FUN-draising!!!

This weekend my family hosted an Adoption Fundraiser/Spaghetti Feed at my old high school (my dad works there and secured the gymnasium and attached kitchen for us!) - We spread the news through Facebook, my parents' church newsletter and word of mouth. We were uncertain how many folks would actually show up for an event on a nice Saturday evening in June, but we ended up with around 50 people and we had a great time!

We got to the gym early on Saturday afternoon to decorate. I also prepared a powerpoint slideshow that documented my adoption journey, which played on a big screen throughout the event. We ran music from Steve's iPod...and my mom - bless her heart - cooked spaghetti - LOTS of it! Along with salad, garlic bread, and cake for dessert.

With my mom (no resemblance there...haha)

We didn't charge for tickets, but instead just let people give whatever they felt they could to help us bring Lia home. We also offered up a few small silent auction items for bidding.

My sister Tracy, my dad, and myself - goofy in the kitchen!

It was so great to see some of my old high school friends - some who I haven't seen in over 20 years - others who I've only reconnected with recently via Facebook:

"Class of '88" girls from left: Shari, Paula, Brietta, myself

With my good friend Rick and his wife Katie

Because I attended parochial schools in the same neighborhood, with the same families for 14 years (Preschool-Grade 12), I also saw some of my past teachers and principals...it was really cool. Kind of like a fundraiser and reunion combined.

My friend Ron, who I went to grade school with!

I'm happy to report that after expenses, we raised over $1,000 to bring our girl home! Between the online donations I've received (see upper left for ChipIn link) - and a few personal checks I've received by mail - we have raised $3,000 so far toward our travel expenses. A HUGE thanks to my family for all the work they put into this event, thanks to Steve for photographing and documenting the entire evening - and finally THANK YOU to everyone who attended - it was so much fun!

Next up? Garage Sale July 10...

This Letter is to Inform You...

Don't you just love official-looking letters that start out like that??? Well, I'm actually starting to!

"This letter is to inform you that your petition has been forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where the adoption interview will take place..."

Whoo hoooooo!  THE interview WILL. TAKE. PLACE. I literally teared up reading those words. This is the letter telling me that my U.S. paperwork has been forwarded to the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou. Which means we will likely be traveling in about 6 weeks!

So we made a trip to the "Big W" today (known for their great prices, but a store I rarely frequent and refuse to give any free publicity to)... When it comes to buying baby/toddler supplies and medicines, you can't beat their prices (I went online and checked!)  Since we will be dealing with limited luggage space and weight restrictions, we are basically just buying the items that A) aren't readily available in China - or B) we need just a little bit of until we can get out to a store in China... So Lia's playroom table has become a dumping ground for our pre-packing collections.

This, of course, does not include a lot of her other stuff like clothes, toys, bottles, diapers, snacks, etc.  I am still hoping for an update on her current size and daily habits before I purchase or pack those items - closer to when we leave. But as all this stuff costs money, so I'm trying to spread out the expenses over a few paychecks.

We also went to see the new "Karate Kid" movie today. Let me start by saying that I loved, LOVED the original Karate Kid - complete with pics of Ralph Macchio from Tiger Beat magazine taped up on my bedrooms walls when I was 14. I even owned an LP of the soundtrack! My sister and I must've watched that movie 100 times. So I was thrilled to learn that it was being remade and set in China no less, on the summer I am about to embark there. Too cool. Jackie Chan plays the "Mr. Miyagi" role as "Mr. Han".  Jayden Smith (Will Smith's son) plays "Dre" the new Karate Kid, and this time the Kid is learning Kung Fu rather than Karate. Throughout the movie, Mr. Han refers to Dre as "Xiao Dre". He tells Dre this translates as "Little Dre". Hearing this made me smile, since Lia's Chinese name is Xiao Hui, meaning "little" and "intelligent". Overall I thought the movie was great. I'm pleased that they kept so much of the heart from the original movie (which was lacking in the other sequels). I'm guessing this is a movie we will eventually own and watch over and over again in the coming years. :)

Finishing up her room...and travel visas received!

This week we finished up a few things in Lia's room. I hung some of her clothes - at least the ones that might be in the vicinity of fitting her between sometime in the next several months. We also hung her name sign above her closet, and finished things off with a few decorative flowers:

We also finished hanging the shelves above the dresser/changing table:

FedEx arrived today with our passports - complete with our Chinese travel visas attached! YAY. So we are READY to travel when we get the call - come on travel approval (TA)!!! This time I did not get a photo with the FedEx guy...it was a different driver, and he was off and back in his truck before I even got to the door.

There are still several steps of paperwork that need to go back and forth and exchange hands between China and the U.S. before our consulate appointment (CA) gets set - and we can't get TA until we have a CA...so, right now we are still hoping for travel in early August - fingers crossed. It's getting harder and harder to wait at this point...although as I've said the entire past three years, it will happen when it is supposed to happen (but hopefully it just happens sooner than later!)  :)

Money Grows from Friends, Not Trees!

Just a brief note of thanks to everyone who has contributed to my adoption fundraiser thus far! As you can see (at left) - my online "ChipIn" account has accumulated over $900 so far...but in total, I have raised over $1,500 from generous friends and family members across the U.S. - and I'm looking forward to hosting a fundraiser at my former high school in a couple of weeks to add to that amount!

Adoption is not an easy or cheap process. Adoptive families undergo years of paperwork, in-depth scrutiny into their personal backgrounds and financial records, criminal background checks, fingerprinting by the FBI and Homeland Security - and at every step along the way, there are fees to pay. You pay your agency, the social worker who does your homestudy, and USCIS for the priviledge of bringing a foreign child into the U.S. as an adopted child. 

Once you actually get matched with a child, you pay for visas and travel expenses (for them and you!), and a donation to the orphanage that has cared for your child. Then once you come home you pay your social worker to write and submit post-placement reports and court costs to re-finalize the adoption in your state...it just goes on and on and on...and you start to wonder if as many people would have biological children, if they all had to go through this type of process to become a parent...I'm thinking probably not.

But after working at a pediatric hospital where the leading cause of non-accidental death in infants was shaken baby syndrome year after year...I'm thinking perhaps they should.

Anyway - thank you to everyone who has helped me achieve this dream, but even more importantly, is helping change the life of one very special child. You will be in our thoughts and prayers always!