FINALLY - (on my 40th birthday no less) - HERE SHE IS!!!!

It is with great excitement and utter joy that I announce the referral of my daughter – and my parents’ first grandchild...

Lia Xiao Hui

I received the match from my agency on April 21, and now that I’ve received my Pre-Approval (PA) notice from China – I can finally share this awesome news! YES – it’s true – after 3.5 years of paperwork and waiting…we finally know who our sweet girl is:

Lia’s Chinese name is Xiao Hui. According to my agency, Xiao means “little or small” and Hui means “intelligent”. Her birthday is November 10, 2008, which means she is currently (almost) 18 months old. She is in the city of Xi’an in the Shaanxi Province of central China. As you can see from her photos, Lia was born with a cleft lip and palate, and her lip was surgically repaired around her 1st birthday in Nov. 2009. She will require some additional surgeries and dental work on her palate as she continues to grow.

But now on to the fun stuff…here is the (translated) description we received:

“She has bright eyes, and is curious about the whole world. She likes this world, so she smiles all the time, will giggle when being teased, and has two dimples. She does not like to eat the single food, she likes to eat the delicious food, such as noodle, bean food, potato mash, and so on. She is extrovert, happy and cute, you will like her. Her caretakers like her very much.”

Our first thought: She’s a “foodie” -- she will fit PERFECTLY into our family!!!

Our adoption agency expects we will travel to China by August, so she will likely be about 21 mos. old when we meet her.

A lot of friends have been asking about gifts and where we are registered. The truth is – what Lia needs most – more than clothes or toys – is to get home to her family where she can receive the love, attention, medical and nutritional care she needs. So in lieu of gifts, I am asking anyone who feels inclined, to please help us with a cash donation to help cover her orphanage fee, travel and medical costs. Even small donations will add up! Please see the “Chip In” widget at the top left of this page for more info – or feel free to email me directly…and please know that we are thankful from the bottom of our hearts for every friend and family member who has supported us along the way during this looooong process to our girl. We are over the moon!