Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas we have had. We are exhausted but have enjoyed being with all of our family very much. I wish all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With much love!

Tammy

GOOD NEWS!!!!!

What a great Christmas present I got today! I got an email from the NBA (us government) and they have approved our I-800! They mailed our approval today. It has been taking 90 days or more for people to get their approvals but it only took us 70 days! God is so good! All of our paperwork is complete and I will start copying, scanning and getting our state seals. It should be in the mail to go to the Bethany headquarters by the end of next week and then it will go on to the Chinese Consulate to be translated and then to CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) which is when we will get our Log-In date. It is then that we will officially be waiting for our Madison!

Thanks to everyone who has prayed! Keep praying that there are big changes in 09. Tammy

We are one step closer to bringing you home sweet baby girl!!!

CCAA Update

There was an update posted today on Bethany's site. The CCAA sent out referrals for 5 days. They are now to March 06. Any progress is good for me.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I had to go to Bloomington, IL for a week for work and it was so cold, but they had some beautiful snow. Last Thursday was Corey's 15th birthday. I cannot believe it. I feel like I just brought him home. We took the day off and went and got his driving permit and went to lunch. We had a lot of fun together. We also got a beautiful snow Thursday night. What a great birthday present for Corey. He drove me around all day and did great. I am so proud of him and the person he is. He is just so well-rounded, smart, and of course very handsome! He is going to do great things one day!

We also had our Christmas party for our small group this weekend and that was a great time too. I feel very blessed to have great friends. Christmas is just a week away and I still have shopping to do. I will finish up this weekend hopefully.

That is all for now!

Tammy

Thanksgiving

Still no form! I did talk to the USCIS and our fingerprints cleared and he said we are just waiting for our final approval.

We decorated our house yesterday for Christmas! This is a first for us. We always decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. It looks really pretty! I was thinking about Thanksgiving and eveything that I have. I just have to stop thank God for so many blessings he has given me. I have a wonderful husband who works hard, loves us very much and is crazy about our boys. I have two very beautiful, sweet healthy, good boys (even though they can really try me sometimes). Me and Tommy both have wonderful parents and family and friends. We have a beautiful home, nice things and food in our cabinet, and jobs to go to everyday. And hopefully very soon, we will have a wonderful little Chinese daughter to love! I could go on and on and when I really start to think about everything in my life, I am in awe of how God continues to bless us. As our pastor has talked about the last couple of weeks, we truly are rich!

It is also with a heavy heart that I go into the holidays. I feel like our family is incomplete and it is hard to not have Madie at home and to not know how many more Thanksgivings we are going to have to wait for her. I continue to tell myself, it is all in God's time, but it is still very hard. There is a verse that God led me to and sometimes when I really start to feel things are never going to happen I read it. It is Habbakuk 2:3 and it says, " But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfiilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed".

My little Madie,
I just want you to know that this Thanksgiving we don't know when we will get to bring you home, but we are very thankful that God knows and that it will be just at the right time! I have imagined and dreamed of you so much! You are already a part of me and you hold a piece of my heart forever. I pray that you always know just how much we have loved you from the very start. This journey started for me four years ago and my love has just grown more and more everyday. My prayer is that you will change the world one day. I know that you have already changed me and your not even here yet! I love you! Mommy

Referral Update from CCAA

Bethany posted today that CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) only did 2 days of referrals this month, which put them through Feb. 17th, 2006. All applications through Feb. 28th 2007 are through the review room. I just hope that the rumors are true and something happens at the first of the year and there is a speed up! Still no I171 yet. I am just still in hopes of getting it this month.

That's all for now!

Tammy

Fingerprints - Election

Finally! Yesterday we went for our fingerprinting. I talked to our agency today and she seems to think we will get our I171 back fairly soon. I am still hoping for December for our DTC (Dossier to China). The monthly update from the CCAA should be posted by next week. Hopefully the number of days for referrals increased. I read where the drop out rate is pretty high right now because of the wait. I hope that did not sound bad. I want every child in China to go to their forever home! I understand, but we are in it for the long haul!!! Hopefully 2009 will have big changes.

Well, history was made yesterday. The first African-American President was voted into the White House, Barack Obama. It is such a confusing time in our country right now. At times I feel we are more divided now than we have ever been as a country. The one thing that I do know is God is in complete control and knew long before yesterday who would be elected. I serve an almighty, all-knowing, soverign God, and I put complete Faith in him, not one man. And though it is our duty and a privilege to vote as citizens, God has an ultimate plan!

That's all for now, off to sleep! Thanks to everyone who has commented! It is so much fun to read them and to know someone is listening to these ramblings.

Tammy

Update

Well, we finally received our letter with our appointment to get fingerprinted. We go on November 4th at 9 am. That means we are one step closer to sending our paperwork. I am looking for her bedding and stuff for her room now. I cannot wait to get started on that! Maybe that will keep me occupied and from going stir crazy. I have so many ideas and there is just so much out there to choose from. I do know that I am going with pink/brown. I have already bought clothes, I just hope they all fit. I bought Madie her first bracelet this last weekend. It is just so much fun to buy girl stuff! The boys keep telling me she already has more clothes than they do.

I have really been wandering if Madie has been conceived yet. I just get butterflies thinking that she very well could be growing! I just pray for her and her mother's health during this time. I often think about who her birth parents are and what they are like. Oh how they must feel to have to give her up. I will be forever grateful to them for keeping her and for God allowing us to have her. As a mother, I can't imagine making that decision.

Madie, I can't wait to hold you in my arms and see your beautiful face! Me, your daddy and your brothers are all getting more excited everyday thinking about you. I know that you are going to capture the hearts of many people. I don't know how long we will have to wait for you to come home, but I pray that it is very soon. I will wait an eternity if I have to. I love you very much! Mommy