Our Darling Daughter

I thought that we had to wait until our LSC was signed and back in China before we could post pictures of Shi Lin (Hannah's Chinese name), but I found out we can post them now! I've been waiting since August to do this!

This is the first photo I saw of Shi Lin when I got the informational documents on her:


In the next to photos, she was about 18 months:

This photo shows a close-up of her ear. She has what is called "microtia," which is an ear deformity. I struggled over whether to post this one, because I don't want people thinking of her only as a child with a deformity, because she is much more than that. Then I realized I don't want people to be uncomfortable around her, so I want everyone to see her ear, get that part out of the way, and then when they see her in person, her ear won't really be an issue, and they can concentrate on getting to know the amazing little person I know she is.

Needless to say, I think Shi Lin is the most beautiful little girl I've ever laid eyes on, and can't wait to hold her in my arms. From what we read about her, she is quiet and shy (like her Mommy) and loves to be held. Aside from the information we have about her, I have strong feelings that come from God, I believe, that she has a sweet spirit, that she will fit in so well with our family and that things will go pretty smoothly for us.

We are told that we can now send Shi Lin care packages! I can't wait to do this! We can send photos of us that are labeled with who we are, so she can start to get familiar with us. In the care package we can also include gifts. I'm so glad she is old enough to understand the idea that she has a family now and see pictures of us, and know we are her family.

I already have four large plastic storage boxes full of clothes for Shi Lin, ranging from sizes 3 to 5, so something has to fit her! I recently bought a couple of nightgowns for her which I will probably bring with me to China. Now I've got to get socks and some other miscellaneous things. I'll probably bring a couple of outfits, but not really knowing her true size, we'll buy a few outfits for her while we're in China, when we have a better idea of what will fit her. I can't wait to see her in cute little girl's clothes!

We ask for continued prayer for Shi Lin, for her safety and care until we can go and get her within the next 2 or 3 months.

LSC!!!

I just got a call from our agency that our Letter Seeking Confirmation, or LSC, has arrived in their office! What this means is that China has officially approved our adoption of Hannah! The paperwork will be overnighted to us, we'll send it to the Amercian Consulate, then they'll process it and send it back to the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). Once they receive it, they'll notify our daughter's foster mother that she has a family and we'll be able to start sending photos and gifts to our little Shi-Lin (Hannah's Chinese name). I'll also be able to get more photos of her and post them online for all to see!

This news would make my day on any day, but particularly on this day. Miles woke up early this morning with some kind of stomach bug and has had diarrhea and been throwing up most of the the day today, so the phone call I got from Great Wall was such a welcome surprise!

It looks like it will probably be late March or early to Mid April when we travel! We'll know for sure our travel date in 1 or 2 months from now!