October Accomplishments

1. 10/09/06 -- Submitted application form to AHH in consideration of Xin Xiang, aka Mya
   
   
2. 10/12/06 -- AHH MATCHED US WITH MYA
   
   
3. 10/13/06 -- Mike and I met with Stacie at Adoption Assistance regarding Home Study amendment
   
   
4. 10/19/06 -- Submitted LOI and PAPL
   
   
5. 10/22/06 -- Cancelled our contract with CCAI; sent letter to inform them that we've found our baby girl on another agency's waiting list

We Have a Name!!

Thank goodness! After months of deliberations we have finally reached a consensus and we think it suits her perfectly.

With great pleasure, we introduce ...

Oakley Xin Curd

The Name Game

STILL …. no name.

• Tatum is out, per Michael and Sawyer;


• Willow is out per me (because my sister, Lori, forwarded this photo to me .... remember Willow, the movie? Willow is on the right);


• Hagan does not like Evan;


• Sullivan is still trying to convince us that Eileen Kotino is the most beautiful name in the world ... go figure

We've now thrown Aden (although I think it may be too close to Hagan) and Brimlee into the mix. I like Sloan, but Michael definitely doesn’t want to use a one syllable first name … it’s too awkward with Curd.

Paperchase

We've amended our Home Study to reflect Xin Xiang's age and today we submitted our Letter of Intent (LOI) and Prospective Adoptive Parents Letter (PAPL) to AHH. The CCAA (in China) will review these documents and will hopefully issue a Parents Approval (PA), meaning we've received approval to adopt her, pending acceptance of our dossier. We are REALLY anxious to receive PA because then we can send her a care package!!

New Photos!!

We received new photos of Mya today. Bless her heart ... she looks so sad. And they've shaved her little head. I understand why ... to reduce the risk of lice and for ease of care ... but it seems like one more indignity she has to suffer. I understand that some agencies will start to let their hair grow once they know a family is coming ... I hope this is the case. I'm ready to go get her NOW!!


She looks so much thinner without all those layers of clothes on. I've magnified the photos as much as possible so I can study her little hands and toes. Sawyer likes the way she tucks her bottom lip in and Sullivan likes her Mickey Mouse sandals! She's ADORABLE!!

We STILL haven't decided on a name for her, although we'll definitely use Xin, her Chinese name as her middle name. We have a top four list (for now):

1. Willow


2. Tatum (Tate for short)


3. Hadley


4. Ramsey

We can't seem to reach a family consensus, so we'll continue searching for the perfect name.

She's Ours!

The committee was scheduled to meet this evening and Grace promised to call me as soon as the meeting was over to let me know the findings. My phone rang late this afternoon and I was surprised to see AHH's telephone number. I thought they must need clarification on one of the forms or some additional information. I was shocked when she said the committee had decided to meet early. WE'VE BEEN MATCHED WITH MYA!!

Here's what we know about her as reported at 18 months of age:

• Her Chinese name is Dang Xin Xiang. The given surname, Dang, is usually somewhat arbitrary, after the orphanage or its director.
  
  
• Her birth date is August 20, 2004 (Our Wedding Anniversary!), so she will be about 2 1/2 years old when we bring her home.
  
  
• She resides at the Social Welfare Institute of Zhangzhou City, an orphanage in the Fujian Province.
  
  
• She is 84 cm (33 in) tall and weighs 12 kg (26 lbs). She is in the 98th percentile on the Chinese growth chart and in the 92nd percentile on the American growth chart. Not being a family of significant height (TRULY), Sawyer noted how ironic it would be if she ends of being taller than any of us:)!
  
  
• She can stand steadily and walk freely by herself. She can take building blocks out of a cup and use two pieces of blocks to knock at each other. She is cooperative when "being put on clothes and take off unlined clothes and socks." (I love the translations!)
  
  
• She can imitate speaking and can speak three to five words. She responds to other's asking for her belongings.
  
  
• She has breakfast at 6:30, lunch at 11:30 and supper at 5:30. Her staple food is congee and her snacks consist of egg, fruit, milk powder blended with rice cereal, and biscuits.
  
  
• She is active and has a ready smile (I can't wait to see it -- I have a feeling it's going to light up our world)!
  
  
• Her favorite toys are a doll and a rattle.

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled and humbled we are to be entrusted with this precious girl. I thank God for His hand and love and for His ability to make all things possible. We will do everything in our power to ensure we reach her as quickly as possible.

On a side note .... Hagan and I did the happy dance:)!

She's Captured Our Hearts

We shared her photo with the boys, along with some of the limited information we have about her. We all adore her! I contacted CCAI just to see if we could all work together to bring Mya home. It seems that files cannot be shared between agencies and if we want to pursue this, we need to submit our dossier through AHH. So .... we're charging full steam ahead in hopes that we'll be matched with her. On October 9 we submitted our application form and all preliminary paperwork to AHH in consideration of Dang Xin Xiang, aka, Mya.