Here is the video of THE call.
It was just after lunch on Monday, June 7... Jennifer met me at my office so we had Beth, our social worker, on speaker phone.
Notice the awkward silence and twitching during the call.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
She was pretty with a pleasant and active personality...
We keep learning more and more about Ella every minute...
I met with the IT Director at the Lansing State Journal today as he was born in Hong Kong... so he can translate for me... but we also received the formal translated version... of her documents.
Here's what we now know...
Ella was found abandoned at the gate of the Tai Cheng Weave Factory on June 22, 2009 by an entrance guard of the said factory.
She was then sent to the welfare institute on the same day for care. According to the intake medical check-up, her growth and development were normal. She was 46 cm tall and 2.5 kg in weight.
At admission, Ella had black hair, a small face and rosy skin. Her time at the welfare institution have been documented as such:
2-3 months old: Ella had a fair appetited, but her sleep was not stable.
4-5 months old: Ella would turn her head when someone called her name.
6 months old: Ella was quiet and sometimes impatient. She cried when she was hungry but was well-behaved when she was full.
7-8 months old: Ella loved going outside, basking in the sun. She liked toys that were colorful or with sounds.
9 months old: Ella would use her legs to make "Bang Bang" sounds.
10 months old: Ella's hair became a little bit curly. She was pretty, with a pleasant and active personality. When someone played with her, she would smile. She was a pretty girl.
In the documents that show her state of growth and routine. In there we learned she has four teeth, is a moderate sleeper (6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with a two hour nap in the afternoon), sucks her fingers, laughs aloud, takes off her sock by herself, quick in reaction, close to her caretaker and loves outdoors activities and TV!
Geez... I think she's a perfect fit for us! A nice blend of Jenn and I... ALREADY!
We do not yet know when we will travel, but will probably be six-to-eight weeks from now. We have to wait for the consulates appointment. We will be flying out of Detroit as there is a direct flight to Hong Kong from here... AND, it's closer than Chicago.
All of this information came with our referral package... boy was that an experience. UPS "delivered" it to our home at 9:30 a.m. So, I drove home to pick it up at lunchtime and it wasn't there. Checking with neighbors... nobody saw UPS or the package being delivered.
I called UPS to track the package. They couldn't help me because I was not the sender. The sender had to open an investigation.
So, I called our agency and left messages with everyone as nobody answered the phone. I called four different offices, even. NO ANSWER.
Considering Illinois and Michigan lost our original file... I really was freaking out and did not have much faith in UPS at this point.
I called the local UPS retail store who suggested I go to the distrution building. So I did. Come to find out, the driver misread the address and set it on a doorstep on the opposite end of our street. After two hours, I FINALLY had the package.
What a day! What a week! What a month! What a year!
I met with the IT Director at the Lansing State Journal today as he was born in Hong Kong... so he can translate for me... but we also received the formal translated version... of her documents.
Here's what we now know...
Ella was found abandoned at the gate of the Tai Cheng Weave Factory on June 22, 2009 by an entrance guard of the said factory.
She was then sent to the welfare institute on the same day for care. According to the intake medical check-up, her growth and development were normal. She was 46 cm tall and 2.5 kg in weight.
At admission, Ella had black hair, a small face and rosy skin. Her time at the welfare institution have been documented as such:
2-3 months old: Ella had a fair appetited, but her sleep was not stable.
4-5 months old: Ella would turn her head when someone called her name.
6 months old: Ella was quiet and sometimes impatient. She cried when she was hungry but was well-behaved when she was full.
7-8 months old: Ella loved going outside, basking in the sun. She liked toys that were colorful or with sounds.
9 months old: Ella would use her legs to make "Bang Bang" sounds.
10 months old: Ella's hair became a little bit curly. She was pretty, with a pleasant and active personality. When someone played with her, she would smile. She was a pretty girl.
In the documents that show her state of growth and routine. In there we learned she has four teeth, is a moderate sleeper (6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with a two hour nap in the afternoon), sucks her fingers, laughs aloud, takes off her sock by herself, quick in reaction, close to her caretaker and loves outdoors activities and TV!
Geez... I think she's a perfect fit for us! A nice blend of Jenn and I... ALREADY!
We do not yet know when we will travel, but will probably be six-to-eight weeks from now. We have to wait for the consulates appointment. We will be flying out of Detroit as there is a direct flight to Hong Kong from here... AND, it's closer than Chicago.
All of this information came with our referral package... boy was that an experience. UPS "delivered" it to our home at 9:30 a.m. So, I drove home to pick it up at lunchtime and it wasn't there. Checking with neighbors... nobody saw UPS or the package being delivered.
I called UPS to track the package. They couldn't help me because I was not the sender. The sender had to open an investigation.
So, I called our agency and left messages with everyone as nobody answered the phone. I called four different offices, even. NO ANSWER.
Considering Illinois and Michigan lost our original file... I really was freaking out and did not have much faith in UPS at this point.
I called the local UPS retail store who suggested I go to the distrution building. So I did. Come to find out, the driver misread the address and set it on a doorstep on the opposite end of our street. After two hours, I FINALLY had the package.
What a day! What a week! What a month! What a year!
Monday, June 07, 2010
It's a girl...
We are proud to introduce our daughter...
Dong Fang Xia Qing AKA Ella McFatridge
She was born on June 21, 2009 and currently resides in the Social Welfare Institute in the Jiangxi Province.
Here's what we know...
- she's a moderate sleeper
- she can hold her head up
- she rolls over
- she sits up
- she can visually follow things
- she knows her name
- she can point to her eyes, ears, nose and mouth
- she's active
- she likes music and toys
- she has long hair (just past the ears)
- she weights 6.7 kilograms (15 lbs)
- she's 68 cm in height (27")
- her intake day (day she went into the orphanage) was 6/22/09
- Xia means small; Qing means green; Dong means East
We should receive photos any time now... but wanted to post as much information as possible.
Here's to our little daughter...
Dong Fang Xia Qing AKA Ella McFatridge
She was born on June 21, 2009 and currently resides in the Social Welfare Institute in the Jiangxi Province.
Here's what we know...
- she's a moderate sleeper
- she can hold her head up
- she rolls over
- she sits up
- she can visually follow things
- she knows her name
- she can point to her eyes, ears, nose and mouth
- she's active
- she likes music and toys
- she has long hair (just past the ears)
- she weights 6.7 kilograms (15 lbs)
- she's 68 cm in height (27")
- her intake day (day she went into the orphanage) was 6/22/09
- Xia means small; Qing means green; Dong means East
We should receive photos any time now... but wanted to post as much information as possible.
Here's to our little daughter...
Friday, June 04, 2010
holy cow...
According to Rumor Queen, CCAA has been matching and the cutoff is going to be 4/26/06. We are 4/24/06... SO... we should hear something Monday...
The rumors come from some European agencies that are "almost always correct."
Exciting!!!
Here's the link to Rumor Queen, if you're interested: http://chinaadopttalk.com/
The rumors come from some European agencies that are "almost always correct."
Exciting!!!
Here's the link to Rumor Queen, if you're interested: http://chinaadopttalk.com/
Monday, May 10, 2010
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2... OMG!
Today referrals were announced. While CCAA did not get through April 24, 2006 (our LID), they DID get through April 21, 2006. Looking at the calendar to the left of our blog, you will notice that the 22nd and 23rd is a Saturday and a Sunday. Which means... WE ARE NEXT!
Yes, four years, five months, and 21 days later, we now know, June 201 will be our referred month.
The last eight days have been... weird. Typically, CCAA refers children on the first Monday of every month. Since last Monday was a national holiday for China (USAs equivalent to Labor Day), we thought referrals would have been released on Tuesday or Wednesday last week. So, it's been a horrible waiting period for us. Finally, today, they were released.
I can only imagine what next month will be like!?!?!?!
Who knows... the next blog post could include a photo of our child!
Stay tuned!
Yes, four years, five months, and 21 days later, we now know, June 201 will be our referred month.
The last eight days have been... weird. Typically, CCAA refers children on the first Monday of every month. Since last Monday was a national holiday for China (USAs equivalent to Labor Day), we thought referrals would have been released on Tuesday or Wednesday last week. So, it's been a horrible waiting period for us. Finally, today, they were released.
I can only imagine what next month will be like!?!?!?!
Who knows... the next blog post could include a photo of our child!
Stay tuned!
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