We Have Our Visas!

It's official, we received our Chinese Visas today! Another big milestone. FedEx showed up at the exact time this afternoon that I was sending a document to our adoption agency. Seeing lots of God's fingerprints lately! He is so in this journey, it's just bliss. So with visas in hand for all three of us, we now await our full itinerary from our China adoption facilitator. We will have a guide with us the whole way who will literally walk us through the 2-week process. On a side note, I got a haircut today to get the "new-mommy-do"...short and easy (if anyone needs the best hairstylist, it's Melanie!) Guangzhou is hot and humid....THINK MIAMI!

Airline Tickets Are Booked!

This morning we received confirmation that our date with the US Embassy in Guangzhou is May 22! That means we're ready to travel. We booked our tickets with American Airlines today. We fly out May 07 and return May 24. We are thrilled to have our tickets booked. The added bonus, or rather, added 'jet lag' element is that we will connect through Tokyo. So I told Elizabeth today, you get to see China AND Japan! Coming back we must spend the night in Tokyo. I'm already praying that this connection will not cause too much pain; that we'll have some super energy! On the flip side, I am so sad to leave my boys behind. I feel like I have the pregnancy emotions now! Delighted one moment, tearful the next. I plan on leaving the boys a 'surprise bag' for each day we are gone. Once they finish their day's homework, they are allowed to open one sack with a treat inside. So I better hit the store and candy shop soon! Lots to pack to take and lots to 'pack' to stay.

An Unexpected Baby Shower

Friday brought an overwhelming shower of gifts at Denise's office. I have had the rare priviledge of working for the same company for 19 years now. So, a lot of it is indeed an extended family. So, this extended family of mine surprised us with a shower. I got the blessing of sharing this celebration with another co-worker, Mandi who's expecting in May. She and I took turns opening up A LOT of thoughtful gifts. Honestly, for me, just seeing how so many people are just excited about the thought of bringing a new life into the world (and country!) is something I wish I could take a picture of. I take a lot of joy from that. Everything from crocheted shoes to a luggage set will be put to great use! Since Randy was in Malaysia at the time, I brought all the goodies home in their wrappings so he could have a shower of his own when he got home. The kiddos loved doing that! I am forever grateful for the amazing people God has placed in my life...and that's NO cliche.

A Surprise From Rachel's Orphanage

Unexpectedly, we received another update from Rachel's orphanage. They gave us a one-page document detailing her growth and progress! Wow, sweet Jesus is so wonderful to bestow even the smallest things to greaten our hearts. Rachel since 10 months old is progressing nicely. She is now 14 months old. She now weighs over 16 pounds and is 28 inches tall. That means she is two pounds heavier and 3 inches taller. She likes to play with rag dolls, cars, and building blocks. She smiles, claps, watches TV, and dances. She goes to bed at 8:30 and wakes up at 6:30. Our adoption agency China director told us "When I look out and see all the trees budding and the daffodils blooming, I think God is tossing His confetti and celebrating with your family." I agree!

Easter Turned Out Pretty!

Well once the morning chill wore away, it turned out to be a pretty day. We celebrated Resurrection Day with Denise's Dad and Mom (aka Papa & Grammy). We then came home to play in the sun where the kids drew a chalk 'crosswalk' in front of our home. I couldn't resist taking an 'Abby Road' shot! Fun day!

Spring Break!

While we're waiting for Rachel, we find ourselves having as much fun as possible this spring break at home. Yesterday we found out the weather for Easter Sunday is more like winter! So we made the most of it yesterday and today!

Spring Cleaing from the outside in! Riding our bikes and scooters. Having a great egg hunt at the Frisco Roughriders Dr. Pepper Ballpark. And ending the day with a 3-mile walk to Bahama Buck's and Hollywood Video!

More Paperwork & A Rainy Meeting

Well we successfully sent off more paperwork! Seriously, I will have to post a pic of the mountain of paperwork we've completed for the government and agencies along these few years. For now, we sent off our travel letters and insurance, medical acknowledgments to our adoption agency today! FedEx is getting a work out I'm happy to say. I am grateful to work for a company that let's me take advantage of a good FedEx discount! Speaking of company, my friend and co-worker, Barb, was super kind to notarize our two large sets today. Between her and Debbie McDaniel, we have a few thank-you gifts to consider! It is a huge process. So, thanks girls.

Tuesday we drove down to Buckner, our adoption facilitator, to sign a few documents and just meet our case worker, Rachael, as it's been so long since our last meeting! With no referral for so long, there wasn't much point! She is so wonderful to work with and we are thankful for her prayers and support. It's also a bonus her name is Rachael.

But getting there in that torrential ran was unbelievable! Over 34 miles of downpour and half of it hydroplaning. Just ask Randy how well I handled that. :o) We're now ready to apply for visas. But since Randy is traveling to Malaysia, he'll be needing his passport...so we'll get those visas applied for in a few weeks!

Signed & Certified YES

Sunday, March 09, we signed our offical document that indicates the 'YES' box. This document along with a personal letter from us to the China Adoption office was sent out by Fed Ex Monday night. Our adoption agency received our express letter and redirected our group's letters to China. By now China has our 'YES" reply and are in process of taking next steps so we can make an appointment with the US Consulate's office in China. This will take about 2 more weeks. Once we have that appointment, we will know when to book our airline tickets. Yeah!



So, now we wait...again...much for not much longer. Tomorrow we go to meet with our local facilitator, Buckner, to sign another HUGE pile of documents!



We are so encouraged by everyone's great words of love and congratulations. This really is a journey of unconditional love and miracles.

Check out my Slide Show!

We Have Our Referral 27 Months of Waiting

As most everyone knows now, we have received our referral! What does that mean? It means we have been matched with a child in China. Her name is En Xiao Mei. We have named her Rachel XiaoMei. Prounounced 'shao-may'; this translates to little beauty. She is located in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong (near Hong Kong). She was born 25-Feb-2007 and is now one year old! At 10-months she weighed 14.1 pounds and was 25 inches long. She is reported to be healthy and easy to laugh! Her medical report looks wonderfully perfect. We are saying YES to our daughter.

By saying "YES" that means our acceptance letter will be sent back to China this week. The next step is making an appointment with the US Consulate's office in Guangzhou. This takes about 2-4 weeks. After that we will know when to travel. In all, we should travel to China within next 6-8 weeks. Meanwhile, Rachel Xiao Mei will be readied for her adoption into the Duncan Family! And we will be getting packed and readied ourselves to welcome Rachel.

There is much to write, but for now we are just thrilled to know this little girl. By no strength or will of our own is she ours. She is a gift from God; a true miracle. When I received our call telling us about our daughter, I couldn't help feeling such implausible joy and sadness all at once. That was unexpected. But the sadness stems from the realization that a mother in China is grieving. This daughter was loved but was forced to be abandoned. We accept and love this daughter.