While We Wait: What I've Read

I posted last how this waiting has been so long. We are keeping ourselves busy while we wait though, and I thought I'd do a few posts about what we've been doing to occupy ourselves in the meantime.

First, I thought I'd do a post about what I've been reading in the meantime, as that tends to be one of the most frequently asked questions on the adoption forums and pages that I've been able to follow...

In the past few months, these are some of the books I've been reading:

The Lost Daughter's of China (click title to access on Amazon). I do like this book, but it's not my favorite. It's definitely following someone's adoption journey, and it's not from a Christian perspective, which is interesting since a lot of adoption books do happen to discuss in relation to Christ. It's a bit of a lengthier, slower read, and slightly outdated, as it refers often to the patterns of adoption in China in the early 2000's when many healthy baby girls were being abandoned and adopted internationally mostly just due to their gender. Now, there are just as many, if not more boys who are being abandoned, and all international adoptions from China are special need adoptions only.

Bringing Lucy Home (click title to access on Amazon) I really like this book. Oddly enough, Kris had bought this for me a few years ago, before adopting from China was even back on our radar. I re-read it again, this time with a better understanding of the process. This is written from a Christian perspective. Also, I do LOVE this because it's relatively short and a really easy read. She blogged her journey first before adjusting to a book format, so the writing is very casual and friendly.

Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother (click title to access on Amazon) This really may be one of my favorite books of all time. It is longer, but I still couldn't put it down, and read it in 24 hours. I read it NON-STOP. It was so intriguing. The author is Chinese, and was a radio host of a women's program for years, and traveled ALL over China interviewing women. This story tells the anonymous stories of women all over China who were in terrible, terrible situations and made the horribly painful decisions to give up their daughters. This one is not a happy book, I'll say that up front. However, it's reality, and SO interesting. I loved that I feel like a was able to gain insight into the mind of Caroline's birth mom, but I was also able to learn tidbits about all regions of China. SO GOOD.

The Magnolia Story (click title to access on Amazon) because how many books on China and adoption can you really read in a row, and who doesn't just love the Gaines' with every bit of their being?! I LOVE THEM. This is such a light-hearted, quick read. It's not heavy in the least, and I love how both Chip and Jo contribute, and you know who's "talking" by the font. I so admire their relationship and just love their mutual respect for one another. They speak so highly of each other, and seem to have a genuinely good time together, even when they took big risks that didn't always pay off. Now THAT'S the type of marriage I want to have!

The Little Woman (click title to access on Amazon) THIS IS THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL. Back in third grade, Miss Bosch read us this book, and this is the book that started my little nine year old heart wanting to adopt from China. What a beautiful full-circle moment to be able to re-read the words that placed our girl on my heart so long ago. This is a really short, quick read and it's really inexpensive. I constantly remember this book throughout this journey. As Gladys started praying about going to China, which was so ridiculous in context (she was a single woman in the 1930's who didn't speak a lick of Mandarin), she heard the Holy Spirit asking her "Is Nehemiah's God your God?" I have told myself that so much during this process, and I'll say, we have seen God show up like never before, just liked Gladys did throughout her life. I long for the day when I can live every day remembering that Nehemiah's God is my God, without constantly doubting His faithfulness.

The Connected Child (click title to access on Amazon) This is a book "for" adoptive families, however, I'm pretty sure that ANY family with any type of behavioral/anxiety issues could benefit from this book. Karyn Purvis was the greatest of the great when it came to dealing with trauma in children appropriately, and she has truly become the standard of awesome parenting in the adoptive community. Apparently, she's even become a verb, as a fellow adoptive momma wrote this week (in regards to how hard it can be to parent a child from grief and trauma) that "we just can't Purvis all the time." If you google this book, it will also bring up amazing video resources. I highly recommend this!

 The One Year Bible (click title to access on Amazon) SO MANY PEOPLE blogged/Instagramed that they're been reading through the Bible annually using this. I've been a Christian for twenty eight years, and I've never read it clear through, so I decided that this was the year. I ordered this, and have been reading it incrementally. It's New Living Translation, which is different than what I'm used to, but I like the wording so far. Also, I LOVE the lay out. Reading all the old laws in the Old Testament is really, really hard for me. I love that this breaks up the monotony of it, and pairs it side by side with the Gospel. For me, it puts the grace and freedom from Jesus in a whole new light when it is compared (literally) right next to Leviticus.

My good ol' NIV Bible- I'm not linking this, because I really think a daily Bible should be a matter of preference for the reader. Truthfully, I'm not strictly dedicated to the NIV, and I've heard lots of arguments for lots of different translations, HOWEVER, I am much more simple than that. This Bible was from the Family Christian Bookstore years ago, and I ended up with NIV because I loved the size and feel of this Bible in my hands. I knew I'd be more likely to spend time in it, if it was physically comfortable to me. This Bible has almost become like "home" it's so familiar. I tried to replace my Bible with my One Year Bible just so I could deal with less books, but as gooney as this sounds, I started feeling "homesick" for my old Bible, so I'm just doing both for now as much as I can.

What have you been reading lately? I would love some recommendations... Remember, I'm waiting a lot and need to occupy my mind so I don't become a crazy lady :)

HAPPY WEEKEND, FRIENDS!

Update(s) on our Girlie!

When we started this process, I was sure it would be so much "better" than being pregnant, and I was so wrong. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely different.

But, FRIENDS, this waiting is SO HARD. It's just as hard as being pregnant

We are on day #34 of our wait for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China. This can range from 40-100 days, but it feels like it's been months and months already. It's so trying- we can't even tentatively plan anything travel-wise until we receive our LOA. However, even after we receive LOA, the timelines we're being told range anywhere from 7 weeks to 12 weeks until travel.

By God's grace, last Sunday night (Monday morning in China) we received our first update on our beautiful girl! We couldn't have been more excited- the update came exactly when we needed it. It's the oddest sensation to miss a child so desperately that you've never met face to face. It was boggling opening our email to see our precious girl an entire year older. My heart.

Friends, do you see the tiny bracelet on her wrist?! Oh my. And look at all her pony tails! I have stared at this picture way more than you can imagine. If I could crawl into that photo I would.

She just looks so sleepy here, and I love to imagine her home in her jammies making this precious sleepy girl face. And may I note: this girl is a GIRL'S girl. She is eating out in the first picture, and shopping in the second. This is my DAUGHTER! :)

 

Look how bundled our little dolly is. FYI: in China, they bundle the children like no one's business. Even in the summer from what I hear, they still dress them much warmer than we would ever dress our children here in the states. It's a cultural thing, and I love it so (they all look like little squishy marshmallows). I love her little pipe cleaner crown!

 I can hardly handle the pig tails. She is so darling, and we are so thankful that somehow, God is leading our girl across the world to our family.

We received ten questions answered by her foster mom, and we have learned such precious tidbits about her. I've read it over and over again, and each time feel like I'm getting to "know" her better. This girl is obviously so loved and well cared for in her foster home. She attends therapy daily, and by God's grace, this little girl who we were unsure would ever be able to walk without assistance is now running. She doesn't like noisy toys, and if they surprise her, she throws them and yells 'no' at them. She is allergic to seafood, and loves meat and pot-stickers (that-a-girl).

Friends, this girl is HEALTHY. She's a big girl :) She's bigger than her big brother Bennett in both height and weight, and almost weighs as much as her biggest brother, Keegan. We are so very thankful to have her in such awesome care.

What we've found is that now our preparations are having to adjust slightly, and we're having to prepare for the fact that although she may not have much experience with the trauma from neglect that typically comes with adoption- we're having to prepare that the grief she will feel will most likely be that of having to leave her China Granny and foster brother. Will you please continue to pray for her heart? That she would start to be prepared for all of these changes coming up?

This update was so, so precious to us, and helped us to feel all the closer to our Caroline Grace, but my WORD, if I thought I was itching to get over to China to pick her up before, you better believe that I am all the more on pins and needles to get over there now.

Lastly, will you pray that God would continue to direct our paperwork through the right hands in China so we can start moving on to the next step? Waiting is hard. But what a joy to be waiting on our Sweet Caroline, and to be able to trust in our God who is able.

We are so very grateful for your willingness to join us on this journey to bring our girl home. You are (all) the best, and I couldn't be more thankful for you.