The Kicker

We had the opportunity to spend about 30 seconds with Steven Curtis Chapman after one of his performances as the narrator of the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT Center. It was in March of this year that we attended his concert where he presented a segment called "The Miracle of Adoption". We told him that it was the kicker that set the ball in motion for our adoption process and from the look on his face in the photo, he liked the idea. In the photo: Be's luxurious hair, Don's massive right ear & SCC.

We have completed all of the paperwork for the dossier and are awaiting the Great State of New Jersey to validate Don's existence with the return of his certified birth certificate. Then, the paperwork pregnancy will be over. The best thing about all the red tape is that Be doesn't get morning sickness........

We have included a link to SCC's adoption web page.....http://www.ShaohannahsHope.org

Where we are in the process (Be)

So what's the latest about the adoption?, I often hear. It's so very different than when you're expecting a baby. Oh we're about 9 months into the process, I answer. Yes, but when will you get your child? That is the big question.

We are praying that our child (probably a girl) will be here before June, but we really don't know at this point. We just got all our Florida documents together and sent them to Tallahassee for certification. Bethany sent the home study and official adoption approval to us just last week. We are still waiting for a document from New Jersey and we still have to receive the Immigration documentation. Once we get all the documents back, we will submit them to Bethany's home office in Grand Rapids so they can translate them into Chinese. At that point the dossier is sent to a government organization in China (CCAA) that handles all the adoptions. Then we wait for a "referral". The CCAA supplies prospective parents with as much information as is available about the child. Sometimes there is a videotape that can actually be brought to a pediatrician for assessment.

So that's where we are this Christmas. By the grace of God we will have a little one to share next Christmas with. Thank you all for praying for us during this process. Don talks about writing a book: Life in Reverse-Saving the Best for Last.

Buddah & Shirley MacLain

While doing some research for this adoption, the question was posed......How do you respond when you're out in public and someone says "Oh, did you adopt your child?" I would probably want to respond something like "No. I ran into Shirley MacLain the other day and she told me that I was once a fat Buddah looking Oriental type guy in a past life." It will be difficult to dispense with the sarcasm but as a parent ..... it's my job.
Truly, I believe that any child that God grants us through adoption is our child and we are the real parents.
I came across some definitions which make the point.....
Natural child - any child who is not artificial.
Real parent - any parent who is not artificial.
Our own child - any child who is not someone else's child.
Adopted child - a natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.