Blog Name

"Expect Miracles" was taken from a suncatcher I bought for Deann while she was in exploratory surgery in 1997. I gave the stained glass suncatcher to her after she awakened. Those were dark days for Deann and I as we struggled to understand why we were not being blessed with children. Deann's surgery was another step we took to determine why we were infertile. Not long after Deann surgery and several failed attempts at AI we quit the treatments. We were given little explanation why we were unsuccessful. We were both healthy. Of course everyone on the planet gave us the old "just relax" advice. Take note, if you ever say that to a couple experiencing fertility problems, be glad they are unarmed (especially if you say it to Deann) :).

I was fully expecting a miracle to happen in our lives and it did. MaCayla Joann Cook 6lbs 10 oz, born August 26, 1998. No fertility treatments involved. Now we have another miracle. Chen Ya Fang, 7 lbs., born October 23, 2004 in Guizhou, China.

Map of China

This map of China shows Guiyang in the south central portion of China directly above Viet Nam. That is where we believe Hannah lives (she could be in another town near Guiyang, we just do not know for sure) and where we will be traveling in 2-3 weeks to get her. We will also go to Beijing and Guangzhou to complete necessary adoption protocols.

Update!

We have an update on Hannah. We were totally surprised on Friday night when we received an e-mail around 10pm. She weighs 16.7 lbs and is 27 inches long. We also received head, chest and foot measurements. Her feet are 10cm. That is half the size of MaCayla’s. She looks so much bigger in her photos… all those layers of clothes. What a hoot!

 

Guizhou

Hannah was born in Guizhou Province in Southwestern China. She was found the day she was born at the town goverment building in Nanshao. You will find Nanshao on some maps, but don't bother trying to find out anything else about this town. I have tried and can find nothing. Very shortly thereafter she was taken to the county government office of Jianhe County. A few days later she was taken to Kaili to the Qiandongnan SWI. A week after she was born she was placed in foster care where we believe she remains today. Her birthday will be October 23. At first we hoped we would be with her on this special day, but Deann communicated with another mother in our travel group whose daughter was born October 26 and she would likely miss her daughters's first birthday also. This very sensible mother said she was glad her daughter would spend her first birthday with her foster parents as they deserve one last special occasion with the foster daughter they have devoted their lives to. Well, this put it into perspective for us. Sometimes we can be so selfish, only thinking of ourselves. Now we are at peace with missing Hannah's first birthday and are glad for the foster parents.

General Musings
Guizhou, "No three days without rain, no three cents, and no three feet that are flat". How depressing a description. The infant mortality was 50% in 1934. Parents waited a month after their childrens birth to celebrate. The people plant, tend and harvest rice on terraces carved into the hillsides using oxen. This back breaking work has produced a hardy, strong people who take nothing for granted. The landscape is beautiful in all the pictures we have seen. There are more Chinese minority groups in Guizhou than any other province. The area were Hannah was found is know as The Autonomous Prefecture of the Dong & Miao Minorities. One description I read about the people of Jianhe County is the are fair skinned, strong and beautiful. If you know anything about these areas of China please post them in the comments section.

VISA, FCC, and Guizhou Website

We sent off for our VISA's today. It is a little disconcerting sending our original passports to a travel agency and then to the Chinese Consulate, but that is the the way it is done.

We attended a FCC (Families with Chinese Children) picnic in Athens on Sunday. What an amazing group of people and children. They were all friendly and very interested in our referral and travel plans. Unfortunately, none of them had been to Guizhou where Hannah resides. I was not surprised by this as Guizhou seems to be an area that does not refer many children for adoption.

I found a web page of a young man's adventures in Guizhou. He is from Hong Kong and traveled with family to Guizhou to inspect school buildings his Granfather had built in some of the poorest areas of China. There are many photos on his web page of everday living in cities and remote villages. He has a fascination with food and photographed everything he ate on his two week trip. He gives descriptions of the food and many of the dishes are quite "exotic". Don't read this on a full stomach. His english is very good, but unusual in his descriptions. Evidently, drinking alcohol is a favorite past time of the people in this area, because as the "Guest of Honor" in many of the places he visits he is required to toast all of his hosts, many times. Here is the link http://kamleung.com/triplog/0208guizhou/guizhou.htm Bon appetite!

To My Fair Lady

Once upon a time there was a fair lady,
whose dream was to have a second baby.
She prayed and she cried,
few understood how hard she tried.
Her tears grew into a pond of sadness,
driving her at times to it’s shore of madness.
Her days grew dark and dim,
as her hope seemed so slim.
As her faith began to diminish,
a loving voice said “wait, I am not finished”.
Then came the least of these from the east,
her shimmering eyes seemed to calm the fair lady’s grieving beast.
Slowly, her days grew brighter,
the burden a little lighter.
The little one from the east,
brought a message of hope and love, a banquet feast.
With her faith filled,
the lady’s heart began to still.
She began a journey, but not without fear,
finally, her days had a different kind of tear.
The trip began traveling toward the sun as it set,
but this was no reason to ever fret.
At last a brown eyed beauty,
filled her arms wearing tiny booties.
The pond of tears began to dry up,
as she fed the babe from a little cup.
Another little one from the east,
has filled a heart with hope and love unceased

Travel Planning-Not!

We received the following e-mail from our adoption agency. At first glance I was very excited as I thought we were going to get some details on our intinerary while in China, but reading further I realized it was a pre-planning meeting. Oh well, any agency contact is good contact. If you are adopting you know what I mean.

Dear China Families:

We are writing to invite families who received a match on 1 September 2005 to participate in a travel planning conference call scheduled for the date listed below. This call is for all families regardless of the province your child is from and will review travel planning for your adoption travel to China. We will discuss your trip inside China later, during the call we conduct for each group when travel dates are set.

Now We Wait...Again!!!

It has been two weeks since we found out who our Daughter is...Chen Ya Fang or as we will call her Hannah Yafang Cook. We are still on top of the world. And we wait for our Travel Approval (TA) from the Chinese Government which should come at the end of September or very early October. We will likey travel to China at the end of October or beginning of November. Deann is packing. MaCayla continues to pray for her little sister and we are all very anxious to be close to Hannah.

I bought MaCayla a roll up piano today so she can continue to practice her piano lessons while in China. The piano is made of rubber and shaped like a mat with a speaker on the end. She loves to play and practice. The piano rolls up and fits in a small case that can easily fit in her back pack.

I read a blog last night about a medical team that went to China to perform surgeries for orphaned children. Oh my! What a need for the children of China. The name of the organization is Love Without Borders. The blog address is http://lwbchina.blogspot.com. If you don't want to cry do not click on that link.

Sisters!!!

A picture is worth a thousand words!
Patrick Cook

Introducing Hannah Yafang Cook!

Dear Friends and Family,
Finally! We are blessed to have a new Daughter and little Sister. The description we were given says she is very energetic and smiles all the time.
Love,
Deann, MaCayla & Patrick Cook


Chinese name: Chen Ya Fang
Soon to be: Hannah Yafang Cook (we think)
Birthdate: October 23, 2004
Foster care through Qiandongnan SWI, Guizhou


Patrick Cook

THE CALL!

Deann received the call today at 6:35 PM. Chen Ya Fang is her name (soon to be Hannah). Her birthday is October 23, 2004. She is in foster care in Guiyang, a city in Guizhou Province. In March she weighed 14 lbs and was 24 inches long. Her Social Welfare Institute is called Qiandongnan (Orphan House of Southwest City). Holt is Fedexing us 3 pictures of her on Saturday, along with more information about her. Our contact at Holt said she is adorable and smiling in one of the pictures.

Evidently, Holt does not do very many adoption from this province...according to our contact at Holt. This is a recipe for an adventurous trip to China as our guides will probably have little experience in this part of China. I have already read that changing money and finding places to eat can be difficult in this part of China. It's all about getting Hannah. "Whatever it takes" is our new motto.

MaCayla cried as Deann received the call. Deann cried and I wiped away a few tears when she called me with the news.

We are ready to go to Guiyang, China, now! Just a little longer sweet Ya Fang.

Take a Deep Breath

We are ever so anxious to hear about referrals this month. The feelings can be overwhelming at times. It is impossible to stop looking at the yahoo message boards for any rumors. I always tell Deann to stop looking at the boards to keep her sanity, but I do not practice what I preach. The boards are our lifeline. We have got to find out something soon or we are going to lose it!

Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy. Why should this be any different?

Some of the things running through my mind, randomly (and Deann's too, I'm sure).

How old will Hannah be?
What will she look like?
How big will she be?
Where is she?
What is her name?
Who is taking care of her?
What is her personality like?
Will she be walking, crawling, talking?

The wait will surely get harder when we receive her picture. Life seems to be on hold until we know something.

NEXT

The July referrals went through 1/7/2005. We have a DTC of 1/28/2005. That means this time next month (around MaCayla's birthday 8/26) we will have our referral of Hannah. We will know her name, the province she resides in China, her weight, her health status, and receive a picture of her shortly thereafter. Something would have to go terribly wrong for us not to receive the referral next month, so pray for us and Hannah as we eagerly anticipate next month's referrals.

Funny Feeling

Deann and I both woke up this morning with strong feelings about Hannah. We don't know what to make of this. Maybe we will find out the significance, if any, after we find out more about Hannah. I speculated that maybe our file was moved to the matching room where the match of our family to Hannah will finally take place. I had this feeling one other time earlier this year in January. It is hard to explain the feeling only that I feel something like anxiety, like I did when I realized I was a Father.

Speculation

As we continue to wait for our referral the wait gets harder. Every month we anxiously await news of referrals and carefully watch the dates, hoping we will be surprised that the dates go further into the next month than we had imagined. Unfortunately, the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) has not surprised us, but as each referral batch is posted we can continue to hope.

We know another precious daughter is awaiting us at the end of all this and we have faith that all will be well and this agonizing wait will be a distant memory, but just the same we can't wait!

Because the last batch of referrals did not make it to the month of December (DTC) for our agency we were very disappointed. Our DTC is January 28, 2005, which puts us 2 to 3 referrals out. Right now referrals are coming once per month with 3 to 5 weeks of DTC dates. We are 9 weeks out with our 1-28-2005 DTC date.

Some very close friends recently gave us a boost of encouragment by showing their support for our decision to adopt. Their support means so much to our family. It is very humbling when people go out of their way to do more than is necessary to support our decision. We only hope that we can be the kind of friends they have been to us.

Hannah is somewhere in China right now. Deann and I would not be surprised if she was born very close to both of our Birthday's in March. That would make her 4 months old as I write this. That would make Hannah 7 months old when we get her. That may be unrealistic now that I think about it. It is more likely she would be 9-11 months old. If everything remains steady with the CCAA we will probably be traveling to China at the end of October.

Running the Race

I have trained heavily for my first 5k race the past 4 months. The race was this past weekend. During the race I was very focused on finishing and doing my best, but with a half mile to go my mind drifted to Hannah and the adoption process. I thought to myself "finishing this race is much like the adoption process, in the beginning you don't know what to expect, near the middle you start to believe you can finish and at the end it gets extremely painful, but the joy of finishing is well worth the effort". So here we are... we can see the finish line, and the closer we get the more excited we are to finally hold her in our arms. Three to four months left until referral.

Hurry Up and Wait

It has been a month since my last post. We found out our LID (Log in date) is February 23rd. The LID is when your paper work is finally officially received by the Chinese government. Other than that we are simply waiting. At best we will hear further at the end of July. That is the earliest I guesstimate our referral will come. I don't even want to think about the latest it could come.

Deann and I had our first Hepatitis A and B shots yesterday in preparation for our trip to China. I asked the nurse if it would be OK to run afterwards and she assured me it would be fine. It wasn't. Immediately after my run my muscles began to cramp (all of my muscles). My head began to hurt and later I began to shiver. My temperature went as high as 102.5 and my heart began beating rapidly. I was very close to going to the hospital, but I stuck it out. I feel better today, but I still have a low temperature and my body aches. Evidently, this is extremely rare. It could be a coincidence that I have something, but I do not have your normal flu or infection symptoms, like a runny nose, sore throat etc. They are recommending I skip the next two doses. Deann had no adverse reaction.

The next four months could be very long as we wait to receive our referral. Everyone says it will be over before we know it, but it still seems like a long time.

Another Rainy Night (Day) in Georgia

MaCayla and I painted Hannah's nursery yesterday as a surprise for Deann. The room is pink, really pink. MaCayla was a big help painting her little sisters room. We also put up the crib and Deann went looking in the attic for MaCayla's baby clothes, which she found and decided to wash and sort. Deann is a bit frustrated not knowing what size Hannah will be when we finally get her.

We are starting to research the details of our trip to China. Everything is a mystery to us right now as we do not know what month we will travel let alone what day. We have a long way to go before we can solidify our agenda, but it is never too early to plan.

I bought a camcorder yesterday and read the manual. I actually read manuals...I know that's a bit unconventional, but it seems to work well for me. The camcorder is nearly smaller than the digital camera we bought in 2002...amazing! I hope to practice using the camcorder now so I can make a movie of the big day when we finally meet Hannah.

As soon as Deann finishes sorting through baby clothes she has piled up in the new nursery I will post a picture of the Winnie the Pooh themed room.

Oh Danny Boy! This one for you Grandpa.
Patrick Cook

Momma Pat and MaCayla looking like they have a secret!
Patrick Cook

MaCayla Cook showing off her 1st Place winning President's Day Poster.
Patrick Cook

Introducing Claire Henry the new daughter of two very special people!
Patrick Cook

We have six months to wait for our referral of Hannah. I thought this photo I snapped of a snail would represent our feelings very well.
Patrick Cook

I Need Some Advil...

I turn forty in March. I decided to play basketball this year for our church. Yeah, I know what your thinking, "mid life crisis, must have needed to see if he could still play with the big boys". Your right, and I found out I can still play with the big boys...if they're playing horse or around the world, but not full court basketball. Anyway, my mind still moves in fast motion, but my body is lagging way behind. It has been 15 years since I played. That doesn't sound right. Let me type that again "15 years". Still doesn't sound right. Help! I need some Advil and a heating pad. I know my Mom will get a kick out of reading this.

Fishing

We have a small pond in front of our house. You can see our house in the background of this picture. I love to teach kids how to fish. This is MaCayla with a Bream she caught a few years ago. I hope Hannah will like fishing. Most kids do. Especially, if they can catch them fast, so they don't get distracted or bored. Catching Bream is perfect for kids because they are small and usually provide plenty of action.
Patrick Cook

Creating Comments

I am sorry if you have tried to type comments in the past and been unable to. Please try again by clicking on the comments link after the blog entry you want to comment on. The glitch occurred because I entered the settings incorrectly on my setup page. This should be fixed now. If you are a member of blogger you can comment under your user name. If you are not a member of blogger click on anonymous to post.

Thank you for reading my blog and sharing the emotions we are feeling during our adoption process.

I would like to thank all our family and friends who have been so excited about our decision to bring Hannah into our family. You will never know how much it means to see your genuinely excited faces when we talk about getting Hannah. We feel blessed to have such loving support. Please pray for us as we are unbelievable anxious to travel to China and embrace our new Daughter. The next six months or more, while we wait will be the longest of our lives. The connection we feel for Hannah is ever present and our hearts ache to see her smiling face.

Baby it's Cold Outside!
Patrick Cook

Ice Storm 2005-Swimming anyone?
Patrick Cook

Icy Dicey

Last night a winter storm made its way through Georgia. It started as rain turned to freezing rain and then became sleet. The sleet covers the ground an inch thick in places and looks like snow at first glance. The weatherman says we are in store for some more this afternoon.

I ordered a map of China from National Geographic and tacked it to the wall. The map is very detailed and helps one to understand the enormity of the country's population. Each province is represented and everytime I find out where the referrals are from for the week or month I go to the map to see where these little ones where born. Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangxi etc. have all become familiar to me geographically. Six months ago I had no idea where Beijing was, except that I knew it was the capital of China.

I now ask my Chinese acquaintances where they are from and I actually know where places like Shanghai and Dongshan are on the map. I didn't even know where Taiwan was located.

I never in my life thought about going to China until we decided to bring Hannah home. Now I am starting to feel a connection with it's culture, customs, language , and especially it's children. Before, I never read a news article about China. Now, I read everything, no matter how mundane or small.

I recently finished a Book called "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck (Thanks Effie). It is a fictional story about pre-cultural revolution China. This book mentioned much of the culture and customs that are still prevalent in much of China today. The simplicity of the language and narrative intertwined with the cultural history make the story very compelling.

DTC! (Dossier to China)

Today is a very important day in our adoption process. All the paper gathering, certification, and authentication has ended for now. Our adoption agency has our "dossier" together and will send it to Beijing today. This is known as the DTC(dossier to China) day.

Now we wait for our referral of Hannah. The referral is when we are actually matched with a child and notified of the match. Soon thereafter, we will receive a picture and a report of the child's name, weight, age development, personality, and health from the Chinese government and be asked to accept or refuse the referral. We have read and been told the referral day is a very emotional day. We will lay eyes on our child for the first time that day. What a day that will be!

There is one more very important day that the referral is loosely tied to. This day is known as the LID (log in date). This is the day the Chinese government officially receives our dossier. Recent posts on internet message boards indicate LID is usually ten days after DTC. The referral wait from the LID is running in the six month range. The Chinese new year begins February 9th and ends the 13th. If our dossier is not LID before the Chinese New Year we may have to wait a little longer than expected. Many people in China vacation during the Chinese New Year and the government is shut down during that time, as we understand. We will not know our LID until sometime in March (we hope).

I am very emotional as I type this and I just want go get Hannah right now! The wait, the horrible wait.

MaCayla Cook, Hannah's big sister to be.
Patrick Cook

Happiness

MaCayla is sick today. She has a high fever and Deann was not feeling well this morning, so we skipped church. We did have a devotional on happiness. It was very interesting teaching the meaning of joy to MaCayla. The point of the study became very clear as we talked about the things that bring us happiness and what God might think of those things. It comes down to making good choices. For instance, we asked MaCayla how her choice of breakfast might influence her day and therefore her happiness. I told her eating chocolate for breakfast might make her happy for the moment, but later in the morning she may become irritable, which may cause her to misbehave. The misbehavior would have a consequence, which could steal her joy for the day. I know...a little too deep for a first grader, but hey I learned something. Every choice, no matter how small, may influence our joy. So go out there and make good choices...for your sake. God wants you to be happy!

Three Cuties

MaCayla "Cookie", Deann and Elizabeth. Elizabeth (the daughter of some very special friends) provided the final inspiration we needed to solidify our decision to bring Hannah home. Elizabeth will always hold a special place in our hearts, as will her sister, Lydia.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him" 1 Samuel 1:27
 

My Daughter's Note to Hannah

Dear Hannah you are going to be the best little sister ever that's what I think about you because
I just think that I don't know why I think about you every day at school at church at mama jo's
and big pop's and they are two good grandperent's I'm telling you about this because I want
you to know about america.

P.S. I bet you would like to know about your other Grandparents, also. Poppa Cook, Momma Cook, Momma Pat and Bob. They are very sweet to me and they will be sweet to you.

MaCayla Cook is six years old in the first grade and has agreed to regularly contribute to this blog.

DTC Date

We received a call from our dossier specialist tonight. She explained that our DTC would be Friday, January 28, 2005. My wife and little girl cannot stop smiling and neither can I. One step closer.

Journal Entries

I began keeping a journal about our adoption experience on November 30, 2004. I hope to publish the journal on this blog in the near future. In the mean time, we are very close to DTC (Dossier to China). Right now, we know many of our dossier papers are in Houston at the Chinese Consulate being authenticated. They may even be on the way back to Holt International as I write this. We are very excited knowing we are so close to DTC and eventually LIC (Logged in China).

Photo of Cook Family sent with dossier to China. Deann, MaCayla and Patrick Cook

Message Groups

I have read message groups this past week that pertain to China adoption. I am realizing there are many other hopeful parents like us with the same feelings of love and hope for their precious children to be. I knew there were thousands of others, but after beginning to read their stories on the message boards it fills my heart with joy and somehow I feel a bond with complete strangers.

One message board has a recurring theme of "rescuing orphaned children". Most of the adopting parents are not adopting for this reason. Neither are we. I have never had the feeling I am rescuing an orphan. I simply want to love this child as much as one person can love another. Some might say "How can you love a child you have never seen". To them I say "I have seen her in my heart". Some things are impossible to explain logically and are beyond reason. Love is one of those things. It can never be bought nor sold. It can only "be". It is very similar to knowledge in that it cannot be taken from you. Like a memory it is forever yours to keep and hold close to your heart.

Anxious Moment

Have you ever had a moment when you feel like you are aware something is happening to a loved one? I just had one of those moments. A strange feeling of anxiety filled me, but I was not anxious. I started to think about Hannah. It was as if I were feeling her anxiety. I am not sure what to make of this.

Yesterday we sent the final paperwork to Holt International. No more paperwork, for now. Now we wait.

"Ruffling"

On December 23rd, we went to see "Polar Express". This movie will surely become a classic. I can't wait to sit down with Cookie and Hanna in my lap and watch it together.

On Christmas Eve Deann worked until 11:30 am and Cookie and I rented two movies. MaCayla bought a Christmas card for Deann.

MaCayla had difficulty falling asleep last night. She was very excited about Santa coming.
Santa did come bringing her a telescope, a bicycle, clothes and several dolls.

MaCayla and I "ruffled" this morning. That is what we call play wrestling. She would rather do that than play with her toys, amazing.

MaCayla and I have a very complicated secret handshake. We decided to teach Hannah as soon as she can learn.

I keep thinking that Hannah will be here next Christmas and MaCayla will have a sibling to share this special day with.

I am sitting by the fire as I write this and hope Hannah is warm and safe.

The Domino Effect

Tonight we attended our Sunday School Class Christmas Party. We had a lot of fun. Our classmates, the Henry's, are having a baby in February. We talked about their baby and Hannah for a very long time. The Henry's are very excited for us, as we are for them.

I drove Big Pop for a post-op visit today. He is doing well.

Afterwards, we drove to Henry County, where I had our Home Study certified by the Superior Court Clerk. One more domino fallen in our quest to bring Hannah home. Sleep tight little one, sleep tight.

Christmas Come Early

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas as a family at Momma Jo's house. All the cousins were there (except Ward). We ate the traditional holiday fare. Ham, Turkey, dressing and Deann made a delicious coconut cream cake. Presents were exchanged by all the children. Next year Hannah will be the youngest and be the center of attention. Deann and I spoke of missing Hannah and my mind drifted to thoughts of her well being.

Christmas is a magical time in the Cook house. Deann decorates the house with a spectacular display of Christmas cheer.

Today is Sunday. The church had Christmas programs at each service. The choir gave a lovely concert with the accompaniment of the orchestra. One of the speaking parts was especially moving. The speaker described Jesus' meager beginnings. I could not help thinking of Hannah and her beginnings. Sadly, that will always be a mystery.

Momma Jo finished Hannah's stocking this past week. MaCayla insisted it be hung right next to hers.

Tonight Cookie performs with her Christmas choir at church. She has a speaking part. She is a talented little girl.

Also, the Adkins came over for lunch today. Elizabeth said my name. No one believed me, but she said it just the same.

Remembering Robbie

This past Saturday I played golf in a charity tournament to raise money for Hospice of Savannah in memory of a good friend of mine named Robbie "Bulldog" Smith. Robbie died the day before his 30th birthday. He would be 40 this Christmas Eve. I miss Robbie dearly, he was a good friend. I wish Hannah would get to see his smiling face. Robbie and I shared many good memories.

I spent Saturday night with Poppa Cook. He is recovering from knee replacement surgery. He is walking well and I hope and pray he begins to feel better very soon. Recovering from such major surgery can be a strain emotionally.

I came home on Sunday after shopping for a few Christmas presents in Savannah. It was very cold in Savannah. The coldest day of the year, so far. I pray Hannah is warm, wherever she may be.

Robbie Smith-Robbie's High School Football Coach once said "if I had 5 linemen with a heart like Robbie we'd never lose a game".
Patrick Cook

Stressful Day

Today was a stressful day. Big Pop had bone spurs removed from his shoulder and a tendon cut that was described as looking like crab meat. Hopefully, this will relieve his pain and give him more flexibility. Deann and Momma Jo went with him for comfort.

I saw Elizabeth and Julie in the nursery at church tonight. The were born in China and have wonderful forever families that Hannah will surely meet and get to know. These two girls are so bright and cute!

I wonder what Hannah is doing today? Who is taking care of her? These questions run through Deann's and my mind all the time.

If you want to comment on any of my posts click on the comment link on the web page and post a note.

Flowered Handles

Not much going on today. I did go to Lowes and purchase five flower shaped handles to place on a chest of drawers that Deann and Cookie painted for Hannah's room.

I am watching MaCayla do her spelling homework. She is wearing one of her Mother's night gowns and has a crown on her head. She loves to play "dress up". Hannah is in for a great life with a sister like MaCayla.

The Incredibles

We attended MaCayla's first violin recital last night. All the children we very cute and Cookie (Macayla) was especially good playing her solo.

Today is Saturday and Deann and Momma Jo are going Christmas shopping. Cookie and I are going to see "The Incredibles".

(Later)

We had a wonderful time at the movie. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Cookie sat in my lap for most of the movie, ( I loved it) she usually sits with Deann. She is heavy. Cookie and I love to watch movies together.

God's Timing

Tonight the "Love Light Tree" was illuminated in honor and memory of peoples loved ones. I want to purchase a light in Hannah's honor as her Christmas present since we will be apart.

We realized tonight that we may have to wait a little longer for Hannah than we hoped. The bureaucracy of government can be very frustrating and slow, so slow. All in Gods time we will be united. Our faith helps us understand that any delay is God's will. Only His timing will bring us together perfectly.

MaCayla had her last violin practice before her recital. She is playing "Ice Cream Cone".

I will be working very late tonight conducting a fire drill for the third shift staff.

Willie Wonka

Today is Wednesday. I taught the children at Church tonight. The lesson was on obedience. We watched four minutes of the movie "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". Charlie and his Grandfather disobey Mr. Wonka's instructions and nearly get hurt in the process.

I look forward to bringing Hannah to church and introducing her to all the wonderful people who have been so excited about her becoming a part of our forever family.

I am listening to Macayla practice for her Christmas piano recital. She is playing "Jingle Bells", "Up on the Roof Top", and "The Nutcracker".