Life is Good!

It has now been two weeks that we have been waiting for our LID, not including the week of the Chinese New Year. We had hoped that we would hear something as early as the end of last week, but it appears that it will be a bit longer. Since the next few months will be a relatively slow period as we wait for our LOA, I will probably only post to the blog once a week unless something significant occurs.

Our son is part of a program called the Hope Project. As one of three participating agencies included in this program, Christian World Adoption accepted responsibility for finding “forever families” for 24 orphans, many with special needs, who were residing in the #2 Children’s Welfare Institute in Beijing (BCWI). Thus far, all but 4 of these children have found their families, although the families are in varying stages of completing their adoptions. One family has already returned from China with their new daughter, while two other families are currently in China uniting with their new children and completing the adoptions.

Many families set up blogs to document their adoptions both during the planning stages as well as while they are in China. The family which has already returned with their daughter, and one of the two families currently in China, have created blogs that we have been following. We are finding this quite beneficial, as we are not only able to share in their joy, but also to learn and better prepare for our own “Gotcha Day” and the acclimation of our son into his new family.

A few things have already arisen which seem to indicate trends. The bio’s originally posted on the CWA website invariably noted that an individual child was not a picky eater. While this may be true for authentic Chinese cuisine, it appears that there is a great deal of adjustment toward Western (or Westernized) food. Apparently, however, both KFC and Pizza Hut are very popular in China. In fact, it was noted that there are more KFC’s in China than in the United States! We might be frequenting the one’s in Claremore and Owasso on our return. The orphanage children also seem to have quite an affinity for sweets. Good thing we sent our little guy some in his last care package!

Since today was President’s Day, Angie did not have to work as the bank was closed in observance (miss ya, Dutch!). We decided to do some shopping for our new son, and hit quite a few good deals. Due to not having accurate information on his measurements, we are trying to get clothes that are adjustable or versatile to wear, preferably at deep discounts so we’re not out much should they not be adequate. We happened to stop by Sun ‘n Ski and, lucky for us, they had quite a sale going on. A lot of their kid’s stuff was in the 70-80% off range and of good quality (Columbia, North Face, Sierra Designs, etc.). Most of the shorts have drawstrings so we can adjust them as needed, as our little guy is fairly small. We also got a pair of really cool cammo shorts at a consignment shop, a pair of nearly new Old Navy khaki shorts for $2 at the Goodwill store, and an OSU cammo hat for $2 at TJ Maxx. What little guy doesn’t like cammo? This should tide us over quite well while we’re in Beijing and until we’ve had a chance to shop more “fittingly” (groan!!!) upon our return!

We also happened on a neat bedroom set for his bed that fits in with what we’ve already done to his room. It included a comforter, sheet set, pillow shams and bed skirt. His room is now nearly complete. All that remains is a coat of paint (we’ve already picked out the color) and installation of a ceiling fan. Of course, I’m sure it will look completely different once he’s put his mark on it with various toys and knick knacks which more closely mirror his personality and interests.

We’re fervently praying that our LOA is expedited, as the wait is killing us!!!