Updated Pictures of Anna

我真不知道怎么感谢Bridget. 我和她是网上认识的，因为我们都是从杭州福利院领养女儿。 现在她正在杭州接他们的女儿。她有幸看到了小安娜并照了一些照片。 以下是她写给我的邮件。我把它翻译成中文：
“我们今天去了杭州儿童福利院，我们有幸能给你的女儿照了像。 那儿的工作人员都知道你们大约二月或三月份会来接女儿。她们的房间里有十个女孩儿，另一个房间里有八个女孩儿。当时正好是午睡时间，孩子们都被放在小床里盖上大被子。 屋子里非常安静。我们都得穿上鞋套进入她们的睡房，房间里很干净。走廊里没有暖气，但是午睡的房间里很暖和。由于是午睡时间，照片照得不太好。其中一张照片里还有阿姨。 等我回到美国后，我会很高兴再跟你讲讲，再给你寄些周围的照片。总之，孩子们得到了很好的照顾，福利院的设施干净又齐备。 虽然短短的几分钟，你的女儿看起来很高兴，很健康”
看到这些描述和照片， 我非常高兴。也更想女儿了， 恨不得马上把她接回来。
What a huge thank you to Bridget whom I met online. She is in Hangzhou right now getting her daughter. She was kind enough to get some pictures of Anna for us, along with some encouraging words. Here is what she wrote to me:
"We went to the HCWI today. Attached are the photos we were able to take of your daughter. The staff knew off the top of their heads that you were coming in February or March. The room was all girls, 10 of them, and then 8 girls in another room. It was nap time for all of the children. The girls had all just been placed on the little potty and then were put into their cribs under big quilts. It was quiet in the room. We had to put on shoe covers to enter into the nursery room so they obviously keep it clean. It was not heated in the hallways but seemed to be warmer in the baby rooms. Since it was nap time we did not get very good photos. There is also a photo of her nanny with her .I'd be happy to talk with you when I get back about what we saw and to send you more photos of the general areas. But in a nutshell we were really impressed with the attention the girls received, the cleanliness and comprehensive facilities. From the few minutes that we saw her your daughter she looked healthy and happy!"
I was so thrilled to hear all of that and with the pictures. I was especially thrilled to get the pictures since they are a bit different than the previous pictures I have received!!! It also made me miss her very much. I can't wait to bring her home.

Anna's 2 Years Discovery Anniversary

今天是1月2日。整整两年前的今天，小安娜被遗放在杭州儿童福利院门口。那时她大约11个月大。 此时此刻想到这些，我泪如雨下。我想到了小安娜的亲生母亲。大多数进入福利院的孩子，都是在出生头几天就被遗弃了。而小安娜的母亲，把她养到了11个月，直到万不得已。她该有多么爱这个孩子。可以想象这是个多么艰难的选择。而且她的父母，一定是做了很仔细的考虑，把她放在了最安全的地方，儿童福利院门口。我的脑海里，常常会出现这样一个画面，小安娜的父亲或母亲，在无人看见时，小心翼翼的将正在熟睡的小安娜放在福利院门口，然后躲在远处，直到有人把小安娜抱起来，送进福利院，他（她）才留着泪黯然离去。在中国，遗弃孩子是违法的。安娜的生身父母冒了极大的风险， 将小安娜留在了最安全的地方。今天，我希望天地有灵，让小安娜的父母心中充满平安，他们的女儿将在我们的怀抱中得到她所有的爱。
Today is January 2, and exactly two years ago Anna was discovered at the front gate of the Hangzhou Children’s Welfare Institute. Anna was about 11 months old when she was found. It makes me very sad to think about how Anna's biological parents decided to abandon her despite their love for her. I can't imagine how difficult it was for her birth parents to make such a decision. Numerous babies are abandoned in the first days of their lives; Anna's birth mother tried to care for her special needs for 11 months until she could no longer do it. I always imagine the scene in which Anna’s birth mother or father was watching her from a distance until she was picked up by an orphanage personnel. In China, it is a crime to abandon your child, so the parents took a great risk in making sure that she would live in a safe place. We hope that Anna’s birth parents will have peace in knowing that her daughter will be cherished forever and cared for in our safe and loving arms.

Shopping for Anna

最近我和Leah经常光顾商场，常常在卖小女孩儿衣物的地方流连忘返。我已有很多年没有买这么小的衣服了。小女孩儿的衣服花样真多，真是漂亮。 看到好看的，漂亮的，我就禁不住买下来，只希望买的衣服大小合适。小安娜穿上一定很漂亮。

Recently, I have been shopping with Leah at the toddler section of clothing stores. It has been a long time since I have done so. The little clothes looked so cute that I couldn't resist buying them. Anna should look very pretty wearing them. Here are just a few of the outfits we bought for her.

Our dossier moved to the review room

我今天同领养带办人联系，她告诉我领养文件已经于12月12日从领养中心的办公室移到了领养一部，审核部。这个过程用了整整五个星期。我又问在一部要多长时间，她告诉我一个半到两个月。我一方面很高兴我们的领养过程有了进展，另一方面，一个半月到两个月似乎太漫长了。 想到小安娜要在杭州度过整个寒冷的冬天，我就会感到很心疼。这个等待真的很难熬，我希望这个繁忙的圣诞及新年假日会让时间过得快些。
I talked to my agency today and found out that our dossier had been moved from CCAA’s administrative office to Department 1 (the review room) on December 12. I then asked my agency how long it would stay in Department 1 before it moves to Department 2 (the matching room) and she told me that it could take 1.5-2 months. On one hand, I am happy that our dossier is making progress, but on the other hand, 1.5-2 months in the review room seems very long. It is hard for me to think that Anna will spend the entire cold winter in Hangzhou. The wait has been difficult, and I hope that the busy holiday season will make time go faster.

Still Waiting......

今天我给领养代办人打电话，聊了好长时间，她给我详细讲解了中国收养中心的文件处理过程。收养文件到达中心后，首先到办公室，他们负责将文件登记注册，翻译成中文， 这个过程大约一个月。然后文件进入一部，叫审核部，他们负责文件详细阅读及审批，这个过程需要大约六个星期，一部批准后，进入二部，叫安置部，他们负责发送批准信，这个过程要2-3个星期。所以整个过程大约要三个月。我们的领养代办人帮我查了一下进展，文件还在办公室。所以至少还需两个多月。这个等待过程没有办法加快，真是急人。
I recently called my adoption agency and chatted with our agent for a long time. She explained the detailed process at CCAA. When the dossier arrives at CCAA, it first goes to the Administrative Office, which is responsible for logging in the files and assigning us a LID. The documents are then translated into Chinese. This process takes about a month. Next, the dossier gets moved to the Review Room. They are responsible to check all the documents and approve the adoption. This process takes 4-6 weeks. After the Review Room approves the adoption, the dossier goes to the Matching Room, which sends out LOA. This process takes 2-3 weeks. Our agency checked our status and found out that we are still in the Administrative Office process. Based on this information, it will take at least 2 more months for us to receive our LOA. There is no way to speed up the process. We just have to wait patiently.

百家被 (100 good wishes quilt)

我们生长在红色年代，中国古老的传统都被文化大革命过滤掉了。倒是在决定领养之后，从美国各领养网站学到了不少中国古老的传统。其中之一就是“百家被”。 据说是中国北方的习俗，在孩子到来时，收集100块布头，代表100个美好的祝愿，再将这100块布头做成被子。意为"被百家所养， 健康平安"。 我以前没做过被子，这个被子算是我最复杂的针线活儿了。被子很漂亮，看上去简单，但做工相当繁琐。 这个被子是我和Leah一起做的。Leah夏令营时上了缝纫课， 我很吃惊她还真的学了不少东西，好多方块都是她自己缝在一起的。中间的4个方块是我们全家每个人精心挑选的最喜欢的花色。 经过几个星期的努力，今天大功告成。希望“百家被”真地会给安娜带来幸福。
I was born during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and grew up in a simple way without knowing many ancient Chinese traditions. Since we decided to adopt little Anna, I have learned a lot from the American adoption community including some Chinese customs that I was not familiar with. I learned that in Northern China it is traditional to make new babies a special quilt-the 100 good wishes quilt-to welcome the new child. The custom is to collect 100 pieces of cloth. Each piece carries a good wish or blessing for the child. A quilt with the blessing of 100 good wishes is then made by sewing all the pieces together. I had never made a quilt before, and this was the most complicated item that I have sewn. This beautiful quilt was a joined effort between me and our 10 year-old daughter Leah. She took a sewing class in the summer, and I was very impressed by how much she learned. She sewed many of the squares together. After several weeks of hard work, we finally finished the quilt today! We hope this 100 good wishes quilt will bring a lot of happiness to Anna.

LID!!!!

中国收养中心11月7日已将我们的申请立案登记(LID). 11月7日恰好又是我的生日，还有什么生日礼物能比这个更好! 真是让我高兴。这个登记日期在整个领养过程中，也许只是一个小步骤，可是对安娜和我们来说，又迈进了一大步。有了这个日期，我们就看到了曙光。我们全家都在等待好消息的到来，只差最后一步了，兴奋的等待.....
We received an email from our agency saying that our dossier was logged in by CCAA. The LID date was Nov. 7, 2008, which is my birthday. I can't imagine any birthday present that could be better than this. We are thrilled! This is a small step in the adoption process, but it's a giant step in Anna's life. We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now...

More recent pictures

今天，去中国福利院的自愿医疗团队回到了美国。他们给我发来邮件，要我们的地址，说有一个光盘要寄给我们。同时，他们又给我发来了四张小安娜的照片。看着小安娜玩得那么开心，我也开心极了。

The medical volunteer team returned to the US after visiting several orphanages. They asked for our address to send us a CD including a lot of Anna’s pictures. They also sent me four more pictures of Anna playing with her friend. I feel so happy after seeing that Anna was having so much fun.

Care Package

两个星期前，我们通过第三方将一个包裹寄给杭州儿童福利院，让他们把包裹转给小安娜的寄养父母。并写了一封信。我想小安娜应该已经收到这些东西。她一定会很高兴。

Two weeks ago we gathered a care package for Anna and sent it to her orphanage. We asked the orphanage to transfer the package to Anna’s foster parents. In the package, we bought some toys and clothes for Anna. We also included a letter and a photo album of our family. I think little Anna should have received the package by now and should be very happy to see it.

DTC!

今天我们又完成了一个重要的里程碑。领养中介告诉我们，所有的文件都已由中国领事馆认证完毕，并已寄往中国收养中心。下星期一他们应收到。然后把我们的文件立档在案，并通知我们立档日期，又称”LID”。我们就等待最后的批准，令人着急的等待。
Today I received an email from my adoption agency saying that they had completed authentication of our dossier documents and mailed our dossier to CCAA. It should arrive at CCAA on Monday, Nov 3. We are so happy to achieve this milestone. This is the best “treat” we have ever received for Halloween! CCAA will provide us with a log-in date (LID) after they receive our dossier. All we can do now is wait anxiously.

New pictures of Anna

最近美国一个医疗自愿者团队去中国，到杭州及其它一些儿童福利院服务。我在网上得知这一信息后，请他们帮忙询问小安娜的近况。另外两个家庭也托他们帮忙。今天早上，我惊喜地发现他们给我发来了小安娜的照片。昨天几个寄养家庭把孩子们带到福利院, 拍了照片。孩子长大了，头发也长了，长得越来越像我们家的人了。她真是太可爱了，我高兴得一遍又一遍的看不够。Recently, a group of medical volunteers went to the Hangzhou orphanage to provide services. I found their information on the Hangzhou Child Welfare Institute Forum and asked them to update us on Anna. Two other families asked for their help as well. This morning, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that they had sent me more pictures of Anna. Yesterday, her foster family took her to the orphanage and the volunteer group took some pictures of her. She has grown, and her hair is longer. She is beginning to look more like a member of our family. She is very adorable; no matter how many times I look at her, I simply cannot get enough.

I-797C Received!

今天一大早，刚刚从女儿学校开完家长会，先生就打电话来，说移民局发来了邮件，我们的领养申请已经被批准了。批准表格叫I-797C。 最近两个星期，每隔两三天我就给移民局的官员打电话或发邮件，催问进展。今天收到批准，虽说是预料之中，但也很兴奋。有了这张批准表，我们下一步就可以去San Diego County 和加州州务卿那儿公证所有文件，然后再由我们的领养代办人送到中国领事馆，做最后认证。之后所有的文件就可以寄到中国民政部领养中心。最后一步批准大约要3个月左右。
This morning, right after a parent-teacher conference with Leah's teacher, my husband called me and said that the INS had approved our application, the I-797C. These few weeks, I have been calling or emailing the USCIS every few days to inquire about the application's progress. Although we have been anticipating approval, we were still very excited. Next we need three levels of authentication for all the documents: the San Diego County Clerk, the Secretary of State, and the Chinese consulate. Lastly, all the documents will be sent to the CCAA for final approval. It will take 3 months or so to get the LOA.

More Pictures of Anna

前些日子，我跟领养中介联系，请他们帮我同福利院联系，要些小安娜照片及孩子的近况。今天早上中介发来了邮件，有两张小安娜的近照和孩子的发育情况。一张是小安娜两岁零一个月，另一张是两岁5个月。小安娜太可爱了，我怎么看都看不够。下面这些话是福利院转寄给我们的。“孙怀平目前还生活在寄养家庭，我们会在收到省民政厅的确定领养日期后，提前一个礼拜将怀平接回院里生活．怀平最近身高９２cm，体重１３．４kg，头围４８．０cm，胸围４９．５cm” 。 I asked my adoption agency to contact Anna’s orphanage to obtain some additional pictures of Anna a couple weeks ago. This morning, I received an email from them with two more pictures and some brief descriptions about Anna. Anna was 2 years and 1 month old in one picture and 2 years and 5 months old in the other picture. She is just adorable and I can’t stop looking at her. This is what the orphanage wrote about her: “Huaiping is still living with her foster parents. We will bring her back to the institute one week before the adoption day. Huaiping is 92 cm in height, 13.4 kg in weight, and 48.0 cm in head circumference.
.........July 2008 (2.4 years old) ....................March 2008 ( 2.1 years old)......

USCIS Progress

我们七月份将领养申请交到移民局后，一直在等待批准。因为是新程序，移民局速度很慢，而且很挑剔。这两个月中，我和他们通过几次电话，催问进展。 现在有了小安娜在等着我们，我更是着急。上周五我给他们写了一封邮件，表达了焦急的心情。小安娜是有特殊需要的孩子，只因移民局工作繁忙而拖延， 实在让我们无奈，希望他们特案特办，给我们优先审阅。周一我又给他们打了电话。谢天谢地，这次我碰上了一个心地善良的女官员，她说马上审阅我们的申请。小安娜真有福气，碰上了好人。更让我惊喜的是在四个小时后，我就收到了她发来的邮件，告诉我家庭报告哪些地方需要修改。移民局自从今年四月起采用了新的国际公约，对家庭报告可以说是鸡蛋里挑骨头。好在对我们的修改意见都是词句文法，没有实质性的。今天我们社工已将修改稿电邮给了移民局。如顺利，下星期我们可能会得到批准。之后，我们就可以进入下一步，向中国收养中心申请最后审批。 那又将是一个漫长的等待。
We filled out our I800A-petition to adopt an orphan and submitted it in July to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) for approval. We got our fingerprinting done on September 9 and are now waiting for the final approval paper, the I-797. I have made a few phone calls in the last 2 months to check our status. Now that we have Anna waiting for us in China, I couldn’t resist asking them to expedite our case. I emailed USCIS on Friday and called them on Monday. I explained to them that Anna is a special-needs child and that we wanted to bring her home as soon as possible. Thankfully, I talked to a very nice lady at USCIS and she graciously agreed to review our application and homestudy. To my surprise, we received an email from her only four hours after I called. In the email attachment, she indicated what changes were needed on our homestudy. They need some changes in the wording and language, as they are now extremely strict on how sentences are worded. I called our social worker and forwarded her the email regarding the changes. She called the lady at USCIS, and luckily the changes were relatively minor and could be emailed to USCIS. Our social worker then talked to our adoption agency and made the changes. She will email the updated homestudy to USCIS soon. I hope that this will satisfy USCIS and that we can get our final approval next week. After getting the I-797, we will have everything needed for our dossier in China. Once our dossier is logged in by CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs), we will begin the next phase of waiting for a LOA (Letter of Acceptance).

Anna's Discovery Notice

在决定领养小安娜之后, 我同Utah州一家叫“Research China” 的机构联系，请他们帮助查找当时刊登在报纸上“为安娜寻找家人”的启示。经过两个星期的努力，他们今天给我发来了好消息，找到了当时的广告。我收到后，迫不及待地打开了邮件。胖乎乎的小安娜立刻呈现在我的眼前. 这大概是有关小安娜的最早照片了。孩子太可爱了，我心里百感交集, 恨不得把她抱在怀里。

After we decided to adopt little Anna, I contacted an organization called “Research China” in Utah to look for Anna’s notice about her initial discovery. After two weeks of effort, they sent me good news today. When I saw their email, I opened it immediately. Little Anna’s chubby face appeared in front of my eyes. She is so adorable! This is probably the earliest picture of her we will ever be able to find. I just want to scoop her up and hold her tightly in my arms.

Getting Prepared

我以前没事时喜欢看新闻，财经及股票走势，和先生商讨有关古董的材料。这些日子，自从小安娜出现在我们的生活中， 除了安娜以外， 其他一切都如过眼烟云。 即使道琼斯一天降了７７８点，我也无动于衷。整天想着下一步该做什么了。首先我同社工联系，让她们把家庭报告做了修改，再让领养机构批准。然后再寄到移民局。同时我联系了一家机构，去福利院要一些小安娜最近的照片。根据国际公约，我们是不能直接同福利院联系的。

另外，我们打电话给 David 和 Leah 小时候去过的幼儿园，给安娜排上了队。幼儿园的校长非常好，还记得 Leah,说给我们优先，保证有小安娜的位置。

我和 Leah 开始购物。准备给小安娜寄去一个包裹。 我们买了条漂亮的小毯子，一套小衣服，毛毛熊，一次性照相机，小书包，还有一个最重要的东西是小相册。Leah 把它装饰得很漂亮，有我们全家人及各个房间的照片。希望福利院和寄养妈妈告诉安娜我们都是谁，这样见到我们时，她不会感到太陌生。真盼着相聚的那一天。
I used to enjoy reading the news, such as financial and stock trends in my spare time. I also enjoyed discussing antiques with my dear husband (DH). Since we were connected with Anna, I cannot concentrate on anything but my new daughter. Everything else passes through my mind without much thought. It didn’t even bother me when the Dow Jones fell 778 points in a day. I have contacted my social worker to have our home study updated. Our adoption agency will then approve it, and I will send it to USCIS. I have also contacted an organization which can obtain some updated pictures of Anna. Based on the Hague regulations, we cannot contact the orphanage directly.

I called the child care center where David and Leah went when they were young. Anna was put on the waiting list. The director of the child care center still remembers Leah. She was very kind and assured us that Anna would be given top priority in enrollment.

Leah and I have also started shopping for Anna. We are preparing a care package for her. We bought a pretty blanket, an outfit, a stuffed animal, two disposable cameras, a small backpack, and most importantly, a photo album. Leah has been decorating the photo album. It will have pictures of all of us, Anna’s room and the rest of our house. We hope the orphanage and her foster mom will tell Anna who we are, so when she sees us, it will be a smooth transition. We are greatly looking forward to the day when we meet.

About our little Anna

经过前几天的兴奋，今天总算有点儿心定的感觉了。只盼望一切手续进展顺利，早点把女儿接回家。许多朋友都很关心小安娜，希望多知道一些她的情况。

小安娜出生时患有先天性心脏病，在她十一个月时，被遗弃在杭州儿童福利院门口。每每想到她的经历，我会常常潸然泪下。但同时我也想，正是因为她的父母爱她，才不得不这样做，希望她能有一个好的归宿。也正因如此，才有幸让小安娜能成为我们的女儿。小安娜在福利院生活了三个月后，被寄养父母从福利院领回家。在她20个月的时候，做了心脏修复手术。手术后，在寄养妈妈的照顾下，她恢复得很好。据儿童心脏病专家讲，她今后的生活应该同正常孩子没什么区别。她到来后，我们会非常注意她的健康，会带她做定期检查。

小安娜是个好静的女孩。每遇到新奇的玩具，都会非常感兴趣，能一个人摆弄很长时间。听到音乐时， 就会扭扭屁股跟着跳舞，见到熟人会打招呼。19个月时，能清楚地叫“妈妈”和 “姐姐”，能说2-3个字的短语…… 看到这些对小安娜的描述，我们真恨不得马上见到她。

Today, I finally feel a little bit relaxed after all the excitement during the last few days. I only hope that the adoption process is quick and smooth, so that we can bring home our daughter soon. Many of our friends are interested in knowing more about her.

Little Anna was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD). She was abandoned at the front gate of the Hangzhou Children’s Welfare Institute when she was 11 months old. It always makes me cry when I think about her story. I truly believe that her birth parents loved her and hoped that she would have a better life than they could provide, and that we are blessed to have her as our daughter. Anna lived in the orphanage for 3 months before her foster parents brought her to their home. She had open heart surgery when she was 20 months old. She recovered very well under her foster mom’s care. She is no different than any other healthy child. We will be careful about her condition after she arrives and will bring her to a pediatric cardiologist for checkups.

Anna is a quiet girl. She likes toys and can often play with them for a long time. She dances when she hears music. She says hello to people she knows. She could clearly say “mama” and “jiejie” (sister) when she was 19 months old. She can speak short sentences with 2-3 words. We can’t wait to meet her after reading these descriptions.

We got a daughter!

昨天早上，上班之前，我查email. 看见了我们的领养代办人发来的邮件，她说可能帮我们找到了女儿。我的心跳马上加速，迫不及待的打开了邮件，一个叫怀平的大眼睛女孩立即映入我的眼帘，我马上告诉我家先生，他由于要送儿子上学，不能同我坐下来仔细看，匆匆看了一眼照片和孩子的年龄，说了一句话“孩子太大了”就不得不走了。孩子2岁半，比我们想象的大了一岁。我在家里详细地看了孩子的各种报告和照片，很快就难舍难分了。 过了一会儿，先生开着车给我打电话说：“孩子咱们要了”. 我真是喜出望外, 赶紧联系事先安排好的各路人马，帮我们看孩子的病例，Boston 的儿科专家 Dr. Lars Erickson 很快就给我回了信儿，同时几个好友将孩子的病例发给他们认识的中国医生。 这些医生的评估，给我增强了信心。其实在我心中，一看到孩子就把她当成自己的女儿了。

过后，我问先生为什么突然不嫌孩子大了，他说“在汽车里，我满脑子都闪现着孩子的大眼睛，就对自己说，孩子要了”。他反过来问我“我早上走之前说孩子太大了，你不着急吗?” 我说“我还不了解你，就知道你会变心”！这都是后话了，我当时还真是担心先生不同意。

这突如其来的好消息，把我和先生的生活和思维彻底打乱了。 我昨天送女儿去滑冰，却带了跳芭蕾舞用的包，而把滑冰包忘在了家里。 从滑冰场回家取冰鞋，却想不起来该从哪儿上高速公路。 晚饭也没做，买了快餐吃了。今天早上，我和先生都4点钟就醒了，满头兴奋。早上起来后，先生差一点把牙膏挤到剃须刀上来刷牙。我把牛奶放到微波炉里，却忘了加热。真是糊涂透了。我们从来没有想到过，这个孩子会给我们的生活带来这么强大的期盼。我们生自己的两个孩子时，从来没有过这种感觉。我想这个孩子注定跟我们有缘，俗话说，“千里姻缘一线牵”，我们这是“万里亲缘一线连”。无论在天涯海角，她就是我们的女儿。

我门已于昨晚通过领养中介正式向中国收养中心申请领养小怀平。我们同时给孩子起了个美国名字，叫Anna (安娜)。 她中国名字有“平”，美国名字有“安”。 我们就希望孩子一生平安！

如果一切顺利，我们应该可以在明年的一月份或二月份回国将小怀平接回家。我们全家都期盼着这一天的到来。

I was checking my email yesterday morning before I left for work. I saw an email from my adoption agency and immediately opened it. A lovely girl with big eyes called Huaiping appeared in front of me. I told my dear husband (DH) right away. Since he had to leave to send our son to school right away, he could only take a look at the first picture and her age. He said to me that “the child is too old” and left. The child is two and half years old, a year older than we expected. I carefully looked at all the documents and pictures of the child and fell in love with her. A few minutes later, my DH called and said, “Let’s take the child.” I was so surprised and overjoyed by his sudden change. I then sent her files to all the people I had contacted before to review the medical files. Dr. Lars Erickson in Boston got back to me very quickly. In the meantime, some of my good friends sent her Chinese files to several Chinese doctors. The doctor’s evaluations made me feel a lot more comfortable. In my heart, from the very first sighting, I had already begun thinking of her as my daughter.

Later, I asked my DH what made him to change his mind about adopting the child. He told me, “When I was driving, all I could think of were her big eyes looking at me. My heart told me that this is the girl we were waiting for.” He then asked me, “Were you worried when I said she is too old?” I replied, “Nobody knows you better than I do, and I knew you would change your mind.” This conversation occurred after we had decided to adopt her. I was indeed worried that my DH would say no to her.

This big news completely disrupted our life and thoughts. When I sent Leah to ice skating yesterday, I took her ballet bag instead of her ice skating bag. When I was on the way home to get her ice skating bag, I forgot the directions to the freeway entrance. I was in no mood to cook and our whole family ate fast food for dinner. My DH and I woke up at 4 am this morning, feeling very excited. DH almost put toothpaste on his shaver to brush his teeth. I put milk in the microwave oven without starting the timer. We were a mess. I never thought the arrival of a child could have such a big impact on us. We never had such a feeling when we had our two children. I believe this is fate and that an invisible thread linked us to her. No matter where she is in the world, she was meant to be our daughter.

Last night, we officially submitted the pre-adoption application also called Letter of Intent (LOI) to the CCAA to adopt little Huaiping. In the meantime, we named her Anna. Combining her original Chinese name and the translation of her American name, it means “Safe and Sound.”

If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to travel to China to bring little Anna home in January or February next year. Our whole family is looking forward to the big day.

No special needs list released this week

最近几个月，CCAA每个月中旬发出新的特殊需要小孩的名单。 我在上周就把我和老公的所有联系方式都告诉给了我们的领养代办人，告诉她任何时候都可以给我们打电话，哪怕是半夜三更。她也觉得这星期很有希望，这几天我一直都很兴奋，每晚都做跟领养有关的梦。因为这里和过内的时差，新的名单到美国时，大部分都是这儿的晚上时间。 我每天，尤其是晚上，都在期待着代办人给我打电话。 我将手机随时带在身上，即使睡觉时，也放在枕头边儿。今天是星期五，国内已经是周末了，而且又是中秋节长周末，我只能把希望寄托到下星期了。我想生活本身就是这样一个过程，有期待，才有奔头。
In the past few months, CCAA has sent out the special needs shared list in the middle of each month. Last week, I provided all our contact information to our agency and told her that she could call us any time if there is any news, even if it is in the middle of the night. Our agency also thought that the list could be released this week. I have been very excited in the last few days, and was hoping to receive a phone call from my agency. I have carried my cell phone everywhere I go and I leave it next to my pillow when I sleep. Today is Friday and it is already the weekend in China. Now I have to put all my hope to the next week. I guess this hopeful waiting process makes life more interesting.

Special Needs Children Program

自从七月初将领养申请寄到移民局，在等待的同时，我开始阅读大量有关领养的各种信息，加入了各种有关领养的网上兴趣小组，这也包括了有关特殊需要的小孩。 随着阅读的不断增加，我的心逐渐被这些可爱的孩子所吸引。 很多孩子经过手术或治疗后，大都同正常小孩一样，我从心里觉得，我们也可以抚养一个这样的孩子。我每读到一些有关资料，就跟先生说说，他也开始慢慢接受。 于是我们于8月12日转为申请领养特殊需要的小孩. 每当我想到这些可爱的孩子，我常常会激动得难以入睡。 想想自己又要当妈妈了，好多好多计划让我浮想联翩......
While waiting for USCIS approval after submitting the I-800A, I started doing a lot of research on China adoption. I joined various forums regarding China adoption including the special needs (SN) program. As I read more and more, my heart was drawn to these precious children.A lot of the kids have some minor or moderate SN and they can live a normal life after surgery and treatment. I feel that we can provide a loving family for such a child. We decided to switch to the special needs program on August 12, 2008.