WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lukas, baby...we are finally on our way to get you!!!

We just got word yesterday afternoon that we need to be in Xian on May 17th. Actually we were given the option of being there on the 10th or the 17th, which would have us leaving on the 6th or the 13th. I just found out that I need some physical theraphy after the accident so we decided to meet on the 17th so I could get a few sessions in before we travel. Hopefully the therapy will help with the shoulder pain.

Anyway, now starts the mad dash to get all the final details put in order and all the kinks ironed out. My oldest daughter Laura and her husband Joe will be watching Mari while we are in China. Laura has all kinds of fun stuff lined up for them to do. Mari won't have time to miss us! Of course, we will be in contact everyday so it won't seem so bad. It will probably be tougher on me than her since we haven't even been apart for more that a few days (and that was only twice LOL)

Here are the three of them trying to fly a kite this past weekend!

We finally have lift off!! Not enough wind to really do much, but I give them all an A for effort!! it was fun to watch!!

Sister, sister....

My big girl and my little girl having fun being sisters!!!

Vicki

We are BLESSED!!!

This past Thursday afternoon, Don, Mari and I were traveling out to see my daughter, Laura. She and her husband will be taking care of Mari while we are in China to bring Lukas home. Since Laura is a 4th grade teacher, Mari will need to be in daycare during the week while she is at work. So we packed up for the 1-1/2 hour ride so that Mari will be familiar the place. When we started out, the weather was a little drizzly. I absolutely hate to travel (as a passenger) in the rain. There is a particularly dangerous area on the stretch of highway we would be traveling on. Most accidents that happen here end in serious injury and more often are fatal. Although we have traveled this too many times to count, my heart always races madly as we approach this stretch of highway. We always sail through with no problems, but still I have that sick feeling when we drive by and see all the roadmarkers of crosses (and there are many) of all the motorist that have not been so fortunate.

So as we approach this area in the midst of traffic, all seems fine...until our car suddenly hydroplanes out of control and we hit the center concrete wall, spin around hit again, spin some more. All the while, I am waiting for the next big hit from another car and suddenly we stop. Right in the middle of the slow lane and no one has hit us. We are all shaken up alot, windows are broken out of the car, glass everywhere. I check everyone and grabbed Mari from her car seat. We are able to open the door and get out. An 18 wheeler stopped just about 15 feet behind our car "to block" othe other cars from us. He got out of his truck and told us he did not see the accident, but saw our car stopped there and wanted to keep us from being hit from the other cars on the road. How this man managed to not see the accident, but stop before hitting us is nothing short of a miracle. Truly an angel sent to protect us. He was standing there behind us when I got out of the car with Mari. I talked to him just long enough to hear what he did. He walked over to help Don move the car off the road and then he was gone. Just like that.

There had been an accident there in the same area just about 15-20 minutes earlier so the highway patrol was still there. The officer was on the frontage road, but jumped the fence, told us he had another officer on the way, a tow truck on the way and did we need an ambulance. I had a searing pain in the back of my head but I was not bleeding. I did a quick check over everyone and determined that we were ok enough to wait until we got back to Belleville so we could go to the ER there.

After our ER assessments, it was determined that Mari had a small bruise on her cheek, Don had some muscle strain, but no injuries and I had a fist sized lump on the back of my head along with a bruised shoulder. God was surely protecting us! It is a true miracle that we are all safe.

Our car was totaled. It can be replaced. A life cannot.

God has blessed our family! We have lived a miracle. We are forever grateful.

Vicki

Still no I-171-H

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the adoption process, this is one of the forms necessary to complete your paperwork for China. We got one at the beginning of our process, but it expired on February 27, 2008. We had to go back in and have our fingerprints taken again after we received the appropriate letter and had that done on March 11th. The renewal letter usually arrives in the mail within 2 weeks. But for some reason, ours is taking a bit longer. The problem is not with our prints or anything, it is because new people have been hired in the USCIS office and it is taking them a little longer to get their ducks in a row. In the meantime, I have aged about 5 years waiting for the dang form!!!

Long story short...we cannot leave the country without that updated form. China will NOT let us have Lukas without it. So we sit and wait. We were assured through email on April 11th that the form was to be in the mail. I'm wondering now if they sent it by pony-express!!

I have no doublt that you will hear me scream from the mountain top when it arrives!!!
Stay tuned!!

Vicki

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!

What a way to wake up at 4:37 in the morning!!!!! The bed was shaking so much I didn't know what was happening. I jumped up, ran to Mari's bedroom (she didn't budge), ran back out and nearly collided with Don in the hallway. It was absolutely crazy. The first thought I had was that this is an earthquake. It's not like we have them here on a regular basis, but still it was weird!! It felt like someone was picking up the end of the bed and shaking it! It ended up lasting for about a minute and a half. The news reported that it was a 5.4 and originalted about 120 miles east of us and lasted about 1-2 minutes. No known damage here to report, but there was some in St. Louis (we are just about 8 miles across the river from there).

We are all safe and sound, but it does provide this little town with something to talk about for awhile!!!!

Vicki

TRAVELING SOON!!!

Got some new today they are finalizing plans for our travel. Looks like we may be leaving in about 12 days!!! Give or take a few. I will be sure to post the exact dates just as soon as we get them.

Seems as though my dream just may come true!!!

Soon, Lukas, very soon............

Vicki

A Mother's Dream

It is my dream that we are in China this time next month, snuggling up with our new son! I am so excited to see his little face and feel him in my arms.

Let's hope that the Chinese government feels the same way and our travel arrangements come through this week!

If you believe in the power of prayer, please pray that we get an answer quickly!!

Vicki

Facts about Albinism

We have had several people inquire about Lukas' conditions. He has albinism.

Simply put, albinism means that a person lacks skin color.

~~It is genetically inherited.
~~Children with albinism can have very white skin, light colored hair and their eyes can appear red, pink, dull grey, light blue or light brown.
~~Hair color can be snowy white to reddish brown.
~~Children with albinism generally suffer few physical effects of the condition outside of vision problems and skin that is prone to sunburn. Remember, every case is unique. There can be exceptional side effects.
~~They experience normal physical and intellectual development.

Challenges:

~~Because of the low levels of pigment in the eyes, children with albinism can be sensitive to light. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors, can help alleviate this discomfort.
~~It is common for children with albinism to have extreme farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism. Corrective lenses can help improve these vision problems but often, the defect is so severe that problems persist even with glasses or contact lenses.
~~An experienced optometrist can usually improve the overall vision of a child with albinism, but the vision problems cannot be completely eradicated.

Treatment

There is no “cure” for Albinism.
Children born with this condition go on to live happy, healthy lives


And please remember this: Every child is a gift...no matter how they come to us.

Vicki

LOA!!! Really!

WOOHOO!!! We really did get our LOA on Saturday morning, got together with our friends that are also adopting and traveling with us, signed our letters and fed-ex'd them right back for delivery today. AND...we got the call that they both arrived safely at the main office and are headed back to China. What a relief!

NOW our last hurdle is to get that new I-171H in the mail. Ours expired on Feb 27, 2008. We have already had our fingerprints redone and been waiting for nearly a month for a new form. We cannot travel to China without this form. SO we need it here. Pray for good news in the mail sometime this week.

We also got an email back from the courier that was handling our visa. They are on their way back to us and should be here in the morning. Everything is starting to fall into place and we will be on that plane before you know it!

We also got another surprise from a family that was able to take some photos of Lukas on the trip. This is from April 1, 2008.

He just gets cuter and cuter every time I see him! Oh and he is not fond of strangers which is why he doesn't smile much when they are trying to take his picture. We ought to have a great time the first few days!

~~FRUSTRATION~~

Well, I have been borderline physco for the past week now! Our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) was supposed to arrive the same time as our travel partners' letter did. They got theirs on March 11. AND we were told that ours was "on the way". We had no reason to believe otherwise since our paperwork has traveled in tantum the entire way in this process. So I waited. And waited. A few days difference was all that I had expected and when I contacted my social worker, she assured me that it should arrive any day and to just 'breath'. LOL!! Easy for her to say!!

So I spend the next 16 days 'breathing' and still nothing arrived in the mail. I was getting worried that it somehow had gotten lost. I contacted our social worker again and she said she would check with CCAA (China). She called me and emailed me the next day with a trail of emails from China stating that it was mailed to the Chicago office on the 24th or 25th and that it should arrive shortly (in Chicago) and then overnighted to us. Knowing this, I started my 'watch' for that delivery man on this past Monday. I was afraid to leave, take a shower or anything that might prevent me from being available when that delivery came.

Monday came and went. So did Tuesday and Wednesday. Then I started the calling again. Today we find out that it was not SENT on the 24th or 25th, but but received in the Hong King office and has officially been sent to Chicago on the 28th of March. Once there, it will be overnighted to us. So I have a free day today. Cleaning and preparing for Lukas is high on my list. Not that I have made much progress, but it is time to step it up and get going.

We should received that long-awaited letter by Monday (that's what they tell us) and then we will sign and do an immediate turnaround so we can get our consulate appointment (CA) which in turn determines our travel plans.

Stay tuned for the updates! We are anxious to get together with our friends and have the celebratory Chinese dinner!!

We are so close to holding Lukas in our arms!

Vicki