BTDT???

On Saturday we received our I800 approval, yay!!.  International adoption is packed with acronyms and forms.  We are BTDT (been there done that) AP (adoptive parents) awaiting our DD (dear daughter), while DS (dear son) keeps us busy.  An I800 is just one of many, many forms that we’ve had to file and get approved from some sort of agency or governing body.  This particular form is part of a series of immigration forms that will help us bring Lucy home.  There was an I800, proceeded by the I800A, the I864W, the DS230, the Supplement 3….need I continue??  Needless to say we are very familiar with where to get something FedEx’d, UPS’d, USPS’d, notarized, money-ordered, faxed, copied, certified, ordered or just plain ole’ filled out.  At this point we are waiting for a NVC (national visa center) letter, and an Article 5, TA (travel approval) and a CA (consulate appointment).  And then we get to go to the PRC (China) for LUCY.

Additionally, DS (Tyson) had a fairly minor surgery today.  He’s BTDT with the whole OR thing but it still stinks all the same.  The nurses and docs at CHKD (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters) took great care of him… All right, I’ll stop using acronyms and just tell the story. Little man has been known to throw a fit going into the OR (and pee on his mama and the OR table), so our friend and pre-op nurse last time suggested a little pre-medication.  It made all of the difference in the world both this time and last.  (Thanks Whitney!)   I’m not sure how else to describe how he acts on the med but let’s just say “goofy”.  He was all smiles and silly sentences.  He says things like “my mouth doesn’t work” and watched his hands move with an amused/bewildered expression on his face.  After that everything went smoothly and he blew kisses at us as they carted him off to the OR.  The surgery was straightforward and went well.  In the recovery room he was ticked off and miserable until he woke up enough to eat a fruit punch slushy.  He’s now doing well and will go back to school tomorrow.  Next month he’ll go back to surgery for a few revisions of previous surgeries. There’s bound to be more drama next time around…even for the kid that’s BTDT.

 

We are still on track for a July departure for China.  Excited doesn’t even explain how we feel.  The purple room upstairs is just too empty.  It needs a little girl, with beautiful brown eyes to fill it up.  Almost daily people ask me what Tyson thinks of getting a sister.  I think that he is excited for the idea of her.  I really don’t think anyone is truly ready to be kicked off of the throne.  For a year and a half he’s been the center of our attention, gifts and time.  Sharing it may be hard but I think he’s up for the challenge.

TTFN,

Melis

And Her Name Shall Be...

Lucy!!!  We know that it wasn’t the poll winner but to us, she just looks like a Lucy.  Her American name will be Lucy Siying Jacques.   Much to Tyson’s chagrin, we will not be going with ‘hotdog’. 

Thursday we had our first travel meeting with our agency.  It was a 3-hour conference call with our agency’s travel coordinator and the 11 other families that are also preparing to travel.  We can’t even express how excited we are to be in this stage of the process.  Of course there is still lots of paperwork to do but it is with joy that we do it- this is the paperwork that will finally bring home our little girl, Lucy.  It is no longer the dream of A little girl, it is the reality of bringing home OUR little girl; she has a face, a name and also a personality that we can’t wait to see!

The million dollar question- WHEN???  When do we go to and get her?  Adoption time is like football time.  This last quarter of the game could take its scheduled time to play out or a lot longer. (Or for my fellow ER staff it’s like ER time.)  There are so many variables.  All that said, we are thinking that we will go in July.  Woohooo…. we’re coming to get you Lucy!

The Jacques house is going to be undertaking some pint-sized changes in preparation for Lucy.  The guest room will now be hers.  The furniture has been ordered and its theme will be based around some fabric that NaiNai (Maureen) picked out and will make a blanket with.  Because Tyson was 4 when he came home we skipped a lot of the baby proofing that other families do.  We will need to install baby gates, locks, furniture straps and a few other things to keep her safe.  We can’t even imagine where we are going to put Lucy’s toys amongst Tyson’s little toy kingdom.  Good problems to have, right?

Hey parents of little girls, help me out.  How do you not go absolutely crazy with all of those cute clothes and accessories?!!!  We’re going to go broke!

Random other ramblings:

When Tyson wants to stall going to bed he likes to say, “let’s sit on the couch and talk about when MeiMei (Mandarin for little sister) comes home.”  I think that he may be a little shocked when he realizes that she really doesn’t want a Wii remote as her homecoming present. 

Prayers needed:  Please keep praying for our paperwork.  The sooner it is done the sooner we get to go get Lucy.  Also, please continue to pray for Lucy herself.  She seems to be doing well medically but it is so hard not to be there everyday with her and only getting minute updates on occasion.