Monday, October 15, 2012

We have a daughter in Taiwan


She is four-years old and we will call her Y.T. here until we can tell you her real name.  And show you real pictures.  We have seen videos of her laughing and dancing and hopping like a bunny, and you will have to trust me when I say she is adorable.

We were standing on a beach in Tobago when we got the call from our caseworker that the birth father has chosen US to be her parents.   My ugly cry followed… Johnny and I hugged and could not let go.  I expected to feel like I did when I found out I was pregnant with our first two, but this was more raw and emotional.  It felt more like when they were actually born.

For those of you saying, “back up, back up, I thought you were waiting for a toddler in Latin America for the last 2 years!”, I will start at the moment we saw Y.T.s picture in our adoption agency’s September blog post, listed as a “waiting child”.  We knew we wanted to be considered as soon as we saw her information.

What is next?  The court process in Taiwan will take 6-8 months (details on the timeline for anyone interested), so we will probably travel in May or June to bring her home.  I will be hoping she can celebrate her 5th Birthday with us in May… we have missed so much of her life it is hard to tolerate the loss of another birthday.  In the meantime, we are studying Mandarin, doing paperwork, and painting the spare bedroom!  Our oldest daughter has definitive ideas about the decorating process based on what she remembers liking when she was 5.  Both of the kids are ecstatic to finally know their sister’s name and see her face.  They have been amazingly patient with all of the twists and turns of the adoption process.

Thank you all for your love and support!  This waiting period has been really hard on our family and we could not have made it without you.  We are now focusing all of our energy on preparing for Y.T. and the tough transition ahead.  We know nothing about “hard” compared to her challenges, but we cannot wait to love and take care of her. 

More to come!

4 comments:

  1. Wow! Congratulations! Another family I follow are travelling to Korea to pick up their son. They got the call last Friday. I wish my agency here in Canada had a waiting list like that! Two families in one week! Wow! Wow! Wow! is all I can say. This process actually works. I am beginning to lose total faith in the system. Can't wait to hear more!

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  2. Congratulations from Sweden! At the end of August we got the Call - we're waiting for a little boy, four years in november. He lives at Chung Yi. Is your daughter living there as well?

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  3. so happy for your news! it is so exciting and a day you will never forget..when you finally know who will be joining your family. Congratulations.

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  4. Thank you Sally and Elizabeth! Tina, our little girl is with New Hope. Have you had your paperwork logged into the courts? PM me if you can...

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