Where Are We?

Just in case you have been staying awake, night and day, waiting on my next blog post, her it is!
I've got to do a little better at keeping this journey of this adoption documented on this blog. So, here's an update.

First and foremost, some pictures of our little man.




Isn't he the most precious thing in the world? We think so.

We have decided on a name. His name will be Isaiah Yang Hood. We didn't have a whole lot of trouble this time deciding on a name. There were few names that Pat and I both like, so the pool to choose from was relatively small. Almost non-existent in fact. :) But we both love the name Isaiah. For the record, Pat likes the dumbest names. Why is that always the way it is?

We are moments away from having our homestudy complete. At that time, it will make it's way to immigration and they will QUICKLY process our immigration paperwork. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We are waiting on our final, approved copy and off it goes. In the meantime, I am working on dossier documents and as quick as we get that coveted piece of paperwork from immigration, our dossier will be on it's way to China. Please pray that all of this happens very quickly.

So, that's kind of an update of where we are with this adoption. We cannot wait to get our little guy home. He needs to be with his family and we need him here. Please pray that things move quickly. But not too quickly, we've got some money to raise! Ah yes, it's God's perfect timing that comes in to play once again.

Thanks for reading and love you all!

How Do You Know?

One of the questions that I have gotten in the past few days is "how do you know?" meaning how did we know that the little boy that I found on a waiting child list was the one that we were supposed to move forward with. That is a great question and I wish I had an answer.

For months, I have checked waiting children lists. On one of the yahoo groups, I ran across a link to Bringing Hope to Children and decided to check them out. So, for a couple of weeks, I checked their list fairly regularly. I even went so far as to request the files on a couple of little boys that were precious. There were some factors that we already knew. We knew that we were going to adopt a little boy this time, we knew we were going special needs, we knew for the most part what SN we were open to. A short list which included cleft lip/cleft palate and heart defects. While the boys files that I had requested were precious, there wasn't a "tug" of my heart.

On November 19, I ran across a boy on their list that had May 25, 2008 listed after his name. That caught my eye as May 25 is my birthday. I read the information about the little boy and requested his file. When I received the information on YHH, I opened the pdf and just sort of sat there. That familiar ache of my heart was there. Not sure what it meant yet, but it was there. I forwarded the information to Pat at the church and simply said "look at this little boy" in the subject line of the email. We continued over the next 2 weeks to go back and look at the pictures. I printed the file out and took it to our Dr. to look over, something that I don't normally do but felt like I needed to. I corresponded back and forth with BHTC with some general questions, all the while, feeling that longing in my heart when I looked at his pictures. I felt as though I had a pretty clear understanding of how quickly we could move through this process and what we needed to begin.

After much prayer, we did something that I knew in my heart all along that we would do. On Saturday, December 5, I emailed Bringing Hope and let them know that we were ready to move forward with the adoption of YHH if he was still available. This was on a Saturday. We heard back from them on Sunday evening and he was in fact still available and they would contact me on Monday about getting the pre-approval process started.

So, I tell you all of that to answer your question this way. I don't have an answer to "how do you know" but somehow, you just know. There was that familiar longing that I felt deep in my heart for this child. The kind that you feel when a part of you is missing. Can't explain it, but it's there. We think he is just beautiful and is just perfect. We can't wait until we can post pictures of his beautiful face.

Thank you for sharing in our joy. You will never know how much we appreciate it.

We Have a New Daughter!

We are please to announce that we have received the referral of our beautiful Ethiopian daughter. We got the call at 1:28 pm yesterday from Abbey, our social worker. We were so surprised.

Of course, Pat was in Murfreesboro and I had to call him to tell him to get himself home - NOW. I told Abbey I would call her back when he got home, ran and got the video camera set up and waited on him to get here. Finally, they made it home and we called her back. She wasn't at her desk because that would have been much too easy, so I left a message. Soon, she called back and she emailed the information/pictures to us. We all gathered around the computer and opened the email.

Because of Ethiopian law, we can't post pictures in a public forum, blog etc. until after our court date. Just take my word, she is BEAUTIFUL. She is a little peanut, 23 lbs, but has the biggest eyes ever. Her eyes are the biggest part of her. She will be 2 this month on 2/28 and we are so sad that we won't be there for her birthday. But, we'll make up for it when we get her home. Pray, pray, pray for a speedy court date and that we pass the first time. We just want her home.

We are blessed beyond anything that we could hope for or imagine. We are praising God for His faithfulness and for His goodness. Thank you for sharing in our joy and rejoicing with us. God is good.

Don't Forget About Wall/Window Decals

Hey everyone!

Just a quick reminder. Don't forget about the wall/window decals that are available. They look great on your car and on your walls! What better way to start a conversation about adoption in the parking lot of the grocery store? :)

Thanks for your help in bringing home Alyza Kate. We really appreciate it!

More Exciting News

Just to tease you, MORE exciting news on my Ethiopian blog!

Thanks a Bunch!

Well, the poll has closed, the voting has ended and we are not one bit closer to deciding on a name. I am lobbying for a couple of names that were not even on the poll.

Thanks to all that voted and gave me their opinion. Sorry for those of you that told me what you DIDN'T like, because when we name her that name, I will tell her that you don't like it. :) Okay, maybe I won't, maybe I will have forgotten by then.

Maybe.

I'm still taking suggestions, looking into a few names, and getting generally frustrated by the whole thing.

No, our I171H is STILL not here, believe me, you would have read it by now if it had came. It has been almost 5 months since I filed our original request. What is up with that? Don't get me started on that one.

BTW, I have our Ethiopia blog up and running and will now, formally switch any updates etc. to that blog. You can find it at the link on the side or you can click here and go there. It's still a work in progress, but I am working on getting all the information in my notebook transferred to her blog. Enjoy reading yet another blog. I'll be posting on that blog a name, IF, we ever decide on one. So, hop on over and check it out. I think it looks great.

Oh, and our friends and fellow FBC staff member and wife, Chris and Dawn, were added to the Ethiopia waiting list TODAY! Hooray! They are in the process of adopting our baby girl's husband. :) I think arranged marriages are a great idea! We are both using the same agency and we are so excited about walking this journey along side of them. Who knows, maybe we can travel together. I worried about our daughter not having a connection to her country because there was no one else in the church that had adopted from Ethiopia. Jadyn has such a strong connection as there are so many families with girls adopted from China and I prayed and prayed for this baby to have a connection also. The day we announced to the church that we are adopting from Ethiopia, Chris and Dawn pulled me aside and said that they were ready to start the process of adoption and that felt God was leading them to adopt from Ethiopia. Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm, ain't God good? There is our baby girls connection to her country and her culture. This is only the beginning of great things to come. I just know it. Congratulations Chris and Dawn, we are very excited for you.

Help!

Okay, so we can't seem to decide on a name, so, I'm taking a poll.

You can cast your vote above on your favorite name for our African princess, or make a suggestion in the comments. We will not publicly criticize you name ideas - we'll save that for the privacy of our own home! :)

Here is the thoughts behind the names - because you know we can't do anything randomly or just because.

Eliana (Hebrew-God has answered) Kate (just like the name)
Remember that Jadyn is Hebrew for "God has heard" Smart, huh?

Emmye (again, just like the name-no meaning) Elizabeth (Consecrated to God - did not want this baby to have a name that meant absolutely nothing, so we agreed on Elizabeth - which is a great feat these days)

If we name her Eliana Kate - we will call her Ellie Kate

If we name her Emmye Elizabeth - we have several options on what we will call her. Emmye Beth being one of them.

If we name her Elizabeth Kate - we will call her either Lizzie Kate or Eliza Kate (and Alison, that's kind of like Aliza )

So, what do you think. Go ahead, cast your vote, but don't be offended if we don't use your favorite, we're like that you know! And, for the record, we are certainly open to suggestions. If you can come up with a name that we LOVE and AGREE on, then I'll do something very special - like monogram your underwear or something.

Sorry if you have already voted, I added the other name to the poll and had to remove the other one. So, you can revote if you want.

A Joyful Reunion!

In May 2007, 16 families met up in various locations, some in the airports and some in Beijing.  In gathering together, we had one common goal.  To receive the children that we had been praying for and thinking about for 2 years.  But with that, something funny happened, we became very close friends.  The families gathered in that little conference room at the Fuling SWI in Chongqing, China and shared a very intimate moment with the other families that were there, the "birth" of our children.  We watched as those before us were handed their children and didn't see another thing once they called our name, except that beautiful child that was just placed in our arms.  What a joyous time it was.

It was time for us to gather together again.  This time, a little over one year later, 12 of those families met in Sevierville and picked up just where we left off.  It was the strangest thing and felt as if we had never been apart, like old friends that had know each other all their life. Not much change, except there were smiles on those little Chinese faces this time and not tears. And yes, their hair was a little longer. Over the last year, as parents, we watched these children blossom into little people with their own personalities and charm.  What a joyous reunion it was to share in that change with almost everyone. The families that were unable to be there were deeply missed.

We left here on Sunday morning and met up with the families at Hidden Mtn. Resort.  Our cabins were joined together by a breezeway and the two cabins shared our own pool.  It was a blast.  The girls and Jordan(our only little boy that every Mom wants to arrange a marriage to their daughter) played and swam and "reconnected".  I don't know if they have a clue, but their parents sure did.  We realized how important it is to keep this bond strong with this group of children.  They will forever be connected as children from Fuling SWI who were placed in the arms of their parents on May 13, 2007.   Their parents are extremely proud of their own and of everyone elses.

Mostly, we just hung out.  We did attend the Cirque de Chine at the Music Mansion on Tuesday.  It was great, what memories it brought back.  The children were so well behaved for the 2 hour show.  Some watched intently, some napped.  Jadyn was mesmerized and kept waving at the acts when they would come to the front of the stage.  After the show, we gathered at a Chinese restaurant and had dinner together.  It was a great day.  

We feel so blessed to be friends with these people. Thank you, Fuling Families, for what you mean to the Hoods.  We share a common bond and we genuinely enjoy being with you.  

We are already talking about making plans for next year!  We are so grateful to God for bringing us together as a group and as Him to continue to strengthen the bond between these children of Fuling.  Here are a few pictures from our time together.   Enjoy!

Press On

Adoption is not for sissies.

That has been my catch phrase for a long time. Unless you have been there, no one really knows just how hard it really is. Take a look at some of the time of my posts and emails. It's hard. It tends to cause a lot of sleepless nights.

When families go into the adoption process, no matter how many times you are told this, you never know until you actually get into the thick of things just how hard it really is. I've labored for hours (many hours), only to end up with a c-section and I've experienced the labor pains of my heart, and I will openly and honestly tell you that the pains of adoption are far greater than the pains of labor.

There is so much uncertainty in the world of adoption, both domestic and international. I know so many families who have struggled in both areas. They have had failed placements where birth mothers have changed their minds, families who's children have died in an orphanage before they could get to them, families who wait and wait and wait for a miracle with a foreign government to happen. And still we press on.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14

That's exactly what we do, we press on toward the goal. Sometimes that goal seems just within our reach and then it seems as though the goal is moved. Sometimes, we only have a faint glimmer of the goal ahead, we know in our hearts it's there and therefore we just trust. If you are reading this and you are in the midst of pressing on toward the goal of adoption, then you already know that it takes more faith that you ever dreamed you had. You are more dependent on God than ever before. And, you, for the first time in some cases, realize that you really aren't in control of anything. I am so grateful to serve a God that is in control, complete control. Knowing this gives me a great peace as I press on.

As we are waiting for that coveted I171H to send our dossier to Ethiopia, all of those "why" questions roll around in our minds. We do this because this is what we are called to do. Having been through this once before, I know first hand that it's not an easy process. But, oh how sweet the end results are. We have a precious little soul waiting on us in Ethiopia. We will press on and bring her home. We will love her as our own. We will give thanks for her life and pray every day that God will use her in a mighty way and call her to serve Him. For all of this, we will press on.

Six Word Memoir - I've Been Tagged

Wow, try summing your life up in 6 words. It's not very easy. My friend Laura, who also has her very own Jadyn from China tagged me. So, here goes...

Adoption Changed My Heart, My Life

Without a doubt, a statement about adoption sums up my whole life. We eat, sleep and breathe adoption. It is by far the sweetest thing we have ever done, but don't be fooled, it's also the hardest thing that we have ever done.

To keep the fun going, I tag the following...

Ashley
Becca
Alison
Gwen
Terri

How I Got My Grooves Back

Great news!
Today, Fed Ex delivered a wonderful surprise.  My completed FBI clearance, and it WENT THROUGH!  Woo Hoo!  No arrest record (no big shocker there) and everything is clear.  Now, just pray that I pass through the USCIS fingerprinting system without a hitch.  I go for my re-fingerprinting appointment on 5/27/08.  Stay tuned as the saga continues.

Working My Fingers To The Bone

Apparently, I am working way too hard.

So here's the deal.  I went on 5/9/08 to get fingerprinted for the USCIS.  While I was there, the lady doing the fingerprinting said "don't be surprised if you have to be re-fingerprinted, you have worn off your fingerprints."  WHAT??? I didn't know that you could do that.

So, I kind of blew it off.  There VERY next day, in the mail I received my fingerprint packet from the FBI (different set of fingerprints).  Pat's sailed through, mine, REJECTED!!!  Talk about an insult.  So, I went back to the Smyrna PD and had my fingerprints done AGAIN, overnighted them back to the FBI and I am waiting to hear back on the 2nd set.

On Saturday, I received an office letter from the Department of Homeland Security, looking suspiciously like a fingerprint notice.  When I opened it, it was a fingerprint appointment scheduled for 10/27/08 at 10:00 a.m. because my first set of USICIS fingerprints were REJECTED also.  So, what do I do?  I can't believe that I have worn my fingerprints off.  I've been using lots of lotion but my hands are very soft, if I do say so myself.  This is making me nuts.  Why is it always one thing right after another?  Some one encourage me, please!  Tell me to quit working so hard or some other wonderful words of wisdom.  Maybe I should hire a housekeeper, yeah, that's probably the answer.  Now, I just have to convince Pat.  

Anyway, pray that my fingerprints return, from where ever they have gone.  Pray that I have no big issues on Tuesday and that they are able to get this done this time.  

Thanks for reading,

Amy

(BTW, I am risking wearing off more of my fingerprints just by typing this post, now that's a committed blogger)

One Year Ago - Part 4

May 19, 2007 - We returned from a long, but wonderful trip to China.  We arrived at the Nashville airport and were greeted by wonderful friends and family.  What a very special time for all of us.  It was such a joyous and happy time for everyone.  I only have a couple pictures from that day, because I was not the one with the camera!  But, here is one of them.

More later,

Amy

One Year Ago - Part 3

Today was the day that Fu Bao Jun became Jadyn Grace BaoJun Hood. We gathered in the Civil Affairs office and had our first family picture made, signed the papers, stamped our thumbprints in red ink and ta da, she was ours, FOREVER!

Gotcha Day Letter

My dearest Jadyn,

When I was a little girl, my Daddy took me to a local bicycle shop and bought me a brand new Schwinn bicycle.  I'll always remember that bicycle.  It had training wheels and my goal was to learn to ride that bicycle.  Day after day, Daddy would spend time teaching me how to ride that bicycle, time after time, I would try to ride it and he would come along behind me and hold the back of the seat.  There were two words that I can still hear him say to me that helped me to know that I was safe.  "I've gotcha" was all I needed to hear to give me a sense of safety and comfort.  I knew that as long as Daddy had the back of the seat, I was not going to fall.  I was completely safe.  The day that you came into our lives is commonly know in the adoption world as "Gotcha Day".  There's lots of people that don't use this term for various reasons, but it speaks volumes about the greatness of that day.  We will always come along behind you and hold you up.  We will try our very best to not let you fall.  I want you to have the feeling of security and safety as I had when my Daddy spoke those words to me many years ago, I've gotcha.   Many years have gone by and a lot has changed.  Unfortunately, your will never meet your Grandaddy as he is in heaven, he would have loved you so.  But, one thing will always remain, Jadyn, I've gotcha, your safe now, and loved more than you can ever imagine, and you will never be alone.   I will protect you, be there for you, and help you not to fall.  

I cannot believe that it's been a whole year since that day in Fuling, China when your Dad, your  brothers and I gathered, along with our travel buddies, in that crowded conference room to get our first glimpse of you in the flesh.  We had stared at, prayed over, and shed many tears longing for the day when we would hold you in our arms.  Finally, that day came and it did not disappoint.  We were so taken by you.  Your sweet, round face and beautiful black eyes and hair just captured our heart.  You were such a scared little girl and our hearts broke knowing the fear you must have been experiencing.

Being able to visit the place where you had lived for the past 13 months and seeing first hand the other children and caregivers gave us a great deal of comfort.  It was evident that you were loved and cared for and that made us very happy.  Spending that time there had a profound impact on all of us.  We left there better people than when we arrived.  

Jadyn, I simply cannot put into words the joy that you have brought into our lives.  Your sweet smile, your silly laugh, and the sound of your voice still makes my  heart skip a beat.  You were placed in my arms on this day, one year ago, and that feeling of happiness and gratitude are just as strong today as they were a year ago.  You are truly a gift from God.  The name Jadyn is Hebrew for "God has heard" and He truly has.  He heard my prayers of 5 years and He was faithful.  He allowed you to be born to another family, but to be delivered into our family on May 13, 2007.  We are so very thankful that He did.

My prayer for you, sweet girl, is that you always love the Lord.  You are truly a blessing and we are so thankful for your life and for the country where you were born.  Someday, Jadyn, you will do great things.  God has a plan for your life and I am so very thankful that He allowed us to be a part of it.  Thank you for being our daughter.  Thank you for being such a joy and light in our lives.  You have brought excitement, love, laughter and life to our home that cannot be described by mere words.  Never in a million years did I think that I would look around my house again and wonder how it could get so messy, so fast.  It's filled with babies, blankets, plastic fruit, and dishes.  Thank you for the constant source of joy that you are to us.  I love you, sweet one, with all my heart.  I pray that you will always know how much you are loved.

You make my heart smile.

I love you,

Mommy

One Year Ago -Part 2

One year ago today, we were preparing to leave Beijing, China and be on our way to Chongqing.  We had spent the last 3 days touring, sightseeing and getting adjusted to the time change.  We had a wonderful time in Beijing, getting to know our travel mates, loving the country of China and seeing it's beautiful sights.

What a time of great anticipation.  I remember not getting any sleep the night before, imagine that, me not sleeping.  The excitement of the long awaited "Gotcha Day" was looming on the horizon.  We were ready to leave Beijing and get on with the reason that we were there.  It was a wonderful time for our family of four as we were preparing to be a family of 5.   Tomorrow, May 13, is a very special day for my family.  We had no idea what was in store for us and our minds raced with questions like "what would she be like?" and "will she like us?" and on and on.  Tomorrow, May 13, 2008 will be a very special day for us as we celebrate the day that we were united with our baby girl.  Be sure and look for tomorrows post, it will include a recount of the day complete with pictures.

One Year Ago - Part 1

It was 1 year ago today that Pat, Seth, Zachary boarded a plane and the Nashville Airport and headed to China.  We left a family of four with anticipation and excitement.  What would the trip hold for us, what would Jadyn be like, would she like us, were just a few of the questions that were rolling around in our heads.

What an exciting time it was for us.  So, over the next few days, I will give you a "One Year Ago" update of where we were and what we were doing.  

Yes, It's True!

My friend Terri is not cutting me any slack! It seems as though she has left a comment on Pat's blog that I am the only one that has not made the announcement of our exciting news on my blog! Boy, I've got some tough friends! :)

Yes, it's true.

Pat made the big announcement to the church on Sunday - the Hood's are yet again adding to their chaos. We have begun the paperwork to bring home our little girl that God has chosen for us in Ethiopia. But for now, she is residing in our hearts. Adoption is a tough journey. It is a journey of ups and downs. It, at times, can be gut wrenching. But, I will have to say that I would not change one thing about my life. Adoption is one of the sweetest things that I have ever experienced. One of the things you hear when couples are talking about beginning the adoption process is they don't know if they can love an adopted child like they love their own. It's a common question that you ask yourself. In trying to put it into words, I can only say it this way. We love our boys (Seth and Zac) with all our hearts. We've loved them since we found out that we were expecting. But loving Jadyn is just different. When you experience this kind of love, loving a child that is not yours biologically, it is a sweet love. The only way that I know to describe it is a supernatural love. It's a God placed love and one that I pray many, many more people can experience.

Why Ethiopia? I can simply say - because that is where our daughter is. The need is so great. It breaks my heart to think of all the children that are in need of loving homes and we are here in our contentment, living the good life. Is it easy? No. Is it cheap? No. Do I have the energy that I once had? No. But the last time I checked, God doesn't call us to do things that are easy. And of course, in full Hood fashion, there is a story behind this adoption - just like Jadyn's. God has again shown Himself and we simply put our trust in Him.

Pat asked me if I was ready for all the questions. Are you crazy? What are you thinking? But let me just be honest, I'm over what people think. People thought we were crazy when we began the adoption process 3 years ago. Now, we just confirmed it with them. :) But, I'd much rather be crazy and in the center of God's will, than outside of it. To say that we are THRILLED is an understatement. We have chosen our agency, filed our immigration paperwork, filled out multiple forms, etc. The fun is just now beginning. Pray for us (me) as I wade through the mounds of paperwork.

So, if you are up for the challenge and you want to begin yet another journey with the Hood's, buckle your seat belt, it could very well be a wild ride. You know how we are. We are honored that you check in on us and thanks Terri for getting my behind in gear. It' 2:45 a.m. anyway, what else do I have to do?

There is much more to come and I plan to get a new blog going that will be dedicated to this adoption. But, of course, it has to be just right. We love you all and would appreciate your prayers for this process, our family, and especially a little girl that God has predestined to be a Hood.

Stay tuned...

Amy

Coming soon: A little doll named Lydia and the place she holds in my heart!