Saturday, April 10, 2010

We Need a Little Help

Chip and I talked it over, and although we didn't want to ask anyone for money related to the adoption, we've decided we need to. We've already saved (and gotten loans for) everything for the adoption itself, but now we just need funds for expenses while in China. These expenses will include food, transportation (taxis), other miscellaneous expenses, and/or emergency or other unforseen expenses. Also, Chip recently got a paycut, and that combined with saving for the adoption will leave us with very little left when we get back home. Chip will get a paycheck about a week after we get back, so we'll need just enought to get us through that week.

We're unable to take out any more loans, so we have no other option than to ask for the money from our friends.

If you can give anything at all, please do. Just click on the "ChipIn!" box, and it will take you to PayPal to make a donation. It will all add up, and EVERY BIT will help. Thank you so much!

It Won't Be Long Now!!!

Exactly one month from today, on May 10th, we'll finally meet little Shi Lin face to face.  I can't wait for that moment!  I know there will be lots of happy tears on Chip's and my part, at least.  I'm praying for Shi Lin; I know that at the same time that it's happy, it will also be a very sad day for her because she'll be leaving the only family she's ever known.  I hope she can come to feel someday that we are her family and know how much we love her.

On May 10th, our family will finally be complete.  I've had this feeling, a feeling I couldn't even describe for so long.  It felt like something was missing, event though I wasn't even consciously aware of it.  Something just seemed wrong, and I couldn't put my finger on it.  Now I know there was a hole, a hole that was meant to be filled by Shi Lin.  I am so aware of that hole now, and I seem more aware of it the closer we get to getting our daughter.  I can't wait for her to fill in that hole, so that our family can be whole at last.

Please keep us in your prayers as we prepared to meet our daughter.  We have so much preparation left to do.  Getting the house in order, packing (LOTS of packing!), mental and emotional preparation, not to mention physical preparation.  About four days before we get on the plane, I plan to start getting Miles and myself on China time.  The plan is to get us up a couple of hours early, then take Miles to the playground for a few hours to get him really tired, and come home, have some supper, take some Benadryl, and go to bed two hours earlier than usual.  The next day, get up earlier, maybe 3 hours, then go to bed 3 hours earlier.  Then the next 2 days, continue to get up and go to bed earlier until we're on China time, or close to it.  They're 13 hours behind us, so hopefully we can adjust to that before we leave so it won't be quite so hard on us when we do get to China.  Poor Chip won't be able to do this, since he'll work up until the day we leave.

We're going to shop today for things we're going to need for the trip.  I'm so excited!  Every step we take makes it seem more real!