For Our Benjamin

All is Well!

2011-02-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

YES! All is well here!

Since Benjamin's last surgery (where they did reconstructed work on his bowels and rectum) he is recovering just beautifully! He is still using a colostomy bag but we are praying to have that reversed within the next two months (or so). Only time will tell...

I can not begin to tell you all how this one little boy has rocked my world! Everyone {around me} knows that as well as he himself!

And all those tears I cried, sleepless nights I weathered, all that worrying & wondering (not to mention paper work and waiting)I did just to bring him home, I would do it all over again x's a thousand just to have him as part of our family.

While he still is very tiny for his age (he will be four in October), he has grown! No more 12 month size clothing ~ not for my big boy. He is now wearing 18-24 months size clothing (on the bottom) and up to 2T on top!

(yes Mom I know its all that pasta & home made sauce we are feeding him)

He and Annabelle are still Frick & Frack! You rarely see one without the other and she takes care of him so well. They do almost everything together and have this bond that I just can not explain.

Yes, this little boy has rocked my world...

and I am forever in love...with this little man of mine!

Where do I begin...

2010-12-09T12:38:00.001-08:00

So much has happened since my last post...

(at Halloween) Benjamin had his first surgery {spinal} at Children's Hospital in Washington DC and after an almost week's stay at the hospital and a post op follow up with our neurosurgeon, he is doing very well. It is seriously possible that he will require further surgery on his spine in the future, but for now all is good!

While Benjamin was in the hospital recovering, our 4-legged buddy, Honey Bear, who has been with Keith & I since we were dating (14 years ago) past away...He will always be remembered and we are still missing him so very much...(btw ~ he was our first offical adoption at age 2)

We are currently getting ready for Benjamin's next surgery {recto-urethral fistula and part one of his bowel repair} which will take place next week. After his surgery, Benjamin will be placed on a colostomy bag but we do not know how long.

Here at Casa De Leonard, we are also getting ready for the Christmas Season, a New Year's Holiday at Grandma's and our second 2 week vacation in January in Disney World for Francesca's 6th Birthday!

As many of you know, Francesca started Kindergarten this past September and Annabelle started Preschool! Francesca and Annabelle (both) love school and their teachers. Francesca has started an after school program one day a week for singing & dancing as well as joined our local Girl Scout Daisy troop here in Derwood. Annabelle is still my "spicy" little girl who has taken it as your objective to show "guidence' to Benjamin for everything. Those two {A&B} are still our "Frick & Frack" and the best of buds!

and...

(last but not least) Keith and I have realized that "the door" to adoption was NOT locked but only closed and after pulling very hard on that door's handle, it has once again opened for us and we have submitted a new MCC to our agency for the Special Focus Program. While we are not 100% sure if we will get a referral, we are 100% ready to make this party of five a six pack! And what totally sweetened the deal {for us} was when my dear, loving, and amazing girlfriend, Miss Sara from Football & Fried Rice offered to come with me during the travel for our newest addition!!! Seeing how we would have three little ones at home, Keith and I know it would be pretty much impossible for both of us to travel so when I mention my concerns to Miss Sara, she quickly jumped on board 100% willing to help out in any way she can and offered to come with me! How sweet is that!

So as you can see, things have been very busy for us here in DC land! I do have a few more photos I want to share with you all and I hoping that over the next two weeks I can get some up and posted! So please check back for further cuteness!

all is well....

2010-11-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I know you all have been wondering how Benjamin is doing after his surgery and so far so good! He did extremely well during the surgery and his stay at Children's but since coming home, we all have been very busy. His next surgery is scheduled for December 14th with an admission on the 13th. This surgery is to correct his fistula and part one of his bowel reconstruction. We are headed back to Disney this coming January 2011 for our annual family vacation and while I was a bit concerned (seeing how he will be on a colostomy bag) our team of doctors once again reassured me that all will be fine and we can go. As for Benjamin, he is doing well. He is still a bit sore from the surgery and he has a 2" stitch up incision on his lower back. He movements are still a bit slow and "favored" but for what he has just been through, what more can we all expect.

THANK YOU everyone for all your thoughts, prayers, emails, phone calls and care packages! We & especially our Benjamin is so truly blessed to have angels like you within our family's circle of life!

{almost time}

2010-10-23T05:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it is only a few days before Benjamin's surgery with the neurosurgeon and to say I am nervous is an understatement ~ more like scared to death.

Never having been through actually surgery with any of my children...has me {very} on the edge...

I KNOW he'll do just fine. I have 100% confidence in our team of doctors at Children's here in DC...

BUT

It STILL doesn't stop me feeling what I am ~ inside.

As to the many who surround me every day think i am doing amazing well (considering everything that has happen so far) but I do have my moments...

AND

When they come...it is extremely hard.

Lucky for me, most of time EVERYTHING hits me is when I am alone at night...after checking in on my precious angels...and I see them sleeping there so peacefully...that I tend to break down...

OR

When I am on my morning walk with Benjamin (and when not in school Benjamin & Annabelle) that it hits me once again and tears start rolling down my cheeks. Thank Heavens for my sunglasses for the kiddos never suspect a thing.

My mom aka GRANDMA is due to arrive on Sunday afternoon. And while all the kiddos are super dooper excited, I know the real reason why she is coming and it is scaring me to death.

So here I am, trying to release some of my emotions ~ here on this blank page (that is now being filled with just words - to many of you)

BUT

To me...THIS is so much more.

And I am truly scared....

{{{I am going to try to keep everyone updated on Benjamin's status and recovery. Seeing how I will NOT be leaving his side until Thursday night when Keith is insisting that he would be staying with Benjamin while I am to go home and be with the girls, I am not sure how much I will be able to get posted ~ but I am sure going to try}}}

Happy 3rd Birthday Benjamin ~ October 15, 2010

2010-10-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

As you can see (for the many photos displayed below)...

Benjamin truly had a wonderful 3rd birthday celebration!

Nothing like having your own cake to kick off our Friday night party!

Than getting the chance to eat it all...by...yourself!

{I swear I could just eat him up!}

Nothing better ~ right...

Except for celebrating your 3rd birthday with your two favorite little people...

Because of course Annabelle LOVED the cupcakes...

As well as Francesca did...

That I made just for them {seeing how their brother had his very own cake}!

Next it was PRESENT TIME!

And it didn't take Benjamin long to understand the meaning of the word "PRESENTS" (thanks to his two older & wiser sisters)

With a little bit of help from the both of them....

He was able to find what exactly was in that gift bag!

Nothing like a pair of bubble guns and....

And a Thomas The Train book....

To get this PRESENT thing started!

(that were all hand picked by both Annabelle & Francesca)

Next was our gift to him...

What could it be?

Seeing how we have a TON of girlie stuff in our house...we needed something "manly"!

{we couldn't have him playing with purses, high heels, and doll strollers all the time}

So after asking Keith what he thinks we should get him...

Only one BIG YELLOW thing came to mind...

And with a few clicks on my computer and an order with Amazon.com...

We got our little guy the perfect gift!

Just look at that smile...

and oh those little feet...

Benjamin is LOVING his new Big Yellow TONKA Truck!

(as the girls are loving it too!)

That was all on Friday night (the actual night of his birthday)...

Next came Saturday's celebration when Papa and Grandma C showed up...

Bringing a few gifts as well....

And what little boy doesn't LOVE his very own ATV!

Again that smile of his is saying it all!

Per Miss Sara's Request: Spine/Spinal Cord Surgery Date & Time...

2010-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Benjamin's neurosurgery (with Children's Hospital and Dr. Keating) is scheduled October 26th at 7:30AM...

We need to be there by 5:30 {that morning}...

As for our little man, he is doing amazingly well (than again he doesn't have a clue what's about to happen)...

As for Keith & me, we are emotionally a wreck but we are coming together {in ways we never imagined} not only for each other but also for Francesca & Annabelle, who do have an understanding on what's been going on and what's about to happen...

Phrase One...

2010-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

So here we are at Phrase One on this very long journey...

After calling the neurosurgeon at Children's last Monday, we were told that we needed to see Dr Keating as soon as possible. We had our appointment Thursday morning on October 7th.

Three whole days I sat & waited, wondered and WORRIED...

On the day of our appointment, things couldn't have been worse. Annabelle (who was coming with us) was truly "out-of sorts" while Benjamin just wasn't feeling well. Not to mention, I was taking my first solo drive into DC...

Living only 16 miles from the hospital, you would think it would be a short drive in but not here...I left 9:30AM for our 11Am appointment and after 1 hour and 34 minutes of stopping more than driving, we made it to our appointment.

At first sight of Dr Keating after entering into his private office (yes, no appointments were available through the neurosurgery's clinic so our appointment was scheduled during Dr Keating's office time), I was very impressed! He handled both Benjamin and Annabelle with extreme care and was very understanding of our situation.

Dr Keating than let each of our children play with almost everything he had in his office...toys, books and yes - skeletons! Lucky for us, his office had these HUGE ceiling to floor glass windows that over looked the ever so busy Michigan Ave and a near by waterway that both Annabelle and Benjamin were have a great time looking out of (not to mention while enjoying the Fruit Loops I packed up as well).

Anyway, Dr Keating than explained to me what exactly is going on with Benjamin. According to him, Benjamin has a Tethered Spine, an Occult Spinal Dysraphism and some curving in his C disks among other things. As of now, Benjamin is scheduled for surgery on the 26th of October with Dr Keating and his team of neurosurgeons. He will be in the hospital for about 4-5 days. We were told that once the surgery takes place and he is in recovery, he will be placed in a "comatose state" while laying on his stomach for at least 3 days, to help with his healing, pain management, and most importantly so he doesn't move.

Between, myself, Keith, and my mom ~ He will NEVER be left alone during any of his time while at Children's. We are all working together to see that all of our children's needs will be taken care of...seeing how we have two Halloween school parties and parades schedule for that week as well.

Dr Keating also explained to me that once he comes home, I WILL need another set of hands available for he will STILL be recovering and will need 100% of my attention. Grandma has signed on for being those extra set of hands until Thursday (the week following his surgery).

As for the risks, there are many involved...

First off is 40% of paralysis of his legs (while Dr Keating is 100% confident this will not happen he still has to mention this is a risk)...

~ and ~

60% chance of never having normal functions of his bladder, urethra, kidneys, bowel and/or colon. 60%!!!!!

{{{now here is where the real issues begin...and only time will tell if all of THIS is related and/or will be affected}}}

While he kept explaining this 60% chance to me, I was not overly worried (I know I MUST be crazy) BUT seeing as we adopted Benjamin through the special needs/waiting child program as a child with bowel issues, we KNEW this is something that can happen. And we prepared ourselves for this a long time ago...(now this is not to say that I am NOT worried because believe me ~ I AM!)

Dr Keating is also not 100% his very LARGE fistula and his spine/spinal cord issues are related. We DO know his IMPERFORATE ANUS (which he was probably born with and had surgery for it while in China ~ that we were NEVER told about) are related. And that he does has some major issues that are going hand and hand with both diagnoses (his imperforate anus and his spinal issues).

Anyway, so here we are Sunday October 10th ~ ONLY FIVE DAYS AWAY FROM HIS 3RD BIRTHDAY!!!! I can't begin to imagine what this little boy is going to have to go through within the next few weeks. And here we are only on Phrase One of this very long road...

All I can say is finally we are getting some answers and we are moving forward which is all we ever wanted in order to help our son the best way possible.

I must admit, I am exhausted ~ more mentally than anything but I truly am. But I know I must keep moving, learning, praying, and fighting for our son. I can not THANK YOU ALL enough for all the love, support and prayers that you all offered to us during this very emotional & critical time. THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

(((I also asked Dr Keating if Benjamin's weight and height issues can be related to his spine/spinal cord issues as well and he told us that as of now, he does not know. We will have to wait and see if things change once he has recovered from the surgery.)))

Twists & Turns....

2010-10-03T08:17:00.001-07:00

Oh where do I begin...

So much has happened ~ so much to say...

I guess the best place for me to start is where I left off...

As many of you know, we had our appointment at Children's Hospital in DC back in August with the Urologist (Dr Pohl) and Surgeon (Dr Powell) and they too were convinced that Benjamin did have a fistula BUT they were not sure how many and IF there was something more going on...

So we were told that they would call us with some appointments (an ultra sound, VCUG, and MRI needed to be scheduled)...

Just one day after his appointment with Children's, Benjamin spiked a high fever and we were told to go to Children's Emergency Room, which we did. Our nurse, Leah (who is Dr Powell's right hand nurse & whose name you will hear me mention a lot) said (when I called her about his high fever) that he needed to get into them as soon as possible for they were afraid of a UTI - which could lead to kidney infection - which could lead to kidneys shut down. I did ask her if we could go to our local ER and she said she would rather us go to Children's seeing how we might be able to get a few of those testes we needed done. So off to Children's we went. By the time we got there, his fever was 104.6 at check in and they could NOT get a UA from his catheterizing (we now know why). Anyway, after spending the night, we left with no tests being done. He was fever free by the time we left and he hasn't had another fever since....

(that was on a Friday)

By Monday morning, I called Leah to let her know that no tests were done. She said she found out about the lacking tests Saturday morning after we were already discharged. Needless to say she and I were both upset.

A week goes by and still nothing else from Children's....

On the Friday of Labor Day weekend, Leah from Dr Powell's office calls me to let me know that the administration office at Children's would be calling me to set up our appointments.

I waited one week and that phone call never came...

I called back Leah to let her know and she said she would look into it (now remember she is only the nurse here)...

A few days alter, I received a message on my voice mail. The only way I knew it was from Children's was because of my caller ID. I could NOT understand more than two words the woman said on the message, not her name, not her phone number...only the words I understood were "not authorized". It was like she was reading to me from a speed script and the faster she said what she had to say, the better it was for her to get on with her other work - her message to me was just not that important. So in returned I called Leah and told her about the VERY UNPROFESSIONAL message I was left. Leah told me she would look into it and get back to me.

Two days later, Chentell called me and butter melted in her mouth when she talked to me (come to find out this was the girl that left me that very unclear message). She explained to me that she needed to check with our insurance because of that "not authorized". I hung up the phone and I waited for her to call me back which she said she would that day...

I waited and waited...

Than I called my insurance company to find out if anyone from Children's called them. The rep told me NO and that there is NO reasons why they should have to call my insurance because my insurance and Children's are participating partners. I called back Chentell and left a message for her what I was just told...

A few more days go by and I am now getting worked up. I feel like we have been placed on hold...and that our little boy was the one suffering. I called Leah and she said she would look into it.

One day later (if you are keeping track it is now September 22 almost 6 weeks since his first and only appointment with Children's) Leah calls me and we have a long talk. She tells me she is doing everything she can but the clerk in administration (aka Chentell) is telling her our insuracne is giving them problems. I explain to Leah what I was told by our insurance. I also explained to her that we do have a high deductible because we pay for our OWN COVERAGE. She said that she understood what I was saying and she will have Chentell call me ASAP...

Well, that ASAP from Chentell didn't come until he next day when I was told FIRMLY that our insurance EXPIRES on October 14th and there are NO appointments until November 22nd. She than just transfers me to the MRI department to talk to them. When I got the girl in the MRI department, she told me the same thing that seeing how our insurance expires on October 14th, they can NOT give me an appointment and their only next appointment was November 22nd which we will have no insurance. After she was done, I than tried to explain to this girl that NO our insurance does not EXPIRE on the 14th, our premiums are due on the 15th (which automatically come out of our banking account) and for that matter even if we didn't pay on the 15th, we still BY LAW have 30 days coverage. The girl than placed me on hold for 28 mins...never coming back...until I finally hung up. And guess who I called ~ yep Leah. I got her voice mail and I think I hit the roof! I told her everything that was said to me and how badly Children's was handling this. Here we are with our newly adoptive son who is in need of serious medical treatment and Children's is only worried about our insurance! I also told her that if it came down to us having to pay for his treatments we would ~ just get him in. It has been almost since weeks and still nothing. There was more said on that voice message by me and I know I broke down and cried during it as well. I was at the end of my rope - clinging onto it by my very short fingernails - getting ready to drop.

While I waited for Leah to return my phone call, I called our pediatrician's office. Dr Fishman was on vacation so I talked to her nurse, Liz, who got just as upset as I did over this whole mess. She told me she would have Dr Fishman call me Monday and I asked her if we should look into another hospital for his treatment. We hung up and I waited and cried my eyes out. I just sat on the couch feeling so helpless feeling like I failed. Than the phone rang and it was Liz. She told me her heart too broke over our story and she herself called Children's to see what happened and what needs to be done to get Benjamin taken care of. She also gave me some numbers of the people she spoke to and told me that if the nurse (Leah) doesn't call me back that day, that I NEED TO call the head of Dr Powell's office (Carol) and Children's (Terry) (which both #s she gave me). I told Liz that I have complete faith that Leah would call me back ~ she was the only one who ever does...

About an hour later, Leah did call me back after she did some researching herself and what was going on. She said her heart was breaking too over my message and she played it for her superiors to hear as well. Well, I guess it took me breaking down and getting "serious" for we finally got things moving ~ at lighting speed ~ because we were told to report to Children's the next day (September 23rd) for Benjamin's ultra sound and VCUG and Monday (the 27th) would be his MRI. Words can not begin to express how relieved I was to hear this...

I than called my mom aka Grandma that she needed to come down for I needed her...

Grandma arrived Friday morning about 8:45AM to come with me to the hospital and take that drive into DC with me.

He had both test done Friday and he was a champ! We went back for his MRI and he did amazingly well.

(the only problem we experienced was that the catheterizing kept traveling to his colon instead of the urethra ~ which is why when we were in the ER and they couldn't get any urine from him ~ the catheter kept going to his colon because of the very LARGE fistula he has.)

{{{And just so you know, the staff both medical and administration were WONDERFUL to us when we arrived on Friday. Flowers, gifts, free parking passes and so much more along with there sincere apologies. We were also told that the girls who were giving me all that trouble have been sternly reprimanded.}}}

Than we waited for the results...thinking I would get a call from Leah saying..."We will be doing his surgery on..." BUT that didn't happen.

This past Friday I got a phone call from Leah that changed everything. She told me that the MRI "showed abnormalities on his spine and spinal cord" and that since this has come up, we need to see the Neurosurgery first, let them do their surgery and then we would come back to Dr Powell for the fistula/and other corrective surgery (the MRI also showed a lot of bowel abnormalities which will need to be fixed as well & as for the VCUG it did show a very LARGE fistula which again is not good). I think when I heard her say that my knees hit the floor and I started shaking. Neurosurgery...oh this isn't good - is it? I than asked Leah to be straight with me or as straight as she can be and she told me, "This is extremely serious Mrs Leonard, and I need to call them first thing Monday morning." We than talked a bit more and I asked a ton of questions which she could not answer (which I totally understand)...

So now here it is Sunday, the day before I can call the Neurosurgery department at Children's. I have not slept more that 3 hours a night worried sick over our little boy. How can this be happening to him? He so does NOT deserve this. What did I do wrong to bring this onto my child? Why did it take so long for our paper work and the travel? Was there more I could have done to get there faster? All these questions keep me up at night.

I must admit, I visit my children's room often during the night. I watch them sleep ~ so peacefully and I give my mom's special kisses to each and every one of them. I can't imagine my life with out ANY of them.

So this is where I am at today...

Counting down the hours until I can call Children's ~ once again.

{{{And please understand this Leah (who you all know I mention a lot in this post) did MORE than a nurse should EVER have to do! Seeing how I have been surrounded by medical professionals my whole life (clinical med techs, doctors, pharmacists and so much more), I KNOW that Leah did more than she should have. If it wasn't for her, we would never be this far....}}}

Just look at our precious little boy! That smile melts my heart and keeps me fighting ~ for him and his rights!

As soon as we know anything I will let you all know...

{BTW ~ Prayers are so needed...}

Our Precious Little Boy!

2010-09-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two months since we arrived home as a Family of Five! In my opinion, these past two months has just flown by. Already school has started for Francesca (Kindergarten) and Annabelle will be starting Preschool on the 15th. Where did our summer go...

When I look back, I realize that so much has happened over this past summer. Back in the beginning of June, my very loving grandmother {aka G.G.} passed away. While the news was heart-wrenching, we knew it was only a matter of time before she was called back home. The day before she passed away, we found out from our agency that we would be traveling for our Benjamin within the next 2-3 weeks. Well, we left for China on the 23rd of June and didn't return home until July 10th.

Once we did return home, it seems like everything has been "out of our control".

First off, when I tried to add Benjamin to our health insurance policy, our provider gave us major problems and set backs. After three weeks of battling with them, we finally received notice that he would be added!

-but during this time -

We were rushed from one doctor's office to another to seek out the best medical treatment for our son.

After several visits, and too many to count conversations with our Pediatrician, Dr Cindy Fishman (who we all just love) and one of the top pediatric surgeons of the Washington DC area, Dr David Powell, we all decided that Children's of Washington DC Hospital was the best choice for our son.

So the appointments began...

And we were told that according to the information provided and from what we are all seeing, Benjamin's fistula problems was never corrected and from this he could be experiencing some major health problems...problems with his bowels, problems with his GI system, problems with his spine, a possibility of dwarfism, and most of all problems with his kidneys....worried that if he gets a kidney infection (because of the poop that is still passing through his kidneys) ~ his kidneys WILL shut down. Currently he is one medication to try to prevent this but nothing is full proof.

Since getting this news, our precious little boy has spent a night in Children's emergency room due to a 103.6 fever that we could not get down. Finally after a day of tests, consultations, and prayer - Benjamin's fever broke and we were sent home.

- but -

As we wait for more tests to be ordered, we find ourselves at the mercy of our insurance carrier to approve this tests.

So for now, we are sitting and waiting.

We are currently giving him Fleet enemas every night to try and clean out some of the poop that can NOT pass (it was discovered that his rectum is extremely smaller than normal size) through his rectum. If this doesn't work, he will be given a colostomy bag...which will be in his near future regardless seeing how he will be having surgery to correct his multiple fistulas. We are still not sure of when the surgery will take place but I am sure it will be soon.

As all of this was being "thrown our way" our bond as a family of five has grown extremely strong! Annabelle is loving the fact of having a little brother (to boss around) and she and Benjamin are known in our household as "Frick & Frack" because you rarely see one and not the other. Francesca is loving the fact of being the Big Sis in the house and she has truly been a HUGE help to me with the two younger ones.

So now that I have filled you all in on what's been going on with our little man ~let me share a few photos with you all!

Isn't he just so handsome!

I mean ~ seriously ~ I could just eat him up!

And those tiny {very tiny} toes...A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

"Life is Full!"

2010-08-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

How could you not fall in love with these amazing kiddos we have been blessed with!!!!

Seriously!

I know so many of you have been asking me for an update and while I am trying to juggle my life with three kiddos ages 5 & under I will do my best to give you all that I have.

Francesca is starting Kindergarten this coming August 30th! I can not begin to tell you how much I don't want her to go. Everyone thinks I am crazy but just the thought of her gone all day long is killing me. What am I going to do with out her ~ my Francesca. Between shopping for her big school year and trying to get us all settled into life as a family of five, Francesca is doing amazingly well!

Annabelle has truly taken over and been Benjamin's advisor ~ to everything. I never dreamed she would accept him as well and she did and I never expected her to play with him as well as she does. I truly under-estimated her and she has once again proven me wrong. As for her personality, she is still as spicy as ever which at days are very trying but since arriving home on July 10th, she too has changed in so many ways!

now onto the one you are all asking for...

Our Benjamin!

Did I ever mention to you that he is the sweetest little boy I have ever meet?

Did I ever mention that he has stolen my heart and now not only do I have one man in my life ~ but now two?

Did I ever mention how much I love being the mother to a little boy and how I LOVE MY FAMILY OF FIVE?

My list can go on & on but that is not what you all truly want to hear. You all want to know how he is doing medically and I wish I had some answers for you all.

All I know is that he has an appointment with Children's here in DC on August 12th with two of the best surgeons on staff. We need to get his pooping/fistula problems corrected before anything else. All doctors are in agreement that this needs to be handle first for fear of kidney failure (which he is currently on medication to prevent). Other than that, there is a variety of things that "might be going on" but until the proper tests are done and the results are in....we will never know for sure. But first and foremost is taking care of his fistula problems.

Benjamin is just in love with his sisters ~ as they truly adore him as well! They all play extremely well together and it is these little things that make me smile several times through our day and count all that we have been blessed with!

I so wish and want to at this time post so much more but time (and my kiddos) will not allow me to. When asked, "How are things going with the 3 kids?" My answer is simple, "Life for me is full!" And I would not have it any other way.

Once Francesca has settled into her first big year of school and we have some confirmed information of our Benjamin, I promise I will do another post.

But for now...Life in this Family of Five is everything I ever imagined and dreamed of...and I am 100% loving every.single.mintue!!!

July 10th ~ Headed home....

2010-07-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

{Our Travel Group}

As we are doing our finally packing (and yes I did have to purchase another suitcase), I can not stop thinking about the past 2 1/2 weeks...

There is just so much to tell you all ~ so much to say...

But

As many of you know, this is truly a very emotional time for all of us (and believe me I have done enough crying over the past year)...

So I am going to close out Our Journey To Benjamin with a few hand picked photos...

Once we get home & settled, I promise I will be doing a post that has been processing in my mind {and heart} for over a year now. I have started it many times before in the past, but I just could not find the right words to say but after having the experience that we did, I know exactly what I want said and how I need to say it ~ for it is about a little boy who has been living in our hearts for over a year now...a little boy who finally has a family...a little boy who finally has a place he can always call home...a little boy who will have a ton of family & friends to support him throughout his life...and a little boy who will be loved & treasured for the rest of his life...

Benjamin James Zi Leonard.

{Our Beautiful Francesca}

{Our "Almost" Family}

{Famous Red Couch Photo}

{Look at all those beautiful babies!}

July 9th ~ Our Prince of Pompeii

2010-07-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

As our journey to China {once again} is coming to an end ~ here are a few photos that were taken of our Prince of Pompeii...

I can't believe we will be headed home with our third child ~ our first son ~ from a country that has truly blessed us more times than we ever {dreamed} deserved...

Our Benjamin has truly begun to blossom into this amazing little man that is kind, gentle, patient, and very loving! He does loves "the guys" and is getting to be a little boy who isn't afraid to try new things or to make himself be independent.

I just can't wait for all of you to meet him! As many of you know, there will be more adventures to tell you all on our family blog, "To China Again We Go..."

July 8th ~ US Consulate "Taking the Oath"

2010-07-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

While we were not allowed to have any cameras present during the process where we "took the oath" at the US Consulate today, I do have a few random ones to share with you all.

I must tell you, it is always very emotional and very surreal whenever we have taken "the oath" (it has now been three times for us). I always end up crying a few tears...thinking back on first Francesca's and now Annabelle's "oath taking" day and the looking back on the road that lead us to this very moment...

Our time is almost at an end in the truly amazing country know to many as China...

But for me it will always been known as the Birth Country to my babies. A place where we traveled half way around the world to bring each - Francesca (2005), Annabelle (2008) and now Benjamin (2010) - home. China has & always will live on within my heart for when ever I look into my children's eyes, for I see the country that said YES to me becoming a mother AND MAKING US A FAMILY OF FIVE!!!!!!!

I will try to post the final photos of our trip within the next two days. Not sure how much I will get completed by the time we fly out on the 10th ~ but you just never know.

Only two more day....TWO MORE ANNABELLE until I can hold you in my arms again ~ and never let go {well at least for another 16 years...}

Love & Miss you all so very much!

July 7th ~ Another day on the Island....

2010-07-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Today was another day spent on Shamian Island and while I can actually say I AM COMPLETELY DONE WITH MY SHOPPING (well according to Keith he thinks I can still find something to buy....) and if you know me, I LOVE TO SHOP but we are all so longing for home...

{and yes ~ besides eating our meals & swimming at the pool, all we did was shop today!}

Here are a few photos that were today of us inside the White Swan near the waterfall...it is truly one beautiful hotel!

While all is going well, Benjamin is still having some issues (well I guess that is expected). He is truly one amazing little boy who has stolen our hearts and showed us what loving a son is all about! I still can't believe I am a mother of now 3! I know there are mothers out there of more (a lot more) but I never expected to have one child ~ let alone be BLESSED with three by the miracle of adoption!

Tomorrow is our Visa Apppointment at the US Consulate here in Guangzhou (that's why we are actually here). While we don't physically have to go (our guides from CCAI handle all of that) we are still "told" to stay in our rooms (from 9:30AM to 11:30AM) until we receive a phone call from them telling us that everything went well. As for tomorrow night, we might be going on the Pearl River Dinner Cruise. It is the one thing I have wanted to do for so long ~ and it just might happen (we are waiting to see how the little guy is going to be feeling).

Well, that's it for tonight! Hope you enjoyed the photos! Only three more days until we come home...

LOVE & MISS YOU all ESPECIALLY OUR SWEET & SPICY ANNABELLE...

July 6th ~ A Mother of Three....

2010-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Today my husband Keith did one of the most loving & sweetest things ever...

Tonight after getting my shower, just before the kiddos were tucked into bed...

I was presented with this...

Each figured represents not only me but my three children...

There is "the mother" "the son" "daughter #1" and "daughter #2"....

I can't begin to tell you how much this simple gift means to me...

It will truly be a gift that will represent what I will always treasure the most, for the rest of my life.

And here is another photo I just could not resist sharing with you all!

This is how our little man fell asleep this afternoon!

Didn't I say he was all boy (and oh so adorable)!

I don't know which one he likes better...but I am sure if we let him sleep with his shoes as well, they would be right there in the crib with him!

Hope all is well back in the U.S.

As for my family back home ~ we are missing everyone ESPECIALLY OUR ANNABELLE so very much! Only 4 more days until we see each other again..."Mommy, Daddy, Francesca and {yes even} Benjamin love & miss you so very much!"

only 4 days to go....

July 5th ~ Buddhist Temple, Old Chen House and 4th of July Celebration-Lucy's Style!

2010-07-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, today we took an little tourist trip to Guangzhou Buddhist Temple, Guangzhou Chen Old House, and than we also had an "almost" American meal at Lucy's with travel mates Dan, Maria, and daughter, Vanessa - on the island!

While we all had a great time, it was very hot!

Here are a few photos from our day!

July 4th {just photos}

2010-07-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

Seeing how you are all probably doing some 4th of July Celebrating, I figured I do just a short post today with only a few photos! We are headed out tonight with Dan, Maria, and their daughter Vanessa - along with a few other adopted families to Lucy's (a what-to-be American restaurant here on the island for some of our own celebration)!

ENJOY and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!

July 3rd ~ After three adoptions look what we finally got today...

2010-07-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

YES! We finally made it to the White Swan after what seems like a day of either waiting in our hotel (until it was time to leave), running through a crazy airport, and than taking a 2 hour flight to Guangzhou! By the time we got checked in and into our hotel room (with our luggage) it was after 9PM!

As for today, we had Benjamin's medical exams. Seeing how we are a Hague family, we had a few more steps this time around. I was extremely worried that the doctor examining him would see what is going on with him and it might set us back some (with staying longer in Guangzhou). After the doctor examined his stomach area for about 10 mintues, she did request that our guide come and talk to her and we had a answer a ton of questions about why his stomach was so big...how many times a day does he poop...what is his pooping schedule....has he pooped today...well you get the idea. Keith & I felt like we were in front of a firing squad. All I wanted was my baby dressed once again and back into my arms. Thank Goodness his pull up was dry (no poop) and he didn't start pooping through his pee or his rectum {while exposed} until after he was dressed (and far away from that place).

To answer the question why was the doctor so concerned is because our little man's belly is once again swollen. He did poop yesterday morning & last night, but so far today ~ he has only gone very little. We are only half way through this trip and if he doesn't go by tomorrow, it is looking like another Fleet enema. While I am loving this time once again in China ~ I am looking forward to coming home and getting our little man taken care of...

OK ~ now here is his current height & weight -

He is 22 lbs and is 29" tall...Like I said he is tiny.

Other than that we met up with another adopting family (Dan & Maria with daughter Vanessa) today for lunch at Lucy's... to have some burgers and of course some beers!

Pretty soon it will be pool time for us!

Tomorrow we are visiting the local Buddhist Temple, Old Chen House and shopping at the Provincial Art & Crafts Market (which we have never been to any of them before)!

I know you'll are all waiting on a few photos so here they go...

These were actually taken yesterday while waiting for our time to come until we checked out of the Crowne Plaza.

Our little man just cracks us up and this is one of the things we love about him. Just show him something once, and he does it!

This is our Rock Star...not only does he love playing his little toy drum that started out as Francesca's (she got it from the Zhengzhou Lotus Center) but he also loves to make some moves!

one last thing...

We are having a very hard time using the White Swan's Internet service. Not sure what is up but everyone here and at the Victory are having some problems. I can access my emails but it is taking me forever to respond. I know a lot of you have been emailing us and I have been trying my best to keep up, but with this slow service now....it might be a few days before I can respond ~ so please be patient and I will do the best that I can!

Love to you all and as for our Miss Annabelle ~ So looking forward to seeing you tomorrow ~ even if it is a half a world away...xxxooo

July 2nd

2010-07-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Seeing how today we are flying down to Guangzhou (our final leg of the trip) we are still 8 days away from coming home...While we are so looking forward to our first visit to the White Swan and all the great shopping to do on the island (not to mention the Pearl River Boat Tour which we are doing this time)...We are all missing....home.

So here are just a few photos taken yesterday at the museum. Many of the artifacts you'll be see are dated from late BC - early AD! China does take extreme pride in their history and cultural and from just looking at these photos, you can see why!

Enjoy the photos and next post will be from Guangzhou!

"Ma, Are we still on to skype on the 3rd at 7:30 PM your time? Just let me know. I know the sound is not working so well on your end so remember, you can always email me. Miss you and so wish you and Annabelle were here...Love, Shell"

***Remember me telling you all about "Mandy" (the waitress from the Italian restaurant at the Crown Plaza that we LOVE so much)....well the night before we headed out, Keith took Francesca and Benjamin for some at the coffee shop which is located right next door. As soon as "Mandy" saw Benjamin again, she came running over to him and immediately starting helping Keith with both kids. She than asked if she could sit down and talk with him for a while and Keith said sure. I guess Benjamin and her had a very interesting conversation! Here is what he told her...

He LOVES his Mama & Papa! {again YEAH!!!!}

He loves how his big sister makes him laugh!

He loves his new truck, car, and red bag! (I gave him and Francesca some of the extra gift bags I brought with me and he hand picked one of the small red ones I had and has been putting all this favorite toys in it - along with two envelopes I wrote some "to do" lists on - and he carries it everywhere with him! Seriously ~ at night when it is time to go to bed, you CAN NOT take that bag away from him. You have to tell him to go over to the desk area and put his bag there until morning and promise him it will be there when he wakes up ~ and trust me that is the first thing he looks for in the morning!)

and last but not least...

He LOVES his new shoes! (We had to purchase him some new shoes at the Lotus Center here in Zhengzhou the other day. The ones he came with were...pink and let's just say....nasty and I truly believe they were never his! And the ones I did bring for him, they are just way too big, size 5 and size 6...I told you he was tiny so new shoes for Benjamin were the first thing on our list!) Anyway "Mandy" did ask Keith about his shoes, and Keith told he we just purchased them for him at the Lotus Center the other day, that is when she told him that Benjamin is loving his new shoes!

BTW ~ he is calling us by name, Mama, Papa, Cesca, and Benjamin. He still answers to Zi at times, but Keith is the only one who keeps saying it correctly so for Francesca and me it has been Benjamin. He also LOVES when I sing to him the song..."Show Me The Way To Go Home" {you know the one from the movie Jaws lol}! It is hysterical!

Just a little something I had to share with you all...***

July 1st ~ "He is very happy with us!"

2010-07-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Before I even I start this post, I must mention about the title above. Seeing how this is our 2nd time staying at the Crown Plaza in Zhengzhou, some of the staff remembered us from the last time! Seriously, We walked into the Italian Cafe on the 2nd floor and as soon as "Mandy" saw me she asked if I wanted to have a Long Island Ice Tea. I asked her if she remembered me and she said of course, she said she remembered Francesca more than anything because of her RARE beauty so as soon as she saw Francesca she remembered who we were! (now is that amazing or what! and yes I did have a few long island ice teas lol!) Anyway, we had her ask Benjamin in Chinese if he is "happy" with his new family and he told her he is VERY HAPPY and he LOVES his Mama and Papa much"! What more can we ask for! Seriously! This little boy is still in so much pain & discomfort but in his heart he feels our love for him! He has told both of us that he loves us (in Chinese) but we just didn't know if he was saying this because he was here or because he really does...well Now we know and he really does!!!!!

As many of you know, we visited the Henan's Museum today. Did you know it one of China's three largest museums? We love it and it was a lot of fun!

Although we did get a lot of stares especially with using the double stroller today and even some locals took photos of the kiddos in it but we truly had a great time! Tomorrow I will just be posting a few photos from the museum seeing how we will be leaving Zhengzhou for Guangzhou. While I am very sad about leaving once again ~ I DO BELIEVE WE WILL BE BACK TO VISIT ZHENGZHOU (as tourist only)!

We fly out tomorrow at 4:30PM!

"Dear Annabelle ~ We are missing you so much it hurts! Every morning when I see your face on the computer screen, you are totally changing & growing up right before my eyes...I so wish you were here. I promise, when we come back in a few years to visit as tourist, YOU WILL BE WITH US! Love you miss you so much....We'll be home soon...and be a good girl for Grandma ~ she needs you so and loves you very much!"

Francesca, Benjamin & me with the double stroller - what a sight to all the locals! (Dan, Maria and Vanessa who are just super cool (travel mates) are also in the photo.

One of our guides, Rita and our other guide Yisha's daughter! Just looking at Yisha's daughter makes me see our future....

Our Little Prince Of Pompey (at least that is what I am calling) He also loves it when I sing that Elton John song ~ Bennie and The Jets!

Enjoying some ice cream at the museum!

How could you not fall in love with him?

Photo OP with the Buddha at our hotel ~ "When In China Do As The Chinese Do...".

June 30th ~ What we expected we now know is true...

2010-06-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

Since today is a Free Day for us ~ so far we really have not done anything too exciting! We started off our morning with a walk around our hotel's grounds and toured the other hotels in the surrounding area. The hotels around here are amazing and all top of the line! And don't even get me started about the shops! I said I wasn't going to shop this trip but I just can't help myself ~ you just can't bet China's prices!

{now for an update on Benjamin's health}

All is not what it seems here for us with our precious Benjamin. Our concerns have been confirmed and we now know why he is not potty trained and that all the medical reports and updates we have received on him have not been correct. It seems the surgeries we were told he had done and were a success ~ were not. Our poor little boy is still pooping through his pee-pee and it is not looking good. It all started the day we received our little man. We noticed his belly swollen and that he was wearing a diaper (and it smelled terrible). Since we know the signs of server bowel issues, we kept a watch on him. As the days passed, and he wasn't truly pooping (more like leakage) and the laxatives were not working ~ we knew what we had to do today. That is give him a Fleet enema. Now last night when Keith was bathing him, he noticed some fecal matter come out of his penis. Keith immediately called me into the bathroom. The minute I saw what was happening I knew in my heart, our little Benjamin is not well.

So this morning after limiting his breakfast to yogurt & fruit, we decided to take a walk around the hotel grounds. After returning to our room at about 11:30AM, and he still didn't have a full bowel movement, we decided to give the Fleet enema. It was at this time we knew for sure he is once again/or always has been pooping through his pee-pee. From what I can tell from his bowel movement {after the Fleet enema} is that he is pooping from both his rectum and penis. While this is so difficult to watch him go through this, I feel a bit at peace that we know what to do - giving what we have experienced with Francesca and Annabelle. We are limiting his diet to soup, soft pastas, yogurt, and fruit for he can't have anything that has the possibility of causing a bowel obstruction. We are also giving him a low dosage of liquid laxative two times a day ~ to help break up what food he does eat. All in all it is just truly amazing to me that this little boy's spirit has not been broken and what he is doing in order to survive.

I truly did not what this post to be a downer but I wanted to let our family & friends know what has been going on and to please pray for our little boy. I have been in contact with our doctor in the states and they confirmed that what we are doing is all we can do for now. We also have an appointment set up for the Friday after we arrive home.

The only good thing I see that will come from all this is that his belly button, his testicles, his pooping & pee-pee lines and his circumcision can all be corrected at the same time.

Other than this (which I know is no small issue) all is going extremely well. Benjamin is such a happy camper and truly one sweet little boy! Francesca and I enjoyed a girl's lunch today which I think she and I both needed! And we girls are headed out to the Spa this afternoon for some pampering (again you just can't bet the prices here)!

Here are a few photos from last nights bath! They are all I have. I think you'll be able to tell from the photos he is just not feeling that well but to us he is just too handsome for words!!! Tomorrow we are headed to Zhengzhou's Provincial Museum (which we have visited before) but seeing how it is going to be close to 100 degrees here tomorrow ~ the air condition museum works for us! As soon as our little man awakes (he is still sleeping so peacefully) we are headed to the pool! I promise tomorrow I'll have more exciting photos!

xxxooo

June 29th ~ Benjamin is offically ours & HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!

2010-06-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Boy, what a day it has been so far...Woke up this morning to skyping with Grandma, Aunt Lisa, Annabelle, and Scott Joe at 7AM China time! It was truly a glorious moment. Annabelle could not stop saying HI to Benjamin...as he just sat there taking it all in....

So far things have been going very well. He hasn't cried (expect when getting reprimanded) and he has both bonded to Keith and I the same. Seriously. He goes & responds to Keith and well as me. From what we understand, he was probably in a room of over 400 children at one time and did not get a lot of attention...so having us giving him all the love, attention, and affection that he needs when he needs it...makes the transition very easy. He is truly one funny little guy and we "think" he is going to be the passive one in the family. He loves making silly faces, eats everything & anything, sleeps very well, no bottle still, and is one happy camper ~ seriously! We truly have been truly blessed with every adoption so far.

There are other parents in our group where the babies are just crying...and crying...and crying and there is nothing they can do. We have never experienced any of this {with Francesca, Annabelle and Benjamin} and my heart is totally going out to each and every one of them (the parents and the children) as they struggle with all these emotions & new surroundings.

It is amazing and now having done this 3 times does not make us an expert by any means but it does make you more prepared for anything that can happen.

I know you are all probably a little interested in what is going on {medically} with Benjamin and there are a few issues that we were never made aware of (and are concerned about)...

1st - We "think" he has bi-lateral undesended testicles. Just from the look and feel of things - they are not there (but it might have something to do with his surgery so we'll find out once we come home and visit the doctor)

2nd - His belly button is very distorted. Can't really explain it but after seeing Francesca's "outtie" belly button - his is very different.

3rd - His chest bone in the center is really sticking out (if that is making any sense)....another issues we will talk to the doctor about when we got home.

4th - His bowels are crazy but having two children adopted previously with mega-colons - this is the least of our concerns.

now onto some good news...

Today we officially became the legal parents of Benjamin James Zi Leonard (and I do have the photo to prove i)t! And within a few minutes of posting this entry, we will be heading out to Zhengzhou Lotus market for some shoes and some clothes seeing how mostly everything I packed for him is just way too big (I am thinking he is wearing a size 4 shoe and 18 month size clothing).

Benjamin does love his trucks & cars ~ our typical boy! And is also loving the mini battery operated fans I brought along (to cool us off in this crazy heat here)

And after all this time I still can't believe he is finally ours!

"You were so right Mom, Grandma has been watching over him from Heaven and she did organize the perfect "Forever Family Day" for us! We could not have asked for a more perfect day (yesterday) and even today! She is sending us some many blessing (which I knew she would).

Keith LOVED all the birthday cards he has received. He did get a bit emotional today when he opened Ma's birthday card because there was one name missing... and it really hit him hard.

As for our Annabelle ~ We loved seeing you this morning and can't wait for our chat tomorrow! LOVE YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON AND BACK!

As for Keith's Birthday, Yisha (our guide) has planned for a cake to be delivered to our room some time around 5PM and after supper tonight, we are headed to the hotel's upscale Cigar Room (without the kiddos) for our first and probably only Cuban Cigar (OK when will we ever get a chance to smoke a Cuban Cigar again lol)!

So that's about it for now! I know my family has been worried about me ~ seeing how I was so sick the last two times we were in China, but I am doing really well this time ~ sick wise. As for the sleeping ~ I am not sleeping all that well (waking up about 2-3AM and can't fall back to sleep) but other than that I am doing fine...Again Love & Miss you all!

Tomorrow is a "free day" for us which we all are so looking forward to. And today I actually went exploring the city of Zhengzhou by myself! Keith was extemely nervous and didn't want me to go but after assuring him that I had my official name tag {given to us by Yisha c/o CCAI} with all my much needed information on it {both in English and Chinese} he was OK with letting me go and I did have a nice time ~ just missed my mom being with me...

OK that's about it for today ~ enjoy the photos!!!!!

June 28th ~ WELCOME BENJAMIN JAMES ZI LEONARD

2010-06-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

***MUST READ POST LISTED BELOW FIRST***

After what seems like forever, waiting this morning for our little boy to arrive at our hotel, I finally could not take it any more and I had to go down to the lobby to check things out for myself. As soon as I was in the main area, there he was! I quickly hid behind a wide column and starting spying on him. After a few minutes, I ran back upstairs to send Keith & Francesca down for a look for themselves. Once they returned, it took over an hour for him to be delivered to our room. As soon as the door bell rang, Keith rushed to the door to open it and there he was. One of his nannies was holding him and as soon as the two of them came into the room, I asked if it was OK for me to hold him. When I put out my arms to him, he simply reached out his arms and came right to me and held on tight. After holding him, rubbing his back, speaking soft words of love and of course feeding him some M&Ms, I decided to change his clothes (unfortunately the sandals I purchased for him are way too big so we will be hitting Zhengzhou Lotus store tomorrow for shoes). So far he has only "teared up a few times"...never really crying and not one bit of screaming, just some soft whimpering and tearing up but as soon as we see it happening either Keith or I quickly reassure him by rubbing his back, arms or legs speaking soft gentle words of comfort to him and he stops. Francesca is loving him ~ she just can't get enough and he is really taking a liking to her as well. We once again ordered room service ~ pizza, french fries and chicken wings ~ and he ate very well, Pretty soon I am going to have to head out to do a bit of paper work so this post will be short but before I end it, I would love to share a few photos that were taken and a little bit of information about him....

Benjamin is very VERY very tiny ~ smaller than Annabelle was.

He is shy by nature and is very observant!

He has really bond to both of us and knows how to put his own shoes on.

He is still wearing diapers...and (as of today) no longer on a bottle.

Might have some issues with his belly button and his testicles plus his bowel is also giving him some issues as well...

And as I am typing this, he is just SMILING away! {which is so priceless!}

But for now, you'll have to settle for these...

OK - that's about it for now for that LET'S GET TO THE PHOTOS!!!!!

I was able to get a few photos posted of Francesca and Benjamin playing - along with Benjamin sleeping! I swear he is taking my breath away and he is such a darling!

{PS - This truly was a blessing that he was delivered to our room for what we heard there were a lot of crying & screaming babies at the Civil Affairs office and from what Yisha said, it was crazy, crazy, crazy! Thank you Oh Heavenly Father Up Above for you had other plans for us today because our union was exactly how we all needed it to be ~ it was calm, peaceful, and simply beautiful!)

{minor set back}

2010-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

OK we were supposed to go to the Civil Affairs office this morning at 9:30AM (with our VERY LARGE group) to be united with our son. Our guide Yisha informed as around 9:15AM that the orphanage where Benjamin is coming from is running a bit late (travel time from the orphanage to Zhengzhou it is about a three hour ride) and he will NOT be at the Civil Affairs office for 9:30. While we are very sad to hear this news, we did find out that sometime around 12:00PM he and his care takers should be arriving at our hotel and he will than be united with us right in our very own "home away from home" hotel room. After sending "best wishes & congratulations" to all our other traveling families who will soon be getting {probably already have} their children and watching them all walk out the hotel's main door, Keith, Francesca & I headed to the elevators to return to our room. Once those elevator doors closed I could not stop myself from crying. By the time I returned to our hotel room, I was once again calm & cool. It was also at this time that I realized THIS is how we should be united with our little boy after waiting over ONE YEAR to be with him...in our hotel room with just US, giving him time to adjust and as much space as he needs (and not in that small Civil Affairs office room that will be filled with 14 families and 14 children). I couldn't have asked for a more perfect start to our family of five! Well, it is almost 11AM here and I want to make sure - for about the 100th time - that everything we need in is order. I promised as soon as we ALL get settled I will post some photos!

BTW ~ Francesca is super excited! She has already layed out a ton of cars, trucks, coloring books and crayons along with her DVD player ready to play "Big Bird In China"! She too is counting down the minutes!

June 27th ~ One More Day....(and YES! We are in Zhengzhou!)

2010-06-27T01:48:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Zhengzhou early this afternoon, but as many of you know, there is so much to do before "the big day" comes! We will be leaving for the Civil Affairs office tomorrow at 9:30AM - so anytime after that, we should be united with our little boy! We did get an update today from CCAI on him and there are a few surprises. Nothing to be worried about but just things we are not prepared for (so wish you were here Ma)...Anyway, we have the backpack all packed up, all the envelopes stuffed with the necessary funds, gifts all wrapped and all our paper work in order for tomorrow morning. The crib is once again all set up in the room which is totally bringing back so many wonderful memories. Our guide Yisha remembered us today as soon as she spotted us at the airport. She was so excited to see us again. She did ask about LaLa (aka Annabelle) and Grandma. She is also looking forward to helping us along with our newest addition's transition (seeing how he is the oldest child being adopted among our group).

I do have a few photos to share with you all that were between last night & today. The one of Francesca and I in the hotel room was taken by Keith while we were "skyping" with Grandma, Annabelle, Aunt Lisa and Scotty. {Oh how I miss you all so very much ~ and next time when we come back YOU GUYS ARE COMING SO START SAVING NOW!}

As for my thoughts on what is about to happen tomorrow..I think I am doing pretty good. Seeing how this is our 3rd time around, it seems much easier and I think I am prepared for just about anything. Keith has been truly an amazing support to me. As he told me earlier today "You are one hell of a mother Shell and no matter how unhappy & scared he might be, you can & will make him smile and in do time he will whole heartily feel your love." (what a guy I have...) {not to mention the M&MS I already have packed up to get Benjamin to come to me}

Ma & Lisa - are we still on for "skyping" on the 28th 7:00PM (your time)? Just confirm with me here through the comments.

Well, we are actually getting ready to head out for some Italian food here at the Crown Hotel (I know Italian food in China but coming from this full blooded Italian the food here is pretty good). We finally got to meet all of our travel group and so many of them are just super nice but I am so missing our group from 2008 BADLY and a few from our group in 2005...

Now if you are ready, here are the photos I promised! Just think the next time you see a post on this site - IT WILL BE PHOTOS OF OUR BENJAMIN!!!!!!!!! Oh how I can't wait!

Love you all & Miss you so much!

"My Sweet & Spicy Annabelle ~ Mommy, Daddy, and Francesca MISS YOU SO MUCH! I think about you every second of every day as you are in my heart always! I am counting down the days until I can hold you in my arms and give you lots of hugs & kisses..." Love you more than you'll ever know...Mommy"

{a building in the city of Zhengzhou}

{Francesca on the plane to Zhengzhou}

{Franceca & some travel group friends}

{Francesca & I skyping with Grandma, Annabelle, Aunt Lisa & Scotty}

June 26th - Turning Lemons into Lemonade

2010-06-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

The day started as all the others....we got up and was downstairs for breakfast by 8:00AM. Usually by this time we see a few of the other CCAI group members that are traveling with us ~ but not today. As we ate our breakfast we were still waiting for someone {from our group} to appear but nothing! It is than at this time I decided to have the front desk contact by phone our CCAI guide "George" to see what time we would be leaving for the Great Wall tour. When she finally reached him (about 9:00AM - which was the time our group met yesterday to visit the Forbidden Square), he and the other group members were already on their way to the Great Wall...while never contacted us of departing time. You don't even have to ask me if I was pissed because believe me, I was, but I managed to keep my cool...I did mention to George that just because we did not take the tour yesterday didn't mean we were not doing it today. I made it my business with our guide George when we first met on June 24th that we were not doing the Forbidden City tour but WOULD BE DOING the Great Wall the following day. He said that was OK and our tour rates would be adjusted (becuase you pay by day of touring). Come the night of the 25th, we never received any messages or phone call stating when the group would be leaving for the Great Wall so we just assumed it would be the same time as the day before 9:00AM. Well, as you can see that was not the case. As soon as I relayed the message to Keith that I was receiving from George via telephone in regards to the group status (that they already left) and George insisting on sending a car to get us, Keith & I both agreed & said no to his offer. We knew we would find something else just as exciting to do and boy are we so happy we did! The hotel here offers private tours which we jumped on and not only did we see the Great Wall (by cable cars) but we also visited a local tea shop! The spot where we were able to access the Great Wall was truly amazing & one area we never visited before! It is the place that so many of us are familiar with in seeing in movies, tour books, or posters! It was breath-taking and we walked a ton of it! It was truly one of my all time favorite moments in life! I can only hope the photos that were taken can show just how breath-taking this particular spot was...

Tomorrow we head out at 7:30AM for Zhengzhou! I can't believe our time here in Beijing has once again come to an end. But I must admit, I am so looking forward to Monday morning...so saying goodbye to this amazing city is not so bad (and I have a strong feeling we will be back again some time really soon...)

Anyway....

I am going to try to post something tomorrow, but seeing how we might be a bit busy with getting everything organized and ready for Benjamin, you might just have to wait until 28th ~ but we'll see...

Until than ENJOY these photos from today!!!!

June 25 ~ Off the Beaten Path in Beijing!

2010-06-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

First off {before I even get started telling you all about our exciting day} I must give a HUGE shout out to my wonderful & amazing sister Lisa for it is her BIRTHDAY today!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!!!! We here in China all love you & miss you so much! Keith and I did a little celebration on behalf of your birthday& had a few afternoon cocktails at this amazing outdoor lounge here in Beijing! Needless to say, we are all now back in the hotel room ~ resting...Hope you too have a very HAPPY day! LOVE YOU!

Well as you can see, we did have a few cocktails some time this afternoon which if you are traveling with us ~ afternoon cocktails are a must! As I stated yesterday, we decided not to do the group's tour today. Seeing how this is our third time here in less than 5 years and it is blazing HOT outside, we knew we wanted to do something more at our leisurely pace and enjoy some "off-the-beaten" path exploring ~ which we so did!

Our day started off by just walking the streets of Beijing which lead us to this amazing tea shop (where I was able to purchase some fresh Jasmine tea) than from there we found a crazy Hot Dumpling Spot where I was the only one brave enough to try them (seeing how we really could not verbally communicate with the vendors and their "menu" was completely in Chinese ~ it was all "look than point and shake your head YES" when you found the dumpling you wanted to try). Each steamed dumpling I tried was so good that I am actually headed back there for a late afternoon snack. We also stumbled upon an incredible indoor vendors market where we found some beautiful pieces at some amazing prices. We did a lot of walking this morning and in this heat ~ it makes you very tired. It was than that we found the outdoor lounge, sat down under this huge umbrella and enjoyed some refreshing cocktails. I do have a few photos to share with you all today. Many of them are of the crazy traffic here in Beijing while there is also one of Keith & Francesca and another one of Francesca and me.

Once we returned to the hotel I did work on getting all of the US money that is needed for Benjamin's adoption exchanged into RMBs before arriving in Zhengzhou on the 27th. In my opinion, it is just one less "detail" I need to worry about during those few short hours before being united with him. {and if you know anything about me you know that I have already placed all the bills in it's proper sealed and labeled envelope} I figured I better do this now while we are having relaxing day than trying to do it that first night when we arrive in Zhengzhou (which will be sometime around 8PM) or even the next morning before we take that walk to the civil affairs office to finally meet our little boy.

As for tonight, we again have nothing planned but for us this is how we wanted it! We did meet many of our travel group during breakfast this morning and they all seem to be a great bunch of people. We will learn more about them as our days move along during this adoption journey.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Great Wall which we are really excited to see once more.

That's about it here on our end! Only three more days until we are finally united with our little boy! I still can't believe it is really going to happen...

Love to you all & Miss everyone so very much!

{We Have Landed!}

2010-06-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well...after what seems like an entire day spent at either an airport or on a airplane flying over the North Pole, we finally landed in Beijing about 2:00PM! When we went to check in this morning at United's Ticket Counter, we were asked if we would prefer a direct flight with an upgrade. Oh course I said yes, but that meant spending the morning hanging out at Dulles International Airport. The good part of the whole thing was we arrived earlier at the airport in Beijing than what was expected. But as many of you know, the traffic around here is terrible and it took us almost 2 hours to arrive at our hotel, plus we were so hungry that we just had to have something to eat before I even thought about doing this post! After being fed {well}, taking a long over due shower, tucking Francesca into bed (while Keith was already fast asleep), I figured I finally got a chance to type up this brief message.

All is well here in China! After spending our first 6 hours back in China, it truly feels like we have never left ~ everything about the place insistently comes back!

I am going to make this short here because I too am truly tired. We all have been up for over 24 hours and it is really starting to hit me as well (and as you can see, it already hit the other two in my group).

We dearly miss everyone especially my mom and Annabelle. We love you all so much and are so looking forward to "skyping" with you all later.

Tomorrow is a free day for us which I am very excited about! Nothing big planned - just headed out among the streets of Beijing to do a bit of self-exploring. I'll be back some time tomorrow with a few photos to share and one very special BIRTHDAY WISH!!!!!

LOVE & MISS you all...!

A Place For EVERYONE & ANYONE...

2010-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

{an open invitation for those who have always & will continue to support us}

OK seeing how today marks ONE WEEK until we leave for China, it seems I am finally getting extremely excited and once again nervous! After thinking about it for some time, I decided to make some changes to Benjamin's site!

The first change was ~ I made his web site a site for EVERYONE! Yes for EVERYONE! With a click of the mouse, I made his site a site for ANYONE to post comments! All you need to do is, click on the Comments link below each journal entry (do not click on the "link to this post" link) and wait for the pop up box to appear. Once that pop up box appears, you will see a "Leave Your Comment" block (you may have to scroll down within the pop up box to get to the block to type your message). It is there in that box that you can start typing your message. Once completed, please remember to sign your name to the bottom of the message within the Leave Your Comment block (so I know who is leaving us the message) and scroll down until to see "Anonymous" and click on the circle located just before it (make sure the circle before Anonymous is highlight). And than last step is, click on "Publish Your Comment" (big orange button listed directly below "Anonymous" and within a few seconds, your message will appear! It is that easy! And now EVERYONE & ANYONE can leave us a comment!

Second change was ~ I set up for each & every comment left to not only be posted within the comment link but also a copy of your message to be sent to my email address! Seeing how some Internet sites are blocked in China {and Blogger - at times - being one of them}, I will find it difficult when in China to read all your messages. So with another few clicks under the setting bar, I was able to add my primary email address so I can read every one's message that is left!

There is one thing I want to make clear & it is really sad that I must say this, but I would really appreciate that no one leaves "unwanted" "nasty" or "rude" comments. I have seen it happen before to others and while everyone might not agree with our life style, our decisions, or our beliefs, please don't leave your opinion here! This is an adoption web site for a little boy who will finally be united with his family after a year of surprises, joy, heartache, tears and excitement. YES, this web site is all about our Benjamin. So if you feel the need to tell us something that may not be so nice, please email me privately ~ remember this HERE is not about us, it is about a little boy who has been waiting for a family for over 2 years now...(plus please keep in mind if there is a comment we DON'T approve, it will be deleted)

With that said, I truly hope you all join in on following along in what is most likely going to be our final adoption journey to China. So many of our family & friends have followed us along in the past and left some beautiful comments along the way. I am so looking forward to reading each & every one of the comments that will be left. You just don't know how much your words mean to us and will mean to our son ~ in the future...

So post away {that's comments I mean}!!!!

Our Travel Schedule!

2010-06-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

Listed Below is the details of the Travel Schedule we received from CCAI!

6/23 Leave US for Beijing

6/24 Arrive In Beijing

6/25 (my sister's birthday) Tour Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour and Acrobatics Show...As for Keith, Francesca, and I this will be a free day for us (we decided not to do the tours this day)

6/26 Still Touring Beijing: Great Wall and Mings Tomb ~ which we are doing!

6/27 Depart Beijing for Zhengzhou

6/28 BENJAMIN'S FOREVER FAMILY DAY!!!! Sometime in the afternoon, we will FINALLY be united with our Benjamin!!!!

6/29 (Keith's birthday) Adoption Registration in the morning & Lotus Shopping Center in the afternoon

6/30 Free Day!

7/01 Free Day!

7/02 Receive Chinese passports and leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou

7/03 Have Benjamin's health physical completed, TB test done, and visa photo taken

7/04 Free Day!

7/05 Free Day!

7/06 Have TB test checked out at clinic and than Free Day!

7/07 Consulate Appointment ~ completed by our CCAI representative

7/08 Our Consulate Appointment ~ Taking the Oath!

7/09 Free Day!

7/10 Leave Guangzhou for Beijing where we will catch a flight home bond!

Flights Booked!

2010-06-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

After what seems like forever (seriously I was working both online and the phone line this past Friday to find decent priced flights)...we finally found amazing flights to and from Beijing!!!!

Flight out on the June 23rd and Return home on July 10th!

{two little letters we have been so waiting for} TA!!!!!!

2010-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

As of today, we have finally received our TA which is our travel approval!!! We are currently waiting on CA (Consulate Appointment) confirmation before booking any tickets...

We were told that we could be traveling as soon as June 16th or June 23rd ~ only time will tell! As soon as I have our dates, I will be posting them here!

Again THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us along the way to be united with our son! Words will never be able to express how truly blessed we are to have family & friends out there like you!

Visas & a New Car Seat!

2010-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Monday morning Keith headed into DC to drop off all our paper work for all the visas we will be needing for our travels to China! We should have official visas all stamped within our passports by the end of this week! (another "to do" to check off my list)

and...

Also on Monday morning, I finally got around to ordering Benjamin's car seat! Just the though of having three little ones riding around with us is getting me very excited! Oh how I can't wait until it arrives!

Here is a photo of the exact one I ordered this morning from Walmart.com. At a price of under $44 and with a shipping fee of $.97 ~ I just could not pass it up! (plus it is another "to do" to check off my list)

Hope to be posting soon on our TA....

Article 5 (second LOA)

2010-05-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, after what seemed like ~ forever ~ we received notice that our Article 5 has been picked up by our agency's rep in Guangzhou at the US Consulate and is being delivered to the CCAA in Beijing! Once the CCAA reviews all the information provided, they will than issue us TA (travel approval)!

Only a few more weeks until we know WHEN WE WILL BE LEAVING FOR CHINA!!!!!

Thinking ~ praying ~ that it will be the second week of June (if not sooner)....

Waiting...

2010-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

As of Monday, we have been waiting one week for our Article 5 (second LOA) to arrive at our agency. When we received our NVC letter last Saturday, we had to wait until Monday to fax a copy of it to our agency ~ which we did! So as you can see, we are still waiting...

It is starting to look like we are traveling some time in June. Not sure when...but I will keep you all posted.

Next step after receiving our Article 5, we than wait for TA....

Cabled!

2010-04-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

After NOT receiving the NVC letter that informs us that our I800 was cabled to Guangzhou, I decided to call the NVC tonight and I must admit, I am so happy I did! According to the NVC Representative I spoke to on the phone, our information was cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou on April 21st! Come Monday morning, I must call our agency with this wonderful news!

another step closer...

As for now, I found myself once again not-soon-patiently waiting for our Article 5 to be issued by our Consulate in Guangzhou.

***NVC = National Visa Center****

Care Package #2 and Shopping {what more can you ask for}!!!

2010-04-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Care package is due to arrive at Benjamin's SWI on April 26th!

Seeing how we are once again getting ready to send out Care Package #2, I found it only fitting to share with you all the great stuff that will be included this time in our son's box!

a soft cuddle blanket...

a pair of fishes shorts....

a Tony Stewart {for when he drove for Home Depot} race car...

an truly adorable monkey stuffed animal...

two packs of Dum-Dum pops...

a disposable camera...

and last but not least ~ a photo of his "soon-to-be" family {all labeled in English & Chinese}!

I am really hoping to get these carefully hand-picked surprises off to him within the next two weeks!

PLUS

While I was out shopping for all those goodies listed above, I found some other MUST HAVE items that I just couldn't pass up!

a pair of shark sandals...

a dragonfly bubble blower with bubbles (Francesca and Annabelle already have a set each as well)...

a few pairs of "big boy" briefs {Thank You Sara for the inside scoop on those}...

and a "way too cute for words" "Sharkie" Polliwalks (which I found at TJ Maxx for $8.00)!!!!

I never imagined shopping for a little boy could be this much fun! Can't wait to see what else I find over the next couple of weeks while I try to get - not only ourselves - Benjamin room, closet and dresser drawers filled with everything he will need!!!!

A few UPDATES!!!!

2010-04-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

OK here is the photo that I received from our agency on Friday along with some updated measurements...

Currently ~

Benjamin is...

24.25lbs

30.3" tall

head measures 18.5"

chest measures 18.9"

each foot measures 5.1"

and he has 16 teeth!

Seeing how I am comparing these measurements to our Annabelle's (who is one tiny little girl), our Benjamin is truly one tiny little boy! I was planning on taking 2T clothing but it is now looking like I NEED to take 24 month size clothing as well...

Lucky for me I didn't purchase any more pajamas than the ones that my dear friend, Sara, sent to him this past spring which are 2T and are looking to be a perfect fit! As for his shoes, I have a few pairs of sandals purchased that are size 6 which I think as going to work!

Now ~ when do I think we'll travel, I am now thinking early June? Who knows? But we did find out that our I800 was processed on April 14th. We also just sent in our DS-230 along with a few finally fees needed for Benjamin's visa.

I am also getting ready to send out another care package to our baby boy. It has a blanket in it, a monkey stuffed animal, a #20 Home Depot Matchbox car, 2 large bags of lollipops for everyone to enjoy and a photo of his new family (along with a few other things)!!!! Hoping to get it sent out this week :)

I am still planning on posting to this site when we travel. Not sure if I'll be posting every day (seeing how there will be 6 of us once Benjamin comes) but I will try to do my best! Plus my notebook has been "misbehaving" on me lately. As much as I don't want the expense of a new notebook before traveling, we just might have to bite the bullet and get a new one.

So for now, this is where we are at! Hope you all enjoy the updated photo and measurements as much as we did!!!

LOA!!!!

2010-03-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

YES ~ Our LOA has arrived today at CCAI (our agency)!!!! It is looking like we will be traveling...once again to China...by the end of May/beginning of June! Words can not express how excited & happy we are!!!!!

CAKE! FRIENDS! and A PAIR OF RED HORNS! What more can we ask for!

2010-02-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

Looking at all the photos we received today truly had me in tears this morning.

I felt it in my heart that we were going to "hear" something today.

As I woke up this morning, I couldn't get out of the bed fast enough. I raced down stairs, turned on my computer, got my coffee, fed Honey Bear (and let him outside to do his business) and waited & waited for my dinosaur notebook to come to life.

Once it "decided to" start moving...

The first site I hit was yahoo to see if any new emails had come in an THERE THEY WERE...all 8 EMAILS including countless photos of our sweet adorable Benjamin, enjoying some Chinese New Year Celebration cake we had sent to his orphanage (along with a few other things)!

As I started opening every.single.email, I called for Keith to come down stairs.

He knew it must be something important for I would never risk raising my voice while the girls were still sleeping.

Soon he was seated beside me on the couch and I quickly started the slide show of priceless photos that we received...

As each photo flashed before our eyes on the notebook's screen, Keith turned to me and said, "Honey, that's your baby boy! That's MY baby boy! Oh My God Shell, THAT'S OUR BENJAMIN!"

Both of us were so over come with emotion... that could never be put into words.

We wanted to stare at each & every photo for hours and talk about what's about to happen...

and than...

Reality Hit ~ It is only Friday...Keith has to go to work...Francesca needs to get up & ready for school...and Annabelle ~ who at this point was crying out for me to come & get her ~ was also ready to start her day.

So away the photos went along with the computer...until NOW!

LOOK & SEE for yourself below!

That's our little boy!

This is our Benjamin!

(so our referral told us he likes cake and from the look of things...it is so true!)

(see the dimple...our son has dimples!)

(talking on the phone ~ he is truly my son!)

"Our dearest Benjamin, I truly hope you enjoyed your cake and all the other goodies we had sent to you. Counting down the days until you are in our arms...Love you so very much."

The long road that lead us to Benjamin....

2010-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

I have been asked ~ a lot lately ~ why adopt, why adopt from China, why a special needs child, and why a boy? And the simple answer for us is ~ Why not!

But our journey to Benjamin is truly "treasure map worthy"...for it was a path that our hearts have been trying to tell us for so long to follow...

When Francesca was placed into my arms while at the civil affairs office in Nanchang, ever.single.emotion. anyone possibly could experience, I did. From total excitement to being 100% scared - I felt them all.

About 18 months after our Francesca came home, she was diagnosed with a serve megacolon.

It was during those 18 months of running from doctors - to specialists - and back to more doctors' offices, that I started following along in other parents' web blogs that too have adopted or were waiting to adopt a special needs child. One of these families in particular that I followed was Lisa L. from Tennessee who was at the time waiting to travel to China for their son, Brady.

(this was the first time I truly felt compelled to follow along with an adoption journey since arriving home with Francesca back in November of 2005 and it was also the first time I ever read about adopting a little boy ~ see that window starting to open...)

It was also from Francesca's diagnosis that we found our hearts once again calling us to the road of an adoption with China's program and we were soon placed on the path to our Annabelle, who we adopted from CCAI's waiting child/special needs program back in October 2008.

Our Annabelle was too diagnosed with a megacolon and was placed on CCAI's designated list of special needs children in June of 2008.

We were once again so excited about our second daughter ~ through this amazing process called adoption.

This time when we traveled to China, I was 100% more prepared. Ever "bump" along the way (and trust me there were many) I didn't stress over. I must admit, I was proud of myself for the way I handled just about everything. I never thought I would be a mother of one child...let alone two. I never dreamed that during Annabelle's adoption journey our hearts would be called once again to adoption, but this time it was for a little boy.

While we were visiting Annabelle's orphanage in Jiaozuo, Henan Province, we were truly touched by almost everything that we saw there.

All those babies, toddlers, and children who were just so excited to see us was so very emotional.

While we did see the good, the not so good, the survivors, and the dying, my heart starting whispering once again...

One of the survivors that we've seen while at Jiaozuo SWI was a little boy named, "David". He is truly a survivor. For you see, he had survived from being lite on fire by a member of his family. Now living with a body that is 99% covered in burn scars from that unthinkable act of cruelty, just seeing his smile & his excitement over our presence was a moment that I will never forget. It was than that I heard my heart screaming, A SON!

On our way back to the hotel after visiting Annabelle's orphanage and getting our papers notarized, I could not get that imagine out of my head of David smiling at me. And while Keith & I did talk about what we experienced at the orphanage, the words, "my heart is calling me once again to adopt Keith, but this time it is a little boy" were never spoken.

(I tried to block these feelings and thoughts out from my mind and heart but I knew those feeling & thoughts would not be going away any time soon...but still I kept quiet)

Fast forward to the end of our trip...

Since Annabelle was cared for most of her life at Hope in Beijing, we felt we needed to make a special stop there before leaving.

Our time at Hope was very different than our time at Jiaozou. Hope was so bright, cheery, and they had a ton of nannies on staff to care for and love each & every child there. One little boy in particular was Gabriel. As soon as he saw Keith, he crawled over to him, placed his arms around his leg and won't let go. Keith immediately picked him up and from that moment on they were inseparable. After spending over two hours visiting Hope, we got into our van to go back to our hotel. It was about 20 minutes into the ride that Keith turned to me and said just two words, "a boy". Just hearing those two words had my mind racing with a million thoughts and it wasn't again until we were back at the hotel on our final night in China that Keith spoke to me about his heart calling him to adopt a little boy.

We left Beijing the next day for our long plane ride home.

eight weeks go by....

And we are having lunch with our friends, The Fitch family (who traveled with us back in October for their daughter Hannah) . During the conversation, both Lori and I start talking about adopting once again (by this time, Keith and I are talking about an adoption, but we were not 100% committed). As soon as the words "adopt once again" was mention, both guys (Keith & Lori's husband Al) quickly got into our girl conversation. It wasn't long after that day, that Keith and I found ourselves once again filling out a medical conditions checklist with CCAI. In the past, we only requested, a girl ~ well this time we requested a boy or girl and listed any type of bowel, gastric, anus, rectum, and/or colon condition. We were told by our agency that we may never get a referral for they never get files on children with those types of medical problems (in my heart I had no doubt that we wouldn't hear something for we heard those same words when we submitted a MCC for our Annabelle and listed megacolon on it...and just look how that one turned out). This was all in December of 2008 ~ only 8 weeks since coming home with our Annabelle.

again months go by...

and not one word from our agency....

but a little boy was still strong within my heart and Keith's too...

Than on May 2nd, we receive and email from the head of CCAI's Waiting Child Department asking us "if we would be interested in a rectal-urethra fistula diagnosis and if so please contact the Waiting Child Department as soon as possible". Now I actually received this email on Friday, the 1st, but it was late Friday evening when it was originally sent. Seeing how I was up at my mom's for supper that night, I missed the email. Once I arrived home later that Friday evening, Keith was there waiting for us (after a long drive from DC) and after not seeing him the whole week, we had a lot of catching up to do. So I didn't have a chance to sit down at my computer and check my emails until early Saturday morning...while I was drinking my first cup of coffee. It all seems so surreal now, but at that moment of reading that email, my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't drink my coffee. Seeing how it was only 7AM and I knew Keith was beyond exhausted, I quickly called my mother who I just knew would be up. It seems I couldn't get the words out fast enough. I was so excited, confused and yes once again scared. I read my mom that email over & over again...and we talked for about an hour. My mom having the medical background, experience and education knew within seconds what I was saying. She too started getting excited over the idea of another grandchild. We both felt in our hearts that THERE was a file out there on a child who could soon be ours...It was enough to get my hands sweating and my mind racing. She reassured me over & over again about this condition, gave me all the facts and simply asked, "Do you need me to come down?" I told her no that I was OK, but I needed to wake Keith up and tell him about the email. By that time, the girls have already woken up Keith and he was on his way down stairs. As I bounced into the kitchen, he asked, "So what's going on already this early Saturday morning?" My reply to that question was, "Do you really want to know...no matter what it may be?" His answer of course was, "Yes." So there I was explaining to him about the email that I received from CCAI and told him exactly what it said. As I was floating around the room, my mind swirling once again in thought of another child, Keith just looked at me and said, "Well you'll have to call them on Monday and see what's going on. "

and we didn't talk about that email and the possibility of that email the rest of the weekend...

Monday morning came and Keith held off on his long drive back to DC. Our agency would open at 10AM Eastern Time and it was exactly 10:01AM that I was dialing CCAI's phone number. I spoke first to their operator who I asked if she could connect me to Densise in the Waiting Child Department. I was than told she was not going to be in until after 11AM (their time) so knowing that we would not hear anything for at least another 3 hours, Keith headed down the road, back to work. Around 1PM our time, I did get that phone call that our hearts have been so secretly waiting for...a referral for a little boy! Let's just say I couldn't get off the phone fast enough to I call Keith and tell him the beautiful news....

On May 11, 2009, we started ~ once again ~ paper chasing for our third child ~ our first son Dang Zi Zhong (soon to be Benjamin James Zi Leonard).

As many of you know, it has been a long & crazy journey for us ~ so far ~ and we are only half way through it. I hope this answers some of the questions we have received over the past several months about adopting from China, adopting a special needs child from China, and most of all adopting a little boy from China.

As for our son, Benjamin ~ We are coming to get you very soon. We promise. We love you so very much and are counting down the days until you can be held for the first time within our arms...

A {our} little boy has been growing in our hearts for so very long now...and we still are not there ~ just yet....

Care Packages, Shopping & Sleepless Nights ~ Oh My

2010-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Since finding out we are LID, I have contacted Adele from Blessed Kids about putting together a care package for our darling Benjamin. I am so hoping {praying} that we do receive some updated photos and a current health report on our son. As the excitement is finally setting in that "We are traveling back to China for our first son!" we are once again faced with a very long time until we do travel. While I wish we were leaving tomorrow, I know that there is so much that I need to do to prepare the house and ourselves for another little one!

Just having this LID has truly opened me up to finally believing that this will happen. I found myself not being able to sleep last night, but instead I was working my fingers fast on my notebook's keyboard trying to grab up all those amazing sales that are happening this time of the year. I purchased a few outfits and some great boy toys...just for him. Our Benjamin needs just about everything. I am hoping to find some pajamas this coming week for as of now, he only has one pair (and that was a gift from my one of my dearest & sweetest friends ~ ever ~ Sara). I know, I know, I still have a lot of time to all of this, but anyone who truly knows me knows that I am not one to sit back and relax while there is still so much to do.

Currently I am purchasing 3T size clothing. Back in September, Benjamin was...
29.1" tall
22 lbs
each foot measured 4.3"
and he had 16 teeth

When I compare his measurements to that of our Annabelle's, they are so very similar in size (even though they are 6 months apart). Seeing how she is wearing 24 month/2T size clothing, I felt it was safe to purchase 3T for him.

So looking forward to getting an update on our little boy! And when we do, I promise I will post as much information as I can....

time line for our Benjamin...

2010-01-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone & Welcome to our web site set up especially for our third child ~ first son ~ adoption from China! Below I will be listing his time line...from referral received to LID! So far, this journey to our son has been very bumpy but I guess I should not have expected anything less (seeing how this is our third time around). Please be sure to book mark this site for we will be posting to it when we travel {praying for that to happen sometime between May 7 June of this year)!

So without keeping you any longer, here is Benjamin's time line...

Benjamin's time line...
***travel to China ~ May/June 2010?
***once LOA arrives...it will be 10-13 weeks until we travel
***waiting on LOA {praying that it comes March/April}
January 26, 2010 ~ CCAA Logged In our Dossier...LID!!!
January 22, 2010 ~ Dossier to China...DTC
January 15, 2010 ~ CCAI received completed Dossier
June 2009 to January 14, 2010 ~ paper chased
May 16, 2009 ~ started paper chasing...
May 15, 2009 ~ Received PA...
May 11, 2009 ~ LOI was sent to China
May 6, 2009 ~ Accepted the Referral...
May 4, 2009 ~ Received Referral...

I will be updated this time line (as LOA...CA...TA...and official travel dates come in).

Update from CCAI received on 9/8/2009

2009-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dang Zi Zhong

Currently residing at Luoyang SWI, Henan Province, China.

Date of Birth October 15, 2007

9/7/2009 Update

Medical/Development:
His health is good.
He can walk, say some simple words. He is being potty trained, but still uses diaper
He does not know color yet.
He needs to be reminded to use potty on time.

Personality:
They call him Zi Zhong.
He is active and outgoing.

General:
He eats noodle, congee, drinks water and formula. He likes to eat cake and biscuits.
He is in the orphanage.
He did not receive package from the family.

(as of 2/1/2010 a care package has been sent out for our sweet baby boy...)

Oh My Gosh ~ Does he know how much we love him already? Does he know that he has a family waiting to bring him home? Does he know that he has two sisters who are just so excited to be getting a brother? Does he know that he has so many family & friends who are just dying to meet him? Does he know that we think about him every minute of every day? Does he know that I cry almost every night because he is not home with us? Does he know again how much we love him? Does he know...

Referral Photos!

2009-05-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

(photo of Benjamin dated August 2008)

More updated photos that were taken during February 2009...

He had us at the first moment we saw his precious face! Those cheeks and those big almond shaped eyes...Oh how this little boy captured our hearts on May 4, 2009!