He's REAL!!

Kurt and I have been checking the computer NON-STOP for a couple of weeks, hoping to receive pictures of Jackson with his birthday cake! 5 pictures arrived today of a very HAPPY boy and 1 BIG, BIG birthday cake! My favorite picture is of Jackson sitting at the table with the cake in front of him and he is leaning on his elbows on the table (sorry Christi, he'll fit right in here at the Swartzlander household!) with his yellow birthday crown on. The expression on his face says, "This party is for ME! It is finally my turn for a mommy and daddy to send me a birthday cake!" After looking at the pictures, Jackson became more REAL to me! Although our journey has not been as long as most who travel this long, long adoption road, the feelings must be the same. To see his response to something that we, his mommy and daddy, sent to him!

I know you must be wondering why we aren't posting the pictures, but Kurt and I have agreed to follow our agency's instructions to wait until he is legally ours in China. After we have signed our papers in China, which I believe is the day after we get him, we will be posting pictures...from the first one that captured our hearts to the moment he was in our arms! I promise you, you won't be disappointed!

He is as REAL as CHRIST is in our lives! Our LOVE for Jackson is as REAL as it is for CHRIST!

Surreal!

We received a picture today from Ann at Red Thread China of our care package to Jackson. He should be receiving it sometime next week, along with his birthday cake. Hopefully we will receive pictures back of him enjoying the cake rather than getting the camera back when we travel to China. We are told that it just depends on the orphanage.

We will not be able to post any pictures of Jackson until we have LOA, although I know most people post them as soon as they have them. Kurt and I really just want to do what our agency has asked of us. Words can not describe what it feels like to have pictures of him and not to be able to share them with our family and friends afar! He is beautiful! My husband would correct me and say that he is "handsome", just as he corrected me in the delivery room the moment I saw Jadon, once someone finally gave me my glasses back! My arms ache to hold him and rock him and to snuggle up with him. He has the most adorable cheeks!!!! Bright eyes and a sweet smile!

We are now Day 24 in our wait for LOA and we are resting in God's perfect plan!

LID!! LID!!! LID!!! LID!!! LID!!!

We just got the call that we have a Log In Date of August 17th!!!!! Kurt and Jadon are at their second night of Karate, my sister-in-law Angela isn't home, my sister-in-law Christi isn't home and my parents aren't home and working on calling my in-laws! Where are you, people????? We've got a LID!!!!

Our countdown has officially begun. We are 16 days into our wait for LOA. We have been told previously to expect a 3 month wait. Although I get pulled in different directions, hoping that it comes sooner and knowing that it could be longer...I still rest in God's timing and find peace with this journey to our son.

We are able to send a care package to Jackson. We have also been collecting things to send to him. So far we have a Fisher Price camera that shows pictures of animals when you look through it and click to take a picture (it reminds me of a view master without the cards to put in), Sydney's and Jadon's favorite board book..."Goodnight Gorilla", 2 sign language board books, a disposable camera and a Sassy child's photo album that will have pictures of us. I will also be making a "night-night" blanket that is blue with monkey heads on it. I plan on spraying it with my perfume so that it can become a familiar smell to him. I also plan to put candies for his foster family. Can anyone think of anything else?

Thank you for your prayers and your support.

So glad I didn't have to make this a "Wordless Wednesday" !

Praising our Savior!
Stacy

No News

There is still no news on our LID. So we wait patiently on God's timing in our lives.

We have just finished our first week back to school. I have been blessed with a wonderful class this year and Sydney and Jadon are loving 3rd grade and Kdg.

Please be in prayer for a friend of ours who's 3 year old little girl, Jael, has been diagnosed with brain cancer. She has had the surgery to remove the tumor and has begun chemotherapy. She is currently waiting to have a surgery that involves her stem cells but she has double ear infections and her blood count was not in the correct range. Please pray for strength for her parents Barb and Erik. Jael also has a little sister named Heidi. Please pray for little Heidi as she adjusts.

Blessings, Stacy

Happy Birthday, Sweet Prince!

Today is Jackson's 2nd birthday! We had hoped to have a LID so that we could send him a birthday care package to arrive on his birthday. As soon as we have LID we will send a belated birthday cake in China as well as gifts. We are hoping to be able to get pictures of him enjoying it as well.

I woke up this morning with a heart rejoicing and thankful for a mom in a distant land that chose life! She chose to give this baby life regardless of the outcome. I rejoiced that through whatever circumstance she was faced with, she continued to choose life for him, abandoning him, in hopes that he would be placed in an orphanage to be adopted. She chose a life of abundance! A life that will soon, one day, be abundant with the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ! A life abundant with the unconditional love of a mother and father! The love of a sister and a brother. The love of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins! I prayed for the heavy heart Jackson's birthmom must have as this day comes around each year. I prayed that she would have peace. I prayed that one day when Jackson is an adult, that he would one day be reunited with the woman who chose life for him!

Happy birthday to our beautiful, sweet, sweet son!

COURTESY OF THE LETTERS.......

We are officially DTC (Dossier To China)!!!!!! I can't BELIEVE it!!!! We were not expecting the email this evening! We were at the Honda dealership in town dropping off my beautiful red CRV (which I truly love) to have the airbag sensors replaced and then walked around the lot to look at bigger vehicles...the Odyssey. Not many cars are on lots nowadays and we know that we are going to have to do something before we leave for China. We were driving home and Kurt's Blackberry was buzzing...not unusual when working for the City...and he hands the phone to me. It is a gmail message from our Case Manager telling us that we are DTC TODAY!!!! I sat stunned! And then I read it aloud to Kurt! Jadon chimes in from the backseat, "Finally!" I believe he also added that he had waited a long time for this! The email said that it would be a couple of weeks before they knew our LID (Log In Date). It is from the LID that we officially start our count down to LOA (Letter of Approval) also called LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation). Please pray that God will start preparing Jackson's heart for the transitions to come! We are so ready to hold him in our arms and kiss on his sweet chubby cheeks!!!!

God put this scripture on my heart yesterday and wanted to share it with you all.

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If is seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

From the moment Kurt and I met, our relationship with the Lord and with each other has been centered around God's perfect timing and His perfect plan!!! And the hope that comes from trusting in God's plan for our lives!!!!!

In Christ,

Stacy

DOSSIER COMPLETED-CHECK

We received an email today from our Case Manager that our final document for our dossier has arrived!!! I'm not sure if there are only two families in this batch of dossiers, but I know that it is the first one completed. God has enable us to meet up through our blog with the "other" family that is in our batch. We're praying that their documents will be ready to go in hopes that maybe we might travel together, so to speak. At any rate, we were told that even if the other families' papers were not ready, ours would not be held longer than 2 weeks from today. Please pray that the other families, whether one or more, will have quick transit with their paperwork so that they can all go together! Alot of times, paperwork is out of the parents hands and waiting on other people to do their job currectly and in a timely manner. The "other" family, The Hurleys, had 7 of their dossier documents lost by the state that they live in...totally out of their control!!! I can't begin to imagine how frustrating that must have been. Please pray for these families who are so desperate, as we are, to bring our children home!!!