Small glimpse of our sweet Mabry

Here is a small glimpse of Mabry...she is in the blue....she must have been told to hold on to the little girls shirt and boy does she follow directions.

prayer request

OK....so we are currently 11 days into our LOA (letter of approval) wait and I am getting really excited.  I am excited because once we get LOA we will be able to guess when we will be traveling.  LOA waits are anywhere from 50-100+ days....so there is no way to guess how long you will wait until you have LOA...once you have that the rest is pretty structured.  I am praying so hard that God gives us a quick LOA because I did the math and with 100 day LOA we will miss Mabry's birthday by a coupe weeks.....if we happen to be blessed with a quick LOA we could potentially be in China with her for her birthday or possibly even have her home...either of those are perfect for me!!!!  Since I believe in the power of prayer I am asking/begging that you all join with me to pray for a FAST LOA....so fast that people will not be able to deny that God was there!!!!  Also we requested an update on Mabry...we were told that we could request 2 and our case worker suggested we request one when we submitted our LOI (letter of Intent to adopt Mabry) and then the other at LOA.....and then we will be so close to travel that we won't need another one......so I am waiting for that update and praying that it includes new pictures and new measurements so that I can begin buying...who am I kidding, I am already buying....but I can be sure I am buying the right sizes.....

Also with this update we were allowed to ask several questions, so I am hoping that we get answers to some of those too....like how they soothe her when she is upset, how she soothes herself, how she plays with other kids, does she use a bottle or sippy cup, is she potty training, does she sleep in a crib or toddler bed style bed, just things like that......then I can also better prepare for her to come home!!!!!!  Alright really this update was just about the specific prayer request!!!!!!  Love you all and am very thankful that you are all along on this journey!!!  Once Mabry is home for a bit we will have an open house so that you can all come by and meet her......Thanks for your continued prayer....God has been here every step and it is so wonderful how much His presence is felt daily!!!!

BIGGEST NEWS YET

Ok so we got logged in date (LID) on 1/2 and were so excited when our caseworker informed us that they were expecting partnership files soon.  Now there are 2 ways to get referrals Partnership or shared list.  Shared list comes out 1 time a month and every agency is on it so it is very competitive and quickly moving!!!  Partnerships are where our agency supports that orphanage financially and therefore gets ALL of their referrals.  Now the agency we started with didn't have partnerships but this new agency has 10!!!!  So...the other benefit to partnerships is that usually someone at your agency has met those children in person and therefore have a better picture of their development and health.

Well we waited and waited and on 1/16 at 3:30 I received an email from my caseworker with the subject "Hattie".  I immediately opened the email and there was a little note from my caseworker saying that they had just received this little girls file that day and they thought she was a great match for our family!!!  She went on to say that she was 2.5 and listed as a mild congenital Heart defect.  The email went on to have videos from when the lady from our agency was there and then her medical records.  SO of course we were freaking out!!!!  We scanned over the medical and it honestly looked good.....we googled the defect and honestly weren't too worried about it.  I have a friend that I have met thru the adoption stuff who is also adopting and I immediately texted to tell her.  Then God showed up....she said that her brother in law was a cardiologist and she could email him the file and he would look at it.  So of course we did....and that same day we got an email back saying that the file looks good.  We also sent the file to our pediatrician and he was going to get back to us the next day.

Well as you can imagine we were so excited that we were almost certain we were going to accept so we went and told our parents...they were very surprised and excited!!!  Well the next day we got the call from our pediatrician who wasn't worried at all by the file and so we submitted out LOI ( letter of intent) to adopt our sweet Mabry.  And usually your PA takes a week or 2...(PA is pre approval) well we received PA that same day!!!!  So once you have PA you are safe to share the pictures and the news....so here it is....we have our sweet Mabry's information!!!

She is a tiny little peanut!!!  She is only in 18 month clothing.  She will be 3 June 1.  Specific prayer request is that I am praying that we will be with her for her 3rd bday.  It doesn't seem all that likely but I believe God can totally work that out if it's his will!!!!

Prepare to be blown a way with cuteness.....

LID 1/2/14

OK....I have literally been stalking my email for the past 10 days!!!  Today I got the email that I have been waiting for...LID today!!!!!  Literally I got the email like 4.23 minutes ago, ran upstairs and showed Jason, posted in my adoption fb groups and then started this blog!!!!!!  I know that for those that aren't in the adoption world this really doesn't seem like a big deal...but here is why it is a BIG deal!!!!  We are officially now a WAITING FAMILY!!!  This means that any file that our agency gets we will be thought of as a potential family for that sweet baby girl!!!  So all this means is that China has received our dossier and have officially logged us into their system.  I suppose this means that we have a  number or some identifying power because when the shared list comes out once a month, the agency grabs the file of the child that they think is a match for you and then puts your name on it for the 72 hour hold...this gives you 72 hours to decide if you want to move forward or not!!!  So we are now eligible for the once a month list that comes out and is shared with ALL OTHER AGENCIES...very competitive.  However, we are also eligible for the orphanage partnerships that our agency gets sole files from....and from what I hear there are some of those coming.....and this is huge because I am with a small agency and they have several partnerships...this is NOT NEAR as competitive because only LID families with my agency are allowed to receive those files.....so here is the new year and waiting to see our daughters face in 2014!!!!  This is a big day at the Gladson's house today!!!  Lots of dancing going on!!!!  The next step is just waiting for her file to be given to us by God....and as of now that could be ANY DAY!!!!!

So excited that we are now labelled "a waiting family!!!!!!!  No more paper chase!!  Well no more paper chase until we are preparing to bring Mabry home....but right now we just sit back and let God do the work!!!  All we can do now is wait and lots of praying!!!  Please join us in praying for patience and discernment as we continue to seek where God is leading!!!

Dossier is in china!!!

Just a quick update!!!  I have tracked our dossier and it made it to Chine Friday morning at 11am China time!!!!!  Just one more thing we have done!!!  Hoping for an LID (log in date) next week sometime. Once you have LID you are eligible for a referral!!!!!!  Bring on 2014!!!!!

God shows up BIG

This "process" started in March 2013 when we filled out our application for adoption.  At that time I kept saying that my goal was to have my paperwork sent off by the end of the year.  It was pushing it but it gave me something to work towards.  We all know how the immigration wait went!!!  The 2 weeks expected wait reached 62 days before we got approval.  This definitely all but ruined our chances of getting our dossier out in time.  This is where God steps in......my fingers can't type fast enough to explain!!!

So, I received word thru email that we got immigration approval on Dec 12...as you may recall since we were waiting so long for the approval I went ahead and send the rest of my dossier documents off to get state sealed and authenticated in case something needed corrected.  Well all of those were fine so the courier kept them until she received my immigration approval so that I would just pay express shipping to me once.  So they were finished.  Well the actual immigration approval came to my house on december 14...a saturday.  Well that gave me all weekend to do every time line possible in my head!!!!  After talking to the courier on Sunday it became clear that I could expedite the process TREMENDOUSLY if I went to Chicago on monday and got the document state sealed and dropped it off at the consulate....since our courier works Monday, tuesday and thursday, all I had to do was drop off and pay to have it expedited, then she could pick up on thursday (today) and overnight it to me!!!  So....even though this is something that I would NEVER do I left my house at 2:30 am on monday morning and headed to the train station.  I caught the 4am train to Chicago.  Got to Chicago about 9:30, jumped in a cab and went to the index to get the state seal done...this was to be a quick process but had to be done in order to get the authenticating done.  So I had my form notarized in nashville the night before and when I got to the index they informed me that the notary had put her name in a blank that should have had my name.....this meant that they wouldn't accept it.  HOLY MOLY!!!  Now what!!!  I just travelled all the way to Chicago and can't get any of this done.....thankfully this is the first time God stepped in.  The night before when I was getting it notarized I had 3 forms with me to have her notarize just in case I would need an extra.....well the first one I filled out at her house I messed up so I just put it aside....well thankfully that form was in there.  So I had one that hadn't been notarized yet.  I showed the guy and the index and he said that I could walk 4 blocks and there was a notary and then I could come back and finish up...Thanks God!!!!  SO I hustled those 4 blocks realizing the time crush I was sure to be in due to the consulate closing for lunch and then for the day at 2:30.  SO I got it notarized and hustled back ( I have to be honest I hustled for time but also in fear of being part of the knock out game!)  and when I got back the guy said that the document was now fine and I could take a seat and he would finish it up!!!  SO about 10 min later my name was called and I was on my way!!  I walked across the street to Office Max and made the copies of the document and then caught a cab to the consulate.

The consulate was VERY intimidating!!!  All these people that didn't speak english rode up the elevator with me and were literally running from the elevator to the consulate room!!  I guess they knew that place MUCH better than me and how difficult it would be to get a place in line and be seen that day.  This is where God stepped in again....when I got to the door there was a lady standing by the door and she must have seen it in my eyes and said...Are you courtney....ummmm...yes....well she said that she was Denise Hope...my courier!!!  She had been there making her delivery for the day and even though she is a pro with it she knows how difficult it can be!!!!  So she waited there for me so that she could do the drop off for me!!!  The other good thing about her being there is that she grabs a consulate number and gets thru the line WAY faster...what would have taken me 2 hours took her 20 min!!!!  She then said welll hon what are your plans...I said well I will probably grab lunch and then wait until 4 to catch my train home.  It was not even noon yet as she saved the day for sure!!!  She then went on to offer to drive me to the mall on michigan ave (which I know rather well) and I accepted....so I got to eat there and walk around a bit before heading to the train station..

Confession....I was walking out of the water tower mall and I heard someone else yelling my name....I turned around and it was the american girl store....so yes I went in and made a purchase!!!  What can I say, I am only human!!!

So I then grabbed a taxi to the train station and caught my train without a hitch...also met some lovely ladies at the station!!!!  I know you are all thinking, wow that is a day full of God stepping in to show that He is in total control....but people, this isn't where this story ends!!!!!

So I called my agency and told her of my whirlwind day in Chicago and she said that IF I could have my paperwork to her by monday morning that she would do everything she could to get my paperwork off to China by monday at the end of the day because the agency is closed from 12/24-1/3!!!  So I knew that I would have to have my paperwork by friday in time to then overnight to Delaware!!!!  Well Wed night we had some friends over that are moving out of state and I get an email from my courier.  She said that she had decided out of the blue to drive into the consulte on wed (her day off) to pick up my document.  Ok people she drives over an hour 1 way!!!  This was totally God stepping again....she didn't ask for me to pay her more or anything, she just decided to show me Mercy!!!!  Thank you Jesus!!!!  She then went on to tell me that the USPS mailing that I paid for wasn't going to get it to me until friday so she was going to Fedex it to me so I would get it Thursday, thats right today!!!!  So I have waited all day even though it looked like we were going to get it until 6 tonight according to lady on the phone...it showed up at 3:30!!  Just enough time to make the copies that I needed, double check, and overnight to my agency today!!!!

While at the post office getitng ready to send my paperwork to my agency there was a guy that I go to church with there.  I told him what I was doing and he offered to take a picture for me...which you won't see because I haven't showered yet as I have been waiting all day for fedex man!!!!  Then before he left he said "I am only in the facility about 4 times a year, and now I know why I was in here today!"  I mean how sweet is that!!!!  God bless you Mitch!!!!

So I guess what this LONG message was trying to say is this...God showed up HUGE to prove to me that nothing is impossible for the God that saves!!!  God can move mountains MUCH bigger than what He moved for me but the point is that it is clear that He is sovereign over this entire process.  I just know that we will see the sweet face of Mabry soon...all in Gods timing!!!  So...I will update when we are dossier to china but for today it is dossier to Delaware...and hoping to be DTC tomorrow or Monday!!!!  Merry Christmas and a HAPPY New Year!!!!

GIANT step forward!!!

So there have been many trying points during this adoption paper chase!!!!  Oct 10, I overnighted my I800A to homeland security...this is a request for the US to approve us adopting from China known as immigration approval!  Well our receipt date was 10-11-12.  We were told that it usually takes a couple weeks for approval however the US government decided to shut down...ugh....well this slowed EVERYTHING down and things backed up!!!!!  So....62 days later we have APPROVAL!!!!  I had been calling and checking on it weekly for the past few weeks....I knew we were really close but received an email from my officer assigned to my case saying that we were approved on 12-12...yep my 33 birthday!!!  Best birthday ever!!!  I told a friend that it is amazing how much difference a year makes because just last year on my birthday was the day that Chesney's obituary came out and it was a really terrible day for me!!!!  SO what does this approval mean???  Well just yesterday, 12-14 we received the paper approval in the mail, so tonight I am going to make my copies and Christie Gajewski has graciously agreed to notarize it for me, and tomorrow morning I will be heading to springfield to get it state sealed.  With all of my other documents I sent them to the courier and she did the state seal and the authenticating in Chicago....well after speaking with her it was clear that if I drive up Monday and do the state seal and then overnight it to her right after I will shave about a week off of my timeline...which for crazy adopting moms is like a year to the normal person!!!!  So....that is the plan....Jason's cousin, Adam has agreed to come over tonight and stay all night so that he can keep Grady tomorrow....since it is a quick trip I just hate to make Grady be in the car all day!!!!  After I get done at the Secretary of State tomorrow I am going to find the closest post office and overnight the paperwork on to our Courier....according to her timeline she will get it on Tuesday and of course doesn't work on wed...so the final paper will be delivered to the consulate on Thursday of this week...I am paying to have it expedited since it is just one document....unfortunately for my timeline Christmas is next week and the consulate closes Mon-Wed for that....so she will either pick my document up on Thursday or the following Monday.....as she doesnt' work Fridays either....so the moral of the story is that after Christmas I will be sending my dossier to my agency and then off to China!!!!!!  Once our dossier is off to China we will wait for a LID which I believe is taking a couple of weeks.  My goal is to have a LID (log in date) by the time that the January referrals come out at the end of January so that we will be eligible.....then it is a waiting game month to month....one shot a month to get her picture!!!!  So now is when we are needing LOTS of prayers...prayers for discernment when we are looking at files, prayers for God's wisdom and direction as to knowing when it is Mabry that we are looking at, and most of all PATIENCE for me!!!!  We started our paperwork in March and so although I am sure you all don't think that is a long time when you are consumed daily with timelines and deadlines it is an eternity.  When you are pregnant you have a due date...and even though I never came close to the due date there was an idea of the longest you have to wait to meet that sweet sweet baby!!!!  With this you process there is NO end date....we just wait until God is ready to reveal Mabry to us!!!!  We are beyond excited that we are to a point where technically we could see her face in January!!!  Will we??  We just don't know....but knowing that we are to the place where every month we FINALLY have a chance is the most amazing feeling!!!!  God bless all of you for following along on the journey and giving us words of encouragement along the way!!!!  God bless you for reading this blog because let me tell you in the future there will be LOTS to share on here!!!!  I plan to blog while we are in China DAILY so that you all can be apart of that journey!!!  There is a lot of differences between babies adopted and babies born to us as far as how the adjustment is handled and a process called Cocooning which I will touch on later when we are preparing to bring Mabry home!!!!!!!