought a little step stool for Ruby to stand on in the kitchen to help me prepare the meals... I bought Phoebe and Ruby matching chef's hats to use in the kitchen, too. I can't wait to see her toddling around here, finding her way through each room as we find our way into her heart.

I am so glad it is Friday night! Just two more Fridays and we're off!

Nesting and Thankful

2007-09-19T19:49:00.000-06:00

I love the color red! It makes me feel happy in my heart. My kitchen has red curtains. My living room is painted red and beige. My bathroom is painted red. And now our basement is that most beautiful color... RUBY red! I just finished today and I am most pleased. Nesting... preparing one's home for an expected child to feel nurtured, comforted, happy and cherished. Ahh... I feel young again, like I'm getting ready to play house. What an unspeakable blessing Ruby has been to me already! What anticipated joys I feel rising in my heart. I am so excited about so many things I wouldn't know where to start. I am so looking forward to the impact this will have on the girls. What an incredible life and heart change awaits them as they take a peek on the other side of the world and realize the showers of blessings daily bestowed upon them. They live in a free country, have access to clean water, both parents, food and shelter, much clothing. They know what it's like to sleep in the coziest sheets and covers, to study at home, to worship God. They've enjoyed hundreds of sweets and excesses, indulgences and frivolities. They have been encouraged to think for themselves and to lead out with high standards. We are well beyond blessed.

TA! TA! TA!!!!!

2007-09-18T12:10:00.000-06:00

TA means travel approval. We have been approved by the government in China to come and bring Ruby home. Yesterday was a whirlwind. We have our flights booked, and we'll be leaving on the 9th of October. There are no words to describe what I'm feeling. Mainly relief, if I had to put it into words. Relief that the wait is coming to a close. Relief that this child will now have a family. Relief that soon I will hold her in my arms. The best part of yesterday was receiving updated information on Ruby...

"Yong Jiangyuan—
Height: 75 cm; weight: 8.3 k.g. head circumference: 45 cm; chest circumference: 45 cm. Teeth: 16; foot: 11 cm.

She can walk alone. She is cooperative when putting on clothes. She can hold bottle or cup. She can put food into her mouth. When you ask for something that she holds in hand she will give it to you.

She can play by herself for a long time as long as someone is nearby. She will grab other children’s toys and knows her name. She understands No.

She is quiet and alert. She has a ready smile and is shy with strangers."

Sixteen teeth?! I guess soon she'll be ready for steak. 75 cm in height translates to 29 inches. 8.3 kg in weight converts to 18 lbs. She'll be almost 19 mos. old when we see her for the first time in person. We will receive her on the 14th in Changsha. I wish we could fast forward time. The in China travel coordinators are working on our flights, transportation and hotel accommodations and we will have our final itinerary a few days before we leave Nashville. What an adventure we are in for! The girls are all squeals with delight and anticipations of the months ahead, getting to know their little Chinese sister.

We have been reading and studying and learning a little bit of the language. We are so much looking forward to being surrounded by all of these people, places and history that we have been studying about. We'll keep you posted. Keep us in your prayers as we finish our final preparations for welcoming Ruby into our hearts and home.

Ruby's coming home!

2007-07-25T12:50:00.000-06:00

We received a phone call on the morning of July 10 notifying us that we had been matched with a child in China!

I know this is surprising news because based on the current speed (or lack thereof). We were really not due to be matched with a specific child until Spring '08.

For those of you that aren't familiar, every few months, China releases to adoption agencies what is called a COP (Children Of Promise) list. This is a list of children
with varying special needs. Some children are simply older. Some are sibling groups, and some have developmental and physical challenges or mild to severe medical conditions. Several weeks ago, we received the most recent COP list and were immediately struck by a little girl named Yong Yuan. Her condition frightened us at first but after much research and prayer we sensed God leading us to submit a request for her. Typically, there are many letters of request submitted for each child on the list. They are then reviewed and one family is matched with the child.

Her condition is Congenital Heart Disease, Ventricular Septal Defect (CHD-VSD). CHD is among the most common of all birth defects (1 in every 100). VSD is the most common and least threatening type of CHD. She basically has a tiny hole in the lower region of her heart. Many times these close on their own by 1-3 years of age. Other times, even if the hole doesn't close on it's own, if it is small, it is left alone and the child will live a normal, healthy life with minimal effects such as the need for antibiotics before dental work is done, and avoiding activities such as scuba diving.

We received a medical report for Yong Yuan and had it reviewed by Dr. Donald Moore, a pediatric cardiologist at Vanderbilt Medical Center here in Nashville. Based on the data given, he felt that her situation would probably correct itself over time. She is currently 16 months old and developing normally in every area without any symptoms whatsoever. There is, however, always a chance that she would need a surgery. These surgeries are done every day right here in our own backyard at Vanderbilt and the one time procedure is extremely effective at permanently correcting this condition and allowing one to live a normal life. With new advances in medicine, sometimes the surgery is done by catheterization. Of course we are hoping that she will not even need surgery but are believing that God will still be God even if she does and that ultimately she is in the hands of The Great Physician!

When we first received the COP list, Angie began looking into the meaning of her name. What she found is incredible to say the least. Her name, Yong Yuan means "permanent origin or foundation, as in a stone wall." Our name, Ebensberger means "foundation stone, mountain." And Ruby, the name of a precious stone, is the name we chose to give our baby at the onset of our adoption. In addition, Ruby or Sardis, a red stone, is surprisingly the sixth foundational stone in the stone wall of heaven described in Scripture. She will be the sixth member of our family!

We were also encouraged to see that her favorite toy is "a musical one." Three times music is mentioned. We have been praying specifically for a child who enjoys and responds to music. The name of our family's music ministry is Impending Bloom. Interestingly, an alternate meaning of her name is garden.

A few months ago we settled on Joelle as her middle name. It means God will be willing! We believe He has been willing to place her in our family and that He will be willing to meet her every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!

Please join in celebrating with us and also in trusting with us that this is indeed the child God has intended for us and we are the family he intended for her. Though it may be a few months before we travel to China, it could be as early as 6 weeks from now. There is SO much to do. Thank you all for your prayers and support throughout this process. It has meant the world to us and changed the world for Ruby!

To get an idea of her history, development and personality, here is some of what they included in her report.

Name: Jiang Yong Yuan Sex: Female Date of Birth: March 20, 2006
Institute: Jiangyong County Social Welfare Institution, Hunan Province
Reporting Date: March 31, 2007

Jiang Yong Yuan, female, born on March 20, 2006, on May 13, 2006 was picked up in the doorway of the Civil Affair Bureau of Jiangyong County. Because the policemen of the Chengguan Police Station of Jiangyong County did not found her parents, she was then brought to our institution. After entering the institution, she was examined in Jiangyong Maternal and Child’s Health Institute. It was found she had congenital heart disease. She weighed 4.3Kg. She did not carry anything. We estimated she was a 54-day old child. The director gave her name Jiang Yong Yuan, hoping her happy in the future. She is well looked after in the institution. Currently, she is a 12-month old child with weight 7.9Kg. height 72cm, head circumference 43cm and chest circumference 44cm, feet length 11cm. Six teeth (2 upper and 4 lower) erupted. She is a clever child. She knows how to please others.
Living:
She has regular living schedule. She gets up at 6:30am and goes to sleep at 8:00pm. She takes a nap from 9:00am-10:00am and from 1:00pm-3:00pm. She has a sound sleep and she is liable to suck finger in sleep. She listens to music, watches TV, plays with other children and walks about while sitting in a walker from 8:00am-9:00am and from 3:00pm-5:00pm. She poops once and peeps 3-4 times a day. She is bathed once respectively in the morning and afternoon.
Feeding:
At 1-3 months, she had formula as main food, 7-8 meals a day, 450ml per day. 2-3 drops of vitAD drop were given every day. She also had vegetable soup and fresh juice per day. At 4 months-now, she is fed with formula (25g) plus rice cereal (30g) mixed with water 5 times a day, each respectively at 6:30am, 11:00am, 4:00pm, 9:00pm and 3:00pm. She also takes congee, noodles, rice, bone soup, fish soup, pork soup, liver puree, egg and vegetable 3 times a day, each respectively at 8:00am, 12:00am and 6:00pm. Additionally, she has apple and is fed vitAD drop 3-5 drops every day. She likes to eat chicken soup, egg and apple.
Development:
She develops normally. On admission, she could smile. She turned head and eyes to light. She watched the caregiver’s face when fed. She had strong legs, often kicking the covers off. At 3 months, she steadied head when raised being supported on tummy. She turned head to a sound. She followed an object moving with eyes. At 4 months, she raised and turned head side to side when sat. She could hold an object in hands and brought a toy to mouth. She giggled when the caregiver played with her. At 5-6 months, she stood and jumped being supported in the armpits. She walked about while sitting in a walker. She reached for the toy hanging on the walker and tried to pick up a dropping toy. At 7-9 months, she sat alone steadily. She responded to her name. She vocalized simple syllables (mama, baba). She played alone long time. She seized other children’s toy and food. At 10-11 months, she stood holding on to something. She walked being led by a hand. She held a pill with thumb and index finger. She used two building blocks to knock at each other. She swung a bell consciously. She raised hands if the caregiver gave her something. At 12 months, she stands and walks a few steps by herself. She turns head being called. She responds to asking for her belongings. She distinguishes between acquaintances and strangers.
She is a quiet child. She is quick in reaction. She smiles constantly. She likes to play with a toy with music. She likes the caregiver to hold her in arms and to take her outside.
She is up to date on her immunization. She has immunized with BCG, DPT, TOPV and HBV. She has a happy life in the institution. She is developmentally normal. She will bring joy to a loving family.

Director of the institution: Zhang Xiao Li

Laugh With Those Who Laugh...

2007-02-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

It has become increasingly difficult to wait for this child. Just knowing that she's out there somewhere. I had no idea that I would be this emotionally invested before even meeting her...

But when referrals come for others it does bring me such joy for them. The line has moved up a little. The wait is now 16 months from login to referral and continues to increase. We started the process about 18 months ago. Our 1 year login anniversary was the 17th of January. Referrals have come in through October 13, 2005. The way it looks right now... it will be the first of August when we will receive our referral with travel falling in October 2007.

We are doing a lot of organizing and early preparations. I've been looking at packing lists and compiling lists of what to bring to China...

The kids have enjoyed playing in the snow that fell last night. I am wanting spring to hurry and get here. I love working out in the yard. I look forward to blowing the leaves away and watching the new buds and shoots burst from the ground. I can't wait to walk with Ruby through the garden, push her on the swing, and sit out on the deck to read books..... sigh... dreaming again....

This Will Be The Year!

2007-01-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

I can say with some certainty that this year we will bring Ruby home. The last batch of referrals have brought us up through September 27, 2005. It may be somewhere between June (I'm hoping) and August (more likely) when we get the call and see our baby for the first time, traveling two months later. Patience is a must on this journey... and lots of yarn. I have been crocheting lots at night, longing for the day I can wrap her tight in my arms. We started this process 17 1/2 months ago... almost double a physical pregnancy term. And we still have at least nine more months to go...

Lots To Talk About

2006-12-18T22:36:00.000-06:00

There is so much going on right now. No news yet on referral, but hopefully really soon we will hear about possible cut off dates. It is possible by the end of the week that we will be hearing the great stork's wings flapping....

The big CCAA meeting on the 8th of Dec. has caused a lot of talk. It is rumored that at the first of the year many people may be informed that they have been denied participation in the China program. That would break our hearts! Some of the new rules may affect people that are already logged in and waiting on a referral. Reporters are starting to snatch up the story so we may all be seeing this on the news soon... Weight, health, financial and marital status could possibly be the cause for being eliminated from the program in the near future (May 2007). Right now it is said to be possible for weight and medical or health conditions to be receiving a call in early January.....

If some who are logged in before us are removed from the program we could be going to China sooner than we have been thinking... That sure would be bittersweet. I pray God's comfort on those who feel threatened by this news.

If you check out this site and scroll down you will see where our documents are. There you will find photos of the CCAA office and the matching room... where the babies are matched with their parents...

www.ammonsadventures.blogspot.com

Christmas Referrals

2006-12-16T10:03:00.000-06:00

A second agency is now saying referrals will be here before Christmas.

There is also an agency saying they will be here the week of Christmas. So, right after Christmas, presumably.

This gives us:

2 agencies saying they will be here before Christmas.
1 agency saying they will be here right after Christmas.
2 agencies saying they won’t be here until after the first of the year.
1 partridge in a pear tree.

Will It Stabilize?

2006-12-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

"In order to deal with this imbalance, CCAA has decided to both reduce
the number of dossiers accepted by applying stricter standards to
potential adoptive families and to increase the number of children
available for adoption by improving the situation of children in
China's orphanages. To this end, CCAA has plans to create a new
charity (Blue Skies) to provide the care needed by orphanages to keep
infants and young children alive and well enough to be adopted. One of
Blue Skies' first projects will be giving incubators to orphanages for
babies born prematurely.

However, CCAA warns that this will not immediately decrease the length
of time that families are now waiting for referral of their children.
That length of time will remain the same (around 15 months) or even
increase somewhat. All families should now plan to file a second
I-600A in order to apply for a new I-171H unless they are adopting a
Waiting Child." RQ

Great news! This information comes from an agency this week. If this pans out, we could be getting a call in April and in China in June. I'm not getting my hopes up too far. But it would be something to smile heartily about.

Referrals Soon?

2006-12-13T21:56:00.000-06:00

"We have a very reliable European agency who is saying that the CCAA is almost done with this batch and that they are going to do all of September. It is unclear to me whether they mean all of that agency’s September people or all of September. And I’m not sure when this agency’s last September LID is, either. At any rate, just the news that they are about done is really, really, really exciting. It’s only been two weeks since the last batch arrived." RQ

Could it be true? How exciting! I hope they do cover the rest of September! Then we'd only have 3 1/2 months left of referrals to wait through... Sometimes things move faster this time of year because of Chinese New Year (in early February). I hear they try and pace themselves in a way that would allow them to take the week off for their big holiday. We'll just have to wait and see...

The Big Meeting...

2006-12-11T21:24:00.000-06:00

It appears that the big CCAA meeting has resulted in many new rules and requirements for applicants to adopt from China. So it looks like they are trying to control the wait by eliminating some dossiers.... These changes will not speed our wait, but it will help to shorten the wait for those just now applying......

New Stats From State Department

2006-12-11T15:59:00.000-06:00

"The State Department has their new stats up. The stats show that in 2005 Americans adopted 7,906 babies from China. In 2006 Americans adopted 6,493 babies from China. In 2005 about 632 SN babies came to the U.S. while about 7,274 NSN babies came to the U.S. And this would mean that in 2006 about 1,623 SN babies came to the U.S. while only about 4,870 NSN babies came to the U.S. So the total number of NSN babies would be (by my very rough estimates) around 7,300 babies last year and 4,900 babies this year. That’s a pretty big drop."

This quote from the Rumor Queen helps to show the extreme drop off in numbers for children adopted into America this year. The wait has more than doubled this year. For every month we wait, it is only as if we had waited a couple of weeks. Patience. Maybe that should be Ruby's middle name.

Little Ruby, Tiny Treasure

2006-12-10T14:11:00.001-06:00

I think it's crazy how in love you can be with a girl half way around the world that you don't even know anything about yet. i think it's even more crazy to think about it being my little baby sister, Ruby. One of my largest weaknesses is to be patient. Maybe God wants the wait to be longer for a reason. maybe the reason is for our family to practice our patience. i didn't ever think that adoption would be this hard. But the thing is i can't wait. i can't wait any longer. i have already waited over a year, and now another year? this is so hard for me i can't even put it down in words how much i miss my little Ruby. I have no idea what she looks like or how old she is. i only know that soon enough, if i am patient, she'll be with us, here in our arms. Our little Ruby, tiny treasure.

-Emily Anna

If You Ask Me... by Phoebe

2006-12-09T10:40:00.000-06:00

I don't know why the wait is taking such a long time. We may have to wait almost a whole other year for Ruby. And I don't know why but they keep changing the amount of months before we can go get her. It makes me feel so sad inside because we have a room for Ruby and everything so perfect for her. We're ready to go get her. Somethings going on in that office and I'm still going to try to figure it out. I'm going to pray that she's going to be safe and warm, have a bottle to drink out of, some diapers and some clothes to keep her warm and cozy in a nice warm bed. If you ask me, I think that it would be really, really cool if we could get her in two months or may six, as soon as possible.

Big Meeting at CCAA...

2006-12-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

The China Center for Adoption Affairs had a very big meeting last night. What I hear is that the wait time from LID to referral will not shorten at this time and it may get longer. :( They note that the CCAA does not define what they mean by longer. There is talk of it growing to 24 months wait from LID to referral. That would make it January 2008 for us! All we can do is wait and pray.

The next referral batch is expected at the end of the month. The last week of the month is fun because people are receiving referrals and there is an excitement in hoping for the referral "line" to move up a bit..... Right now, they are at September 8, 2005. The first week of the month is great because many who are adopting will post pics of their babies.... That's always fun. It's reassuring to see that people are getting to their final days of waiting and to know that one day it will be our turn to post Ruby's picture here!

Bethany Christian Services

2006-12-08T19:55:00.000-06:00

We had several more meetings with Bethany (BCS) over the next six weeks. We were told that this first stage was really the only step we would have any control over. The name of the game is "hurry up and wait". So we sent off for all of the necessary documents from Texas and Florida. We had every thing triple authenticated by city, county and state. And finally, we finished all of the paperwork, asked every question and turned our dossier into BCS. Bethany checked it over and sent it off the next day to Grand Rapids to have the documents go through further authentication. On December 29, 2005 our dossier was finally on it's way to China! DTC 12-29-05!

The next step would be to wait for our LID or log-in date. Bethany said it would be anywhere from 2-6 weeks. But knowing that the Chinese New Year puts a halt on all adoption processes, we knew it could be longer... The LID determines your place in line to receive a referral and an invitation to travel. A referral packet from China contains a photo of your baby, medical documents, travel instructions and documents to travel with. The referral wait time fluctuates throughout the year, depending upon how many babies are processed each month. When we started the process, the "wait time" from LID to referral was 6-8 months. A friend of ours had a wait time of one year and it ended up being only 6 months, so it could change.

Our LID (login date) is January 17th. Upon receiving that LID, we were told we could get our referral as early as October 17, 2006. But that is not the way it played out. :( That date has come and gone. We are now looking at Late July or August of 2007 before that famous stork brings a little package with a picture of our Ruby...

Welcome to Ruby's blog!

2006-12-08T19:44:00.000-06:00

How exiting! I finally got my act together and figured out how to start a blog! I have been wanting to keep everyone as informed as possible as to the process of bringing Ruby home. This wait has grown every month since we submitted our paperwork. From what I understand, the wait has never been this lengthy. It is very hard to be expecting a child for so many months and have to wait, uncertain of the day when we will finally see her sweet little face.

We started the process in August of 2005 by making an appointment with our social worker, Bethany Morrison at Bethany Christian Services. She, being on her way to Italy, gave us two mind boggling stacks of paperwork to begin our paper pregnancy. I remember leaving the office feeling numb but very excited. David and I both were in shock and astounded at the wave upon wave of details and information we had just been flooded with. What a relief and thrill! Our first homestudy was behind us. I think I even felt a little nauseaus! :)