More New Pictures - We are So Blessed!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!!!!

Dear Sue and Johnathon,

Hope that all is going well and that you are having a great Christmas
season. We have good news. You have a court date. Jan 6th at 3:15
in the afternoon.

The judge asked for two additional things that we have not received
from you.
1) A copy of your passports. You can just email these to us.
2) Your criminal record check. First email us a copy of them so that
we can have the translations done, then have them notarized and
TECOed. Sorry that you have to have this done, and we know that it
will be a stretch to get it before the 6th, but we need to try and
turn them in on the day of court.

We are so enjoying Jake. He is such a jewel. He has the sweetest
personality, and is so loving and full of joy. We can't wait for you
to meet him and begin you lives together. Talk to you again soon.

Blessings,

Holly and Trena

What this means is.....You have your 1st court date, where the Judge looks over all the paperwork, orders home studies on the baby and birthmother. If all that is in order, you will have a 2nd court date - which is where the judge decrees that the baby is free and able to be adopted by you. At which point, the baby is 'officially' adopted according to Taiwan. Next comes applying for a Visa and setting a date for the US AIT (INS) appointment. Jon and I will have to be there for that appointment, just like in China for Natalie.

From what I can figure, we will have a month or more from the 1st court date, until the AIT appointment. I know this all sounds hard to understand, but since I don't know exactly what comes next, it's the best I can do. I already sent the passport photos to Taiwan and the police clearance letters to TECO for authentication. So now we wait for further instructions.

E-Bay Fundraiser has Ended

Well, my 2nd venture with an e-bay fundraiser is over and it was more dismal than the 1st one. I only hope that I made enough overall to cover the postage to mail the things out. We brought in about $50 dollars. That was for 2 flannel baby quilts, an adult size fleece blanket and a hand-knit hat/scarf set.Since 4 items had no interest or bids, I took them off a few minutes early. I guess that the Lord wants us to find our resources to bring Jake home in a different way.

As it stands right now, we have not heard anything about our court date. I don't even know if we have one scheduled yet. So we are looking to at least the end of January now. And on February 5th our fingerprints expire .... again! So it looks like we will have to go get them renewed. Of course, there is a fee involved.

I know that HE has a plan for us and we truly love Jake to pieces. But, hey - come on, could ya give a little break?

No Grant ... On to Fundraising!

We got the Official "Thanks for applying but......So sad, too bad" letter the other day. I had a feeling that it would be coming, just a feeling. But when I actually saw it, I was really upset/mad. Not that there aren't other deserving families out there, but Hey, Come On! We have been through so much in the last few years. Jon's accident and all the pain attached to that, new low-paying jobs, school, more low-paying jobs, (Well, at least he is working) having a baby almost referred to us from Vietnam just as Vietnam was to closed to U.S. adoptions, that baby passing away, switching countries while losing the money that we had spent on Vietnam, new homestudy, etc. etc. etc. FINALLY, getting our referral of a 'perfect' albeit premature, baby boy. We have been on this adoption journey for almost 3 years! I'm sorry, but I think that Jon and I should have at least been in the running for that grant.

OK, Sorry.... I needed to rant for a few.

Now that I have regained my composure....let's get on to the business at hand. There is a link in the left-hand column to our E-Bay store. Jon's mom (Jana) and I have been busy making things to sell to help raise money for Jake's adoption costs. All of the money we raise will be used solely and completely to cover these costs. We will be adding things as soon as we get them finished. There is also a link called "Chip-In", this is where donations can be made, if you feel so inclined.

Any support will be graciously and humbly appreciated.



This is the reason why our fundraiser is SO very important to us..........

A Quick Update and More Pics!

Our translated documents have been sent to the TECO office in Chicago. They arrived Thursday 11/12 first thing in the morning. So now I wait til they come back, then I rush to FEDEX them off to Taiwan. Once they arrive there, the next step is......our Court date! I can't believe that we may be going to get Jake in just a few weeks. My prayer is to be there near Christmas, but that is IF everything works perfectly. So, after the first of the year is ok, too. lol

He is doing great! Jake is up to 8.8 lbs, though still in preemie clothes. He is rolling over and loves to cuddle a blanket. Heavens...not another blankie kid! Jake has been using a pacifier but Jenna (his primary caregiver) told us that she saw him suck his thumb the other day. Like mother - like son. The new pics really seem to show off his personality.

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Don't you LOVE that smile!!!
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This is my favorite picture

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Here Jake is turning over while clutching his blanket.

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Jake's care package arrived!

The care package that we sent Jake finally arrived. It's so nice to see all the stuff we sent surrounding him with our love. The flannel blanket I made looks ten times better with him on it. In one picture, he is modeling his new diapers. Too Funny! I sent all preemie clothes and was worried that they would be too small. I guess not.

Jake comes Home from the Hospital

Though he still have a little diarrhea, they switched him to lactose-free formula and said to keep an eye on him so that he doesn't get dehydrated and sent him back to the House of Hope. We think he looks good in the pics below, but them again we think he looks good in all his pictures. LOL Love the hat!

Oct. 9th Update

I got this e-mail today.

"When we went to see Jake at visiting hours tonight we received the results of yesterday's blood tests. GREAT NEWS -- everything was normal. When Jake was first admitted to the hospital the nurses told us that Jake is a laid back and calm baby. We responded telling them that he must be sick since he loves to cry if he is not being held. Tonight they told us that Jake loves to cry and as soon as they pick him up he stops. We told them that he must be feeling better because that sounds like the 'Jake' that we know. Even though his blood test results are normal they will not release him from the hospital because he has diarrhea. The nurse said the diarrhea may be a result of the antibiotics and until it is under control it would be too easy for him to get dehydrated at home. Since he is continuing to have IV fluid and he is being fed a bottle every three hours he will not get dehydrated in the hospital. We are blessed to have such a good hospital close by.

Here are some picture from tonight's visit."









I asked if Jake ever smiled or was he a serious baby and this is the response I received.

"Jake is generous with his smiles when we smile at him. He uses his whole mouth to smile. We are behind a camera when we take his picture so by the time we capture him, he has stopped smiling. He really watches people's faces and if he is receiving a smile then he will return the smile. He continues to be active and wiggly. He has recently began cooing when he is being talked to. His favorite form of communication was 'grunting'. We think he did this because he did not like his harness and this was his way of telling us that he did not want it on. The harness did not hurt him so he would not cry about it but he would make a grunting sound. Since his harness has been off the grunting has stopped."

Scare in the Night

Last night, just before I went to bed, I checked my e-mail. I saw a new e-mail from our son's Home of Hope in Taiwan. OK, cool, maybe more new pics. But as I read the e-mail, I started to get scared. You will see why.....

"Sue and John,

A couple of nights ago we received a phone call from Glenda (our night time nanny). She told us that Jake had a fever of 99. Since it was almost midnight and 99 is not really a fever we told her to give him tylenol every four hours through the night and we would come over and assess him in the morning. Throughout the night we received a couple of messages from Glenda telling us was praying for Jake's health. Glenda adores Jake and she said she paced the nursery all night with him in her arms while she prayed. When we arrived in the morning we realized that he had no fever but that he was limp and 'not himself'. We took him to the ER and he was admitted to the hospital. The doctor took blood and ordered many tests. The results of the tests are that Jake has an infection. The doctor is unsure of the location of the infection but somewhere in Jake's sweet little body there is an infection. He is being given two different antibiotics through an IV. The doctor will continue to check his blood every couple of days to see if the infection is responding to treatment. The doctor thinks that drawing blood is much less invasive than giving Jake x-rays and scans. If Jake's infection does not respond to the treatment with the antibiotics then the doctor will do some more invasive tests. Jake will stay in the hospital for at least a week. A one week stay is standard here in Taiwan for infants with infections.

We know this type of news is the terrible to hear when you are thousands of miles away and you are unable to give him snuggles and see his sweet face for yourself. The hospital he is in is very close to us so we have been able to see him during
visiting hours. The hospital he is in is also a clean, trustworthy, and safe hospital. He is getting excellent care. He began looking better after a few hours of being in the hospital -- PTL.

"I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid." John 14:27 (Contemporary English Version)

We pray that you will feel God's peace in this difficult time.

Blessings,

Trena and Holly"

Here are pictures of Jake in the hospital.





**UPDATE**
We received a new e-mail.


"Your little man is doing fine. We are continuing to watch and pray with you."

We are so relieved but desperately wish we could go over there right now. We will not rest easy until he is in our arms.....forever.

The Latest Pics!

This Weeks New Pics!

Jake is doing Great! He seems to be looking all over the place, very observant of his surroundings. I just wish I could see a smile. He always looks so serious. Here are the new pictures that were taken yesterday.

Doctor Visit - No New Pictures

We got an update last night about Jake's doctor's visit on the 9th. He is doing "Great!". Again, the doctor's were very happy with his progress. He is growing in leaps and bounds. Once he finds the bottle, he grabs the nanny's hand so she can't pull it out til he's done. That's our boy! Hopefully we will get some new pics soon.

The paperchase is proving to be a exercise in perseverance. Just when I think I have all the documents together for the new homestudy, I find out that I need more! Well, again I am saying that.....I think I might have all the papers I need. But I reserve the right to be wrong. LOL As soon as I get our homestudy, I will send a copy to INS so we can get our Taiwan I-600A Approval (AKA the I-171H) and I can e-mail a copy to Taiwan to His Hands for them to have translated. They will return that back to us, with our translated Power of Attorney. When we receive those, we will take them to the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office (their version of a consulate) for their seal of approval. Then we send them back to His Hands in Taiwan. At that point, we will wait for our first of two courts date. Please pray for a speedy turnaround.

Newer Pictures!

I just got these this morning. Jake is growing, but he is still a little peanut! Here they tried to get him with his eyes open. And the grouchy picture is one of my favorites! Though, I bet I won't appreciate that look once he gets home!

More New Pictures!

Getting his 1st Hep B shot




We have a Binky boy!

New Update, No New Pics :-(

We just got this e-mail this morning: We need to send paperwork to Taiwan ASAP so they can get started on it. Jake went to the dr. yesterday for a check-up. He weighs 6 lbs. 4 ounces!!!! and he got his first Hep B shot. But he did great and the doctor told him to keep up the good work! His caregiver, Mary, said that he sleeps in three hour shifts, has his bottle and goes right back to bed. When awake, he is very alert and doing great! GOD IS WONDERFUL!!!!! We are so in love with this little miracle boy.

The girls go shopping!

Today Natalie and I went shopping for her baby brother. It was so much fun....well, at least for me. Natalie was not too thrilled about looking at all that blue! But once she got her light-up fairy wand, she was happy. Natalie declared that Toy-r-Us is her FAVORITE toy store. Oh no.....I thought she was spoiled before.

We found some great deals at a children's consignment store. I bought Jake a bouncer that has a built-in massager, along with vibration and music. I hope he likes it. We picked out a lot of really cute jammies and onesies. I got preemie size to send to him now and newborn/ 0-3month for when he comes home. Oh my word, they are all SO tiny!

New pictures from my friend, Gina. Her daughter Mylee is a HisHands baby, too. Gina got these pictures, that were taken Friday, and when she saw Jake in them, she was kind enough to send them on to us.




LOOK WHO HAS HIS EYES OPEN!

New Pictures!

I am so in Love! I was told that he is doing great! Jake is in excellent care and being hugged and cuddled for us. I am over the moon.

The Lowdown.......Warning, Warning...........Does Not Compute!

Now that I have regained some of my composure, I will explain how this came about. Since we are doing an Independent Taiwan Adoption, there is really no agency. We contacted a women's home in Taiwan that is run by two Christian women from the US. They were called to help young women in need of prenatal services, counselling and postnatal help. Their mission was to help these women with options other than abortion. Before long they realized that their were being directed by a Higher Power to help these babies find a loving family that could care for them. This is how they became involved in adoption.

An on-line friend advised me to look into independent adoptions when it seemed as though all doors to finding our son were being closed in our faces. In a round about way, I found His Hands Taiwan, Inc. They were very small and just beginning to do adoptions. I filled out their on-line application and waited. After not hearing back from them, I got discouraged but my friend told me to hang in there. When I received the newsletter from His Hands saying that they had babies in need of families I e-mailed them and asked about our application. They never received it! My MSN account was not recognizing their e-mails and deleting them!!! So, long story short......I re-applied, sent in any and all documents that I had from our Vietnam dossier and then prayed - a lot.

Last week, His Hands posted a picture of a beautiful baby boy that they had just brought home from the hospital. I could not take my eyes off of him. I was drawn to him, I could actually feel him in my arms. I could picture him wearing the clothes that I had bought. But why was I feeling this? Chances were that he would be referred to someone that had been on the 'list' longer than us. I had to steel myself against getting too attached. But yet, I could not go more than a few hours without seeing his tiny face. The next day, His Hands posted a newer picture of him. This time I FELL! I was head-over-heels in love with him. I knew that I would be devastated when he was referred to someone else but it was too late. The next day I couldn't take it any more so I posted on His Hands Facebook page, inquiring if he had found his forever family yet - truly expecting to hear that he had. I kept looking for their answer, nothing came.

Yesterday, I was reading my sociology book and, surprise, found myself falling asleep. So I went and laid down. The next thing I knew, Jon was getting Natalie ready to take her to the Red Slide (aka Mickey D's Playland). I got up and had to make a stop in the, um, restroom. While there, Natalie came in, turned around, whispered to Daddy about what she was supposed to say, came back in and, handing me some papers, said "Would you like to meet my new baby brother?!" OK, now this is NOT how I pictured this moment!!!!! I sat there staring at a face that I had grown to love, a face that had become so familiar to me. I looked up at Jon and, when I could talk, asked what he was doing with these pictures. He said that he almost deleted them before he opened the e-mail because he thought it was spam. OH MY GOD! Then he realized what he was looking at. Our REFERRAL!

It took me several minutes to....breathe, talk, function, compute. All I could picture was the robot from Lost in Space spinning around, waving his arms saying "Does not compute, does not compute".

It's a BOY!

I never thought that I would ever be able to say those words. But today it happened. Jon opened an e-mail that he thought might be spam, but something told him to open it before he deleted it. When he did, he was shocked to find a little face staring back at him. When Natalie brought me the printed out e-mail (in the bathroom, no less) it was a good thing that I was where I was because that's where I would have needed to be. If you get my drift. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I am still in SHOCK!

Anyway, you aren't really interested in all this.

So......

Here he is


Born: July 5, 2009 (6 weeks early!)
Name: Jonathon Joseph JinChung (Jake)
Weight: 3 lbs. 14 oz.
Nationality: Taiwanese

Time does Heal

Twenty years ago today, my life was irrevocably changed. At the time, I felt as though my life would end, that the world as I knew it was gone forever. But GOD had a plan. Personally, I though HE had lost HIS mind. I was angry at HIM for years. But HE put up with my temper tantrums, my shouts about injustice, my cries of sorrow. He patiently waited, in HIS fatherly way HE consoled me. And now I am beginning to see HIS road for me. HE had taken me down that path because HE wanted me to be a strong wife, to be a passionate mother, to really appreciate children on a higher level. I never, Ever thought I could love again. Love, unconditional love, was far more painful than blind, innocent love. You understand all the risks and accept them - regardless of what might happen. Or how long you might have.

B., M., K., and E., I will always love you and never forget what you gave me.

Caution....Rant in progress

Sorry for that, I just needed to rant for a moment. All better now. Well, sort of.

Not Much to Say ~

I was told that this blog has been kind of depressing lately and with not much to tell, I haven't been too inspired to post. But I will fill you in on what I know (little though it is)..... We were accepted into a program in Taiwan. We are working with a maternity home which does independent adoptions. They assist women-in-need with their prenatal care and delivery. The women are given parenting classes and/or counseling if they want it. IF they decide that they can not care for their child, the option of adoption is offered to them and this home assists in placing the child with an adoptive family. The home helps the adoptive family with all the Taiwan paperwork and appointments, and the adoptive family just needs to handle the US paperwork. The ladies running the home are vacationing in TX with their families until August, when they return to Taiwan. So, referrals and any new baby news will resume when they return. Since it is a small organization, they limit how many waiting families they accept. And since they can not predict when a baby will become available, our wait time is uncertain. But at least I feel and believe that this will happen.

Changes about the Christmas Quilts

I was reading Facebook and was saddened when one of my on-line buddies, Shelby, said that she was going off-line for awhile because she needed to re-group her life. She has this wonderful organization that helps special needs children find their forever families. Unfortunately, with the economy is such dire straits, she is having a hard time finding donations to help give grants for these children. Shelby said that she wanted to have a fundraiser auction this coming October, but no one had come forward to donate items for the auction. She had decided that she would just let the Elison Project fade away. But GOD had other ideas for her. From out of the blue, she received a donation of a special carved ball from China. And so began new found mission. Shelby would continue to look for donations and continue to try and help special needs children unite with their loving families.
When I read Shelby's post, my heart broke. After working so hard to help others, to see her so upset and feeling hopeless, it just made me so sad. I wondered what I could do. I knew that sending money was out of the question, but maybe I could send her something to auction off. Like a lightening bolt it struck me that I had two Christmas quilts that would make wonderful items to auction off. I mean, isn't that what I was planning to do with them? Though we could use the donation ourselves, I was 'told' that these quilts were needed elsewhere. Without any hesitation, I contacted Shelby and let her know that there were 2 quilts coming her way for the auction. That was the easiest e-mail for me to send. I hope and pray that she gets lots of money for them. Please go to her site - The Elison Project (click on the link above). I hope you are inspired to help, too.

Official Letter comes

WOW! I told myself that I would not get upset about not getting the grant, but I guess I was kidding myself. I am so bummed!