“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break…”
~Ancient Chinese Proverb

We are all waiting and we are all wondering. Therefore, to fill in the time of waiting I will try to answer some of things you may be wondering.

1} Who are you?
Ok now I realize that most of you already know the answer to this question, but remember, we left this site open so anyone interested in the miracle of adoption may view it.

Jeff and I met in college, had a whirlwind romance and married a short six years later. We have now been married for seven years. Jeff is in the actuarial field and I am a stay-at-mom. We have two beautiful boys, Cade(5) and Coby(3). We also have a dog, Brooke, who seems to think she’s human and a cat, Tom, who seems to think he’s a dog. Did I mention that I think I am a 5’9” prima ballerina?

2} Why are you adopting?
Jeff has always wanted a big family. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted two boys. I even had two boy Cabbage Patch kids, Andrew and Xavier. (Yes, scary that I remember that!) God granted my prayer but I suffered two difficult pregnancies in the interim. Jeff and I were so happy after our second child was born! We love being parents and decided we wanted to continue to share our love and grow our family. Pregnancy, however, was no longer an option for us. Adopting just felt right. (Confucius, I am not!) Since we were already blessed with two boys, we decided to try for a girl.

3}The question everyone is afraid to ask: If our second child had been born a girl, would we still be adopting?
Unequivocally, without a doubt, YES!

4}Why China?
To be honest, my first inclination was South America since I speak some Spanish. Yet, when we factored in all the issues, (ie., health of the babies, cost, chance of adopting a girl, length of stay in the country, length of wait for a child) China topped all our lists.

5}Aren’t you really just buying a baby from some poor country?
If you want to see flames shoot out of my eyes, ask me this question in person. Honestly, half the cost is travel. There are lots of paperwork fees both in-country and out. And yes there is a mandatory “donation” that goes to the orphanage. I consider it reimbursement for 9 months of care for my child. It costs more to give birth to a child in a hospital than to adopt. We just don’t think about it because typically insurance covers it all.

7}What’s the deal with all the ladybugs?
Ladybugs are a symbol of good luck in many countries including China. In the more recent years, they have also become a symbol for adoption from China. Superstition says that a ladybug sighting means that the referral is arriving soon.

8} What’s the referral?
The referral is a photo of our daughter with some background information about her. As soon as we get the referral we can apply for travel approval. Travel to China then occurs about 8 weeks later. We hope to get our referral in late March or early April.

9}What have you learned?
What I have learned is that none of the above answers really matter. This was God’s plan all along. He sent Lucy to China first so she could touch the lives and hearts of others before joining her forever family. When God sees fit to place Lucy in our arms, He will and we just need to trust in that.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways”, declares the Lord. “As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” ~Isaiah 55:8-9

Please check back for more answers to your burning questions and a hardy dose of my witty comments.