Hi everyone,Hurray! Yesterday our FedEx package arrived, with all of Qun Qun's paperwork plus the original photos. He's so cute!! No new ones, sorry. After anxiously checking the door all morning and waiting for Mia to bark, he finally arrived, a Steve Irwin lookalike! Too funny. Here's what he saw (note from an anxious mommy):
Believe me, it was necessary! FedEx drivers have left with my packages when the front door was wide open, and the dog was barking! Then it's a 45-minute drive to the FedEx facility just to pick the package up, no thank you!!
Say, where's Emily in all this? At a whirlwind vacation with her Papa and Rea near Ocala, FL. Apparently, she's putting all the kids to shame in the pool (she swims like a fish). And, "Papa/Rea", as Em calls them, are trying to indoctrinate her into big sisterhood by chanting David's name for fun..."Davey, Davey, Davey" and such. Meanwhile, Mommy's assembling brother/sister photos of all her nephews and her friends' siblings, plus finding story books on brothers/sisters. Any suggestions are welcome! Thank gosh Dora the Explorer has a new baby brother!
What's Next
Don't even ask! We have to:1) Fill out our Waiting Child adoption paperwork, which includes writing an essay about why we want to adopt a special needs child.
2) Gather paperwork for a home study update, since our paperwork has been in China for 11 months now. This includes redoing the police background checks, financial statement, copies of tax records, etc. I dreaded the police record, because there's a "bad" Caroline Lewis in the county with a record, and her history comes up every time a report is run! Add to that the teenage father smacking his 7-year old son repeatedly in the parking lot (what brought the father there in the first place, I wonder?), and you have a lousy experience.
3) Refile our 600A (U.S. petition to adopt an overseas orphan), wait for approval, then travel to Orlando and possibly sit in line for 3 hours to be re-fingerprinted. Ugh!! At least this part is free. Timeframe to travel? Probably November, if all goes well.
Enough!! Give Us a Real Update
Sorry. Here's his story. At just 2 days old, Wei Jian Qun (Wei=surname, Jian=healthy or strong, Qun=crowd or group) was found abandoned in a cornfield in Tianjin City. He must have suffered from exposure since he had pneumonia. He's lived in the orphanage ever since.He loves to follow the nannies with his eyes, especially at mealtimes. He can stand while holding onto things, so it's possible he might be walking when we get him. He claps his hands when he's happy, and makes "ah ah" and "ya ya" sounds. So he speaks Greek! ("Ya Ya" is Greek for grandmother.) Did you hear that, Uncle Iconomos? Oh wait, Ico can't hear us, because he's busy lying on the beach in front of his house in Greece, poor thing!! (We've been invited.)
The above information is from his 17-month development report. That may be all we know. He can grab toys and shake them, which is a developmental milestone. However, when we adopted Emily, she had shut down emotionally and couldn't do more than sit and flick her tiny fingers at a toy, so we'll be prepared for anything. Qun Qun will certainly grieve for his nannies--we just don't know how, yet. That's all for now.
Highlight of my day yesterday? Showing Qun Qun's picture to the Publix bakery employee who gives Emily her free sprinkles cookie whenever we go shopping. She happily exclaimed at the news, then hugged and kissed me. Too sweet. :)
More to come. Take care everyone,
Caroline
