We are on our way!!!

By the time you read this post, we will be meeting Stacey and John in Newark and on our way to Beijing. Everything is ready and packed and I am on my way to bed in just a minute. I honestly cannot believe the day has finally arrived. A great giant thank you to my mother-in-law, Marion, who came over twice to help me get all the pesky things into the right baggies (with labels of course :)). And to Kathy, who is going to help me hold down the fort at home while we are gone. And to my sister, Sue, who brought me just the right carry-on. We couldn't do it without everyone's support.

Mary Alice was asked to bring along "Flat Brittany", a take off on the "Flat Stanley" series of books where a child gets mailed around the world. Marion works with a student whose class made these tiny dolls and sent them off on adventures with people who are traveling. Our charge is to take pictures of Flat Brittany in China, to share with the real girl back home. Mary Alice already made a full Chinese wardrobe for Flat Brittany.The adventure is just beginning...... Here she is....



Now that the bags are packed and all that needs to be done is get up and get going, I have a wonderful sense of calm and excitement. Ling, you have no idea how your life is going to change (neither do we) but we promise you this, we will welcome you into our hearts and lives with great joy and humbleness that God should have led us all the way across the ocean to you.

Update from the Newark Airport:

We are now sitting at the Newark Airport, at the Beijing Gate. Everyone woke up happy, worked together and got out the door in record time. I only had to go back home one time (yes, I made the cabbie turn around) because we left the porch lights on. All-in-all, I have to say this was my best packing job ever. We are frequent fliers as a family, going yearly to Georgia and Florida, annual campers and last year, we had the good fortune to test our long distance flying skills to Hawaii. The kids are both able to get things packed that they need to feel comfortable. Mary Alice looks so cute with new pink quilted, rolling duffel and matching handbag.

It's hard to believe that we will leave here as a family of four and come home a family of five.

The cats were very curious about all the activity (at 3:00 AM this morning). They couldn't figure out why we were up in the middle of the night, especially because I had just gone to sleep 3 hours ago.



I was sitting in front of in front of a little Asian girl. Her mom told us she was 3 1/2 years old, just like Ling. She is so giggly and chatty. Matthew asked me if Ling will be like that. I don't know, but her personality sure seems like it. It won't be long now. Soon we will be meeting up with Stacey & John and their son, Mike, and become a family of seven!

We Wait

This is a picture of dear friends, Ken & Jen and their beautiful daughters, Katie, Maria and Wara. When Katie was young they adopted Maria and Wara from war torn Sierra Leone. While they were waiting for the travel approval to go to Africa, I woke up one morning with a poem in my head for Maria, framed it and gave it to them. I had not kept a copy, so yesterday I asked Jen if she would send it to me.

I was amazed by the mirror of the words I had written 10 years ago to my thoughts and feelings about my own daughter-to-be. I have reprinted the poem here and included Megan Ling's name, where Maria's was.

Ken & Jen, thank you for your loving, stable friendship and for your part in our Journey. I did not know then how my experience with your daughter would affect me, but I am so thankful that it did. The fabric of adoption is a beautiful weave.

We Wait

To Save, A Soul,

One Face Among the Many There.

We Know, We Love,

You Even Though You're Far Away.

We Wish, We Plan,

Your Future Is So Clear To Us.

We're Glad, We Can,

Share Our Loving Home With You.

We're Sure, We Can,

Create A Sense Of Hope For You.

To Be, Part Of,

The World That Is A Happy One.

We Wait, We Pray,

We Want The Time To Speed Along.

Each Day, Creeps By,

But Someday Soon We'll Bring You Home.

Into, Our Lives,

God Has Sent His Special Gift.

Your Face, Your Arms,

Our Daughter, Megan Ling.

Copyright, 2008 Linda, Simply Family

4/26/08 A Letter to Ling

Dear Ling,

This is a picture of me, your silly mother! I was trying on my new bike helmet, when I got an e-mail from my dear friend, Stacey, who is going to be your freind, Sofia Bao's new mommy. Stacey had written something very funny in her e-mail and I started laughing, and forgetting I had my new helmet on (with a visor I wasn't used to) dropped my head forward and BONKED it on the computer! Matthew, Mary Alice and Daddy all thought I was very weird, so we decided to take a picture for you to see it. I can show you when I get there, in 13 days! Well, 12 really, if you don't count today, because it's almost over anyway.

I hope you are ready for us to come. We are sooooo super busy trying to get all of our little (and big projects) done before you get here. Yesterday, I took my bike for a tune up, and today we bought a new 3rd wheel trailer for you to ride on Daddy's bike so we can all ride together. Daddy put up a mirror on your bedroom door so you could see how beautiful you are! Jasmine, our cat, has been curled up on your rocking chair every day, waiting for you.

Our dining room table is piled high with things we are gathering to bring to China. It is getting very exciting.

Matthew is working hard at his school leading a fundraiser for your Chaoyang sisters and brothers. He is so proud of his new sister!

I hope you are well and happy, Sweet Ling.

Love, Mama

No TA yet, but here's a story.....

Dear Ling,

Here is the story about why we decided to adopt, and how we came to find you.

Daddy and I felt we wanted to have a third child. Approaching my 39^th bday, I felt woozy with the thought of another pregnancy and breastfeeding and newborn sleepless nights….. One day, I woke up with the urge to explore adoption. I talked with Daddy, and he was willing to learn more about it, so in my usual fashion, I started reading books. In four days I had read five books and “knew” that we were meant to adopt from China. So we started the process, and then “the wait”. Early on, I had looked at Waiting Child lists, which are lists of available children who are either older and/or have special needs, but the lists gave me way too much anxiety, so I stopped for a LONG time. Then Great Wall (our agency) stopped putting the pictures of the children on the lists and without that, it was too scary and daunting. Then we went to the Great Wall conference in Tampa in November 2007. I met a woman there who was just about to travel to her daughter who was 4 ½ and was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus. She explained what it was and I found it amazing that she was able to deal with all of that (as well as her 11 year old autistic son).Through her experience, she gave me courage and inspiration and I thought "maybe I could do that, too". I went to a Waiting Child session at the conference and learned more about the program.

Shortly after that we had to renew our home study because our I-171H was going to expire (we had been waiting 18 months at that point). I talked with Daddy (who is a such a great guy) and he agreed to allow me to follow my heart and expand the language of our update to include mild special needs as well as a healthy child. After the final copy of the update was delivered, and I read it, I was very stuck on the fact that it stated ages 0-2 years old. Again, I told Daddy that I felt the need to change that, and asked if he minded if I called our agency and asked them to expand it to age 6, which they did and I had it in my hand by the end of that day.

About two weeks later, I received a link to a new Waiting Child list. I was interested because one had not been posted in months, and I had recently felt like looking again. As usual, after I opened it, it filled me with anxiety, so I deleted it. A few days later I got the same link again, and again I deleted it! The weekend went by and the next week I felt I was supposed to look at it again. I pulled it out of the delete box and clicked, and found you, 3 ½ year old Ling! I knew at that moment that you were my child. I don’t know if I just didn’t see you before or if you had been added to the list since I had looked last, but there you were. I was applying for more info before I could even think about it. It was scary, because you was on a “shared agency list” and your file could not be locked until we had reviewed all of your medical records, made the final decision and gotten our Letter of Intent accepted by the China Center for Adoption Affairs. But it all worked out and we had our Letter of Acceptance on Daddy's birthday a day or so later. Since then, we have fallen in love with you, little sweetheart and cannot wait to see you and hold you. What on earth is taking so long??