We have given each child a fruit of the Spirit as a middle name, we are also considering an attribute of the spirit --- Grace as a middle name too.
We will use their current Chinese names as their second middle name...............
Here are the fruit/attributes that are left for us to consider for the 1st middle name:
Grace/Karis (also Grace)
Joy
Love
Patience
Mercy
For the 1st names, we have run through a lot in our minds. We already have 2 I's, and 2 S's...............so we were thinking either another I and S (so all the bigs would be I and the littles S) or 2 more with the same letter though they are not close in age.
Family names ---- Elaine (cousin that is currently ill), Great Aunts --- Edie, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mildred, Helen, Althea
Grandma's --- Alice, Dorothy (Dottie), Maude, Mabel, Naomi, Elizabeth
Mom's --- Donna, Betty (not a short for Elizabeth)
Just looking at this list I see Elizabeth as a theme.............we'd already talked about this name as a long version of Betty --- and calling her Betsy.................we also like the short version Eliza
If we went with Elizabeth (God is my oath), another name we like is Elaina (Light) or Eliana (God has answered).
Elaina/Eliana Grace
Elizabeth (Eliza) Joy
Kaitlyn
Karis
Kiana
I believe that will be our girls names................now, which will be which????
Monday, August 19, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Going for TWO now!!!! Nini
Well, on 7/23 our agency received 5 files from their Chinese orphanage partnerships. I expected nothing as I knew there were others ahead of us and I wanted to be DTC for a couple months before referral anyway (to help shorten the LOA --- letter of acceptance --- wait). I asked the agency though, and was told there were 5 ahead of me..............none of which were looking for the 5-6 yr old girl we were. So I felt VERY confident about being in an upcoming batch of referrals.
Instead --- on 7/26 they sent us the referral information on a little 21 mo old girl with cleft lip (and palate by the looks of it)................since Isabelle was cl/cp, we took her!!!! I waited a couple days because I didn't want Gary to feel like I was pressuring him.
See, all along I had been telling him I knew we were supposed to get 2. At times, I didn't think it would be at the same time, but just that week I'd felt more than ever that it should be 2 at the same time and be done..........here is was now on Friday --- about 3 days later --- and the agency sent me this file! There had been another family that looked at her file and decided they didn't have the speech help that all cl/cp kids need..........so in my mind, this was just confirmation of getting 2.
I still waited a couple days though and then on 7/29 (Monday), I called to tell the agency we were taking her, but that we STILL wanted the 5-6 yr old girl we had started out for................:)
So here she is!!!! Her nickname at the orphanage is PROBABLY Nini.............and I think that is CUTE too!!!! :)
Instead --- on 7/26 they sent us the referral information on a little 21 mo old girl with cleft lip (and palate by the looks of it)................since Isabelle was cl/cp, we took her!!!! I waited a couple days because I didn't want Gary to feel like I was pressuring him.
See, all along I had been telling him I knew we were supposed to get 2. At times, I didn't think it would be at the same time, but just that week I'd felt more than ever that it should be 2 at the same time and be done..........here is was now on Friday --- about 3 days later --- and the agency sent me this file! There had been another family that looked at her file and decided they didn't have the speech help that all cl/cp kids need..........so in my mind, this was just confirmation of getting 2.
I still waited a couple days though and then on 7/29 (Monday), I called to tell the agency we were taking her, but that we STILL wanted the 5-6 yr old girl we had started out for................:)
So here she is!!!! Her nickname at the orphanage is PROBABLY Nini.............and I think that is CUTE too!!!! :)
HS ADDENDUM
Well, once the HS copies got to me on 7/20................I was reading them over and was SHOCKED to realize that there were SEVERAL mistakes on it!!!! My birthday was actually Sierra's birthday and several other things. I blame myself --- but of course, I DID give them my original HS with all the CORRECT information in PRINT.
My agency told me I would just need a 1 page addendum outlining all the changes --- and no SOS or consulate!
However, my HS agency had this knowledge on the 22nd and SAT on it.............we FINALLY received all of the copies late 8/6..........and I forwarded them to the agency on 8/7. Everything else had been already loaded into the computer and ready for DTC by the 30th! GRRR.............so we JUST got DTC today --- 8/8...............thankfully we are DTC now and finished with the HS agency.
Unfortunately, NOW we are fully at the mercy of the CCCWA............I have no idea when we will be LID (logged into China), but we won't turn in our LOI (letters of intent) until we are LID. :)
My agency told me I would just need a 1 page addendum outlining all the changes --- and no SOS or consulate!
However, my HS agency had this knowledge on the 22nd and SAT on it.............we FINALLY received all of the copies late 8/6..........and I forwarded them to the agency on 8/7. Everything else had been already loaded into the computer and ready for DTC by the 30th! GRRR.............so we JUST got DTC today --- 8/8...............thankfully we are DTC now and finished with the HS agency.
Unfortunately, NOW we are fully at the mercy of the CCCWA............I have no idea when we will be LID (logged into China), but we won't turn in our LOI (letters of intent) until we are LID. :)
Consulate and More
On 7/11 we set back out to the Secretary of State (SOS) to get the last 2 documents certified.
On 7/12 we were in the Consulate for the 1st time.............me and all 4 kids.........that is enough to drive you crazy! They looked at the documents from the FIRST SOS trip -- all but 2 -- that the SOS had stamped with a black and white stamp instead of color (it was the 1st day they were doing black and white).........and rejected all of them. We had to return to the SOS and get them to correct it....................
So off to the SOS to get them to correct it immediately.
We got there in time for them to correct it, which they did by putting the color ones on --- taking off the black and white...............
Frustrated at this point and discouraged, we stayed the weekend in Austin --- and made a stay cation out of it as daddy joined us that night.
Sunday daddy left and we headed BACK to the consulate on Monday (7/15).
On Friday we went to Fedex to copy ALL of our documents! Thinking we didn't need to copy the NEW SOS letters, we went straight there and were turned back --- for new copies of the SOS stuff.
After going to Fedex AGAIN.........we went back to the consulate a 3rd time..............and they went through all but 2 documents --- passing...................those 2 were Gary's birth certificate because I didn't copy the back of it AND the home study because the HS agency paper clipped their certifications onto the back instead of stapling them..............she told me it had to be fixed.
So I went BACK to Fedex and copied Gary's BC.....................and then I did what to them in the adoption world is unthinkable. I KNEW that most won't accept documents with holes in it or anything added on.........SO, I color copied the entire dossier ---- except the signature page with the SOS certificate attached to it, re-stapled it, and headed back to the consulate.
I had already been in tears, messaging everyone I could. I was going to try whatever I could to make THIS work.
I got back to the consulate for the 3rd time that day, 4th time total. I got that same lady again, so I waited for another...............They quickly took the birth certificate. Then the 1st lady told the 2nd lady stuff in Chinese..............and she questioned me A LOT!!!! She told me that because the signature page had holes in it (from the SOS unstapling the black and white copies!) that she didn't think it would be accepted (though they'd taken the rest of them!). BUT that she'd TRY..............and if it didn't work, they would call me BEFORE the documents were to be done 4 days later.
Thankfully when I returned, I expected to pay about $450 and only paid a $300. AND I had lost the ticket from the original 10 documents after having to rush to Fedex.................but they FOUND it!!!! EASILY!!!!! They made me copy my license to get it though ---- and pointed out the copy machine that sits right inside their door.............ugh! And ALL documents were CLEARED!!!! I was nervous and afraid they hadn't contacted me, but that it still wasn't going to be accepted.
So, in preparation for that, I contacted the HS agency and had them send me more originals of my HS.
Thank you God that this part is over!!!!
On 7/12 we were in the Consulate for the 1st time.............me and all 4 kids.........that is enough to drive you crazy! They looked at the documents from the FIRST SOS trip -- all but 2 -- that the SOS had stamped with a black and white stamp instead of color (it was the 1st day they were doing black and white).........and rejected all of them. We had to return to the SOS and get them to correct it....................
So off to the SOS to get them to correct it immediately.
We got there in time for them to correct it, which they did by putting the color ones on --- taking off the black and white...............
Frustrated at this point and discouraged, we stayed the weekend in Austin --- and made a stay cation out of it as daddy joined us that night.
Sunday daddy left and we headed BACK to the consulate on Monday (7/15).
On Friday we went to Fedex to copy ALL of our documents! Thinking we didn't need to copy the NEW SOS letters, we went straight there and were turned back --- for new copies of the SOS stuff.
After going to Fedex AGAIN.........we went back to the consulate a 3rd time..............and they went through all but 2 documents --- passing...................those 2 were Gary's birth certificate because I didn't copy the back of it AND the home study because the HS agency paper clipped their certifications onto the back instead of stapling them..............she told me it had to be fixed.
So I went BACK to Fedex and copied Gary's BC.....................and then I did what to them in the adoption world is unthinkable. I KNEW that most won't accept documents with holes in it or anything added on.........SO, I color copied the entire dossier ---- except the signature page with the SOS certificate attached to it, re-stapled it, and headed back to the consulate.
I had already been in tears, messaging everyone I could. I was going to try whatever I could to make THIS work.
I got back to the consulate for the 3rd time that day, 4th time total. I got that same lady again, so I waited for another...............They quickly took the birth certificate. Then the 1st lady told the 2nd lady stuff in Chinese..............and she questioned me A LOT!!!! She told me that because the signature page had holes in it (from the SOS unstapling the black and white copies!) that she didn't think it would be accepted (though they'd taken the rest of them!). BUT that she'd TRY..............and if it didn't work, they would call me BEFORE the documents were to be done 4 days later.
Thankfully when I returned, I expected to pay about $450 and only paid a $300. AND I had lost the ticket from the original 10 documents after having to rush to Fedex.................but they FOUND it!!!! EASILY!!!!! They made me copy my license to get it though ---- and pointed out the copy machine that sits right inside their door.............ugh! And ALL documents were CLEARED!!!! I was nervous and afraid they hadn't contacted me, but that it still wasn't going to be accepted.
So, in preparation for that, I contacted the HS agency and had them send me more originals of my HS.
Thank you God that this part is over!!!!
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