Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my dad, husband and all the other fathers and fathers to be. On this day, we to remember our daughters' birth dads and give them thanks for had it not been for them, we would not have the two children we have today . . . one of whom still waits in China to join her Forever Family!

We took my dad and Dale out for breakfast this morning. It was very nice. Just think, next year Dale will have two little princess to spoil him! We love you daddy!

A Father's Day Poem

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad.

Author Unknown

I-800 APPROVAL!

We received word today from the NBC (National Benefits Center) that our I-800 was approved and the official approval notice was going out in today's mail! This means we are one step closer to receiving our TA, which is permission for us to travel to China to bring Miss Madison home! So much to do and so little time in the overall realm of things!

Stay tuned for further updates!

Update

The care packages we sent to Madison both from here in MN and within China have arrived! She also received the cake we sent (which was beautiful by the way). We also were lucky and received three new pictures of Madison with her "celebration" cake. Unfortunately, we cannot post them yet. Take it from a proud mommy, she is a living doll!

We also got updated measures on her and although she is small, she is growing, which is a good thing. She is now just a little over 15 lbs (15.2) and still only 29.5" long. Her head, chest and feet all grew slight too, which is a good. We cannot wait for her to officially join our family and be home with us so we can shower her with the love and attention she needs and most certainly deserves.

Hang in there a little longer peanut, mommy, daddy and Jie Jie Sammie are coming for you as soon as we are able! We love you!

Care Packages

Here is a copy of the care package that will be sent to Madison through an organization called Red Thread China. We are hoping it will arrive the early part of this week. Also being sent is a 2 lb. cake. China does a beautiful job on their cakes. I will post pics of the cake if/when we get pics of the same.

On a side, we are also hoping that Madison receives the care package we sent from home to her. It has arrived in China, now if only I'd know if/she she receives it, then I'd be much happier!

Hoping for good news this week in that our I-800 has been approved! We'll keep you updated and still hoping for travel mid to late July!

Care Package

Today I sent off a care package to Madison in China. After having a senior moment, I realized I didn't take a picture of the items we put in the care package until after I had it all packed and the box sealed and addressed! Oh well. Here's a brief rundown of what we sent to Madison, the Nannies/Caregivers and the other children at the orphange:

For Madison:

Photobook
Outfit (a dress that big sister Sammie picked out)
Doll (a cute little "my first doll" that big sister Sammie also picked out)
Pink blanket
Disposable camera

For Nannies/Caregivers:

Note Cards
Post It Notes
Pens
Hand Sanitizer from Bath & Body Works

For Kiddos at the Orphange:

A bunch of stickers
Suckers

Low and behold, the small box it was in cost a small fortune to send to China, but so worth it! We are anxious to know when it arrives and hoping to get pictures of Madison with her treats!

We are also going to send a cake to Madison at the orphanage for her to share with the other kids and hopefully we will receive updated information and pictures of her as well.

Denise