Today our daughter turns one year old. I hope they are having a little party for her at the orphange. We will mark the day by going out for chinese food. I can' t wait to have her here. Luckly she is young enough not to know it is her birthday.
Soon, very soon we will go to bring her home.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
We have our referal!
It has finally happened! We got the call on Tuesday, December 11th. Nancy, from Homeland Adoption Services, called me and said they had a little girl they thought was just right for us and wanted to know if we were interested. I could not breath, so it was difficult to answer. When I caught my breath, I said yes, definitely! We talked about her with my parents that night and had Nancy overnight the file to us. On Thursday, we saw her cute face and were in love. On Friday morning I called Nancy and told her we would take her asked what the next step was. Nancy was so emotional knowing another baby was going home! So, there was a flurry of new paperwork to get ready, send to New York so they could send to China and now we wait again. We are good at that, we have been waiting for four years to have another child and two years since we started the adoption process and one year since our paperwork got to China. So what is a few more months?
We are anticipating that we will travel in a few months. I think April, for my birthday. If it is March for my parent's anniversary, that is great too, or February for Valentines day, that is great too. I doubt February though, that is when Chinese New Year is and the country shuts down for a few weeks.
Her name is Xi Yan Xin. We are naming her Elizabeth Rose. She turns one year old December 27, 2007. So she is two months younger than our niece Jenna. So perfect, they can be playmates!
Sorry for the delay, but my computer died, so getting information out has been slow.
Thank you to everyone for their support, prayers, and encouragement. We are on the final leg of this journey. Soon we will start another journey, being parents to a one year old. Sam will also start a new journey, actually being a big brother, not just talking about it! Hopefully it is all he hopes it to be.........
Merry Christmas! We got a great present this year!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
100 Wishes Quilt
We are working on making a 100 wishes quilt for our daughter. It is tradition in China for friends to bring the expectant mother pieces of fabric and she makes a quilt for the baby. Adopting parents in America have taken the tradition as a way to keep busy in the long wait. They also sew the pieces together with red tread, a symbol of the Chinese folk tale that everyone who is supposed to be together is connected with an invisible red thread.
We want to make one for our daughter and one for Sam (so he is not left out). If you have any fabric you want to send our way, we would be very happy to add it to the quilts. If you need to purchase fabric, you can visit our friend's quilt shop at www.dovelyquilts.com. She is also located on east Capital Drive above the out post. The owner, Sarah will be helping me put the quilt together. I would like to start putting it all together at the end of November.
We want to make one for our daughter and one for Sam (so he is not left out). If you have any fabric you want to send our way, we would be very happy to add it to the quilts. If you need to purchase fabric, you can visit our friend's quilt shop at www.dovelyquilts.com. She is also located on east Capital Drive above the out post. The owner, Sarah will be helping me put the quilt together. I would like to start putting it all together at the end of November.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Humbling Donation
A few weeks ago we sent out letters asking for help with the remaining fees of the adoption. Today we got our first check back. It was from Bill Beith, a man the Stolpes had known in New Jersey. David and his older brother refered to Bill and his wife Janet as Grandpa and Grandma Beith. The letter from Bill was so sweet. He said he wished he could help us more, but his wife is in a nursing home with alzheimers disease and it is costing him more a month than he recieves.
It was so amazing to me that he sent us a check. I felt so bad and wanted to send it back. David reminded me that he did not have to send anything, it was his choice. It is incredible to me that those with the least seem to give the most. It has been that way all along, those that we know with the least have given the most, whether monitarily or with donations and actions.
We are so thankful to everyone for their help. So many have helped, it is so humbling how so many people care. Thank you to everyone!
It was so amazing to me that he sent us a check. I felt so bad and wanted to send it back. David reminded me that he did not have to send anything, it was his choice. It is incredible to me that those with the least seem to give the most. It has been that way all along, those that we know with the least have given the most, whether monitarily or with donations and actions.
We are so thankful to everyone for their help. So many have helped, it is so humbling how so many people care. Thank you to everyone!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Nothing new
People are always asking me why I don't post more often. There is nothign to post about. I just don't think you want to hear about how tired I am of waiting, or how much I just don't want to talk about the adoption, but it all I think about. How I like when people ask how things are going because I know they care, but I wish no one would ask because then I have to tell them that I have not heard anything and we are still waiting. Trust me, when we hear something I will post right away. Also, I don't post because I am working two jobs so we can go to China and trying to take care of Sam and David and the house. I just don't have time. I barely have time to check email.
You will hear as soon as we hear!
until next time............
You will hear as soon as we hear!
until next time............
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Sunday School Has More Impact On Me?
Today we started Sunday School at church. I am teaching the Junior High group. They are a great group of kids. Today's topic was "Women of Courage". We read the first chapter of Exodus. This is the story where they new king of Egypt does not remember Joesph and is intimidated with all the Hebrews in Egypt. He has ordered all the Hebrew baby boys to be killed. Shiphrah and Puah are the Hebrew midwifes and they fear God and do not kill the babies. When the king asks why there are still Hebrew baby boys they say that the Hebrew women are strong and vigourous and give birth before they get there. The story goes on to tell about a couple who gives birth to a baby boy and keep him hidden for three months. Then the mother puts him in a basket and sends him down the river. His sister keeps watch. Then the baby(Moses) is found by the Pharaoh's daughter and she adopts him. Moses' sister askes the pharoah's daughter if she wants her to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. She says yes, and Moses' birth mother nurses him and then gives him to the pharohs daughter.
In the lesson plan they give questions to ask the kids. The first one was about how Shiphrah and Puah felt each time they saved a baby. I thought about the people in China who find the abandoned babies and take them to the orphange. I wonder how they feel?
The second question was: "I wonder how it feels to know your baby is in great danger?" This question really got to me. I think about my daughter all the time. I think about her birth mother leaving her somewhere and hoping that she would be found and taken care of. I think about our daughter being in a orphange and I hope she is ok. I hope people are being nice to her and taking good care of her. There is nothing I can do though. So I pray. I pray for her birth mother, that she will feel a sense of peace that her baby is ok. I pray for the caretakers and that they are taking good care of our daughter. Most of all I pray for our daughter and that she is ok. I pray she some how knows we are coming soon. I also pray for us to not worry so much and to be comforted that God is in control and soon we will be a family.
The third question was "I wonder what Pharaoh thought when he found out his daughter was adopting a Hebrew child". This one also resonated with me and our adoption. So many people have asked us why we are adopting from China and not from America. They ask why we don't adopt a baby that is more like us. We even have family members that have had a hard time accepting that our daughter will not look like us. David and I don't care though. I imagine the Pharaoh's daughter was the same. She did not care, she saw a baby that needed to be cared for and she took him in. We know our daughter needs us and that is all that matters. I keep saying that at least she will have dark hair like me.
It was so interesting to me how much I was impacted by the lesson today. We talked about having courage and finding courage in scripture and strenght in God. We talked about different scriptures that can give you strenght. My two favorites are Matthew 14:28 and Matthew 6:25. The kids liked these too. I love the Matthew verse about not worring about tomarrow and that God takes care of the grass in the field, don't you think He will take care of you?
Until next time......
In the lesson plan they give questions to ask the kids. The first one was about how Shiphrah and Puah felt each time they saved a baby. I thought about the people in China who find the abandoned babies and take them to the orphange. I wonder how they feel?
The second question was: "I wonder how it feels to know your baby is in great danger?" This question really got to me. I think about my daughter all the time. I think about her birth mother leaving her somewhere and hoping that she would be found and taken care of. I think about our daughter being in a orphange and I hope she is ok. I hope people are being nice to her and taking good care of her. There is nothing I can do though. So I pray. I pray for her birth mother, that she will feel a sense of peace that her baby is ok. I pray for the caretakers and that they are taking good care of our daughter. Most of all I pray for our daughter and that she is ok. I pray she some how knows we are coming soon. I also pray for us to not worry so much and to be comforted that God is in control and soon we will be a family.
The third question was "I wonder what Pharaoh thought when he found out his daughter was adopting a Hebrew child". This one also resonated with me and our adoption. So many people have asked us why we are adopting from China and not from America. They ask why we don't adopt a baby that is more like us. We even have family members that have had a hard time accepting that our daughter will not look like us. David and I don't care though. I imagine the Pharaoh's daughter was the same. She did not care, she saw a baby that needed to be cared for and she took him in. We know our daughter needs us and that is all that matters. I keep saying that at least she will have dark hair like me.
It was so interesting to me how much I was impacted by the lesson today. We talked about having courage and finding courage in scripture and strenght in God. We talked about different scriptures that can give you strenght. My two favorites are Matthew 14:28 and Matthew 6:25. The kids liked these too. I love the Matthew verse about not worring about tomarrow and that God takes care of the grass in the field, don't you think He will take care of you?
Until next time......
Dept of Homeland Security, Again
On Friday (9/7/07), we went back to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be fingerprinted again, so they can run an FBI background check on us again and issue our I-171 to us again. They are only good for 18 months, so ours is due to expire this month. This was the last of our hoops to jump through (at least for now).
We kept wondering why we needed to be fingerprinted again. Do they change? No. Wouldn't they just keep them on file and they could just run the back ground check again? I guess not. We have heard a few different reasons. Someone told us that it is illegal for them to keep our fingerprints if we don't have a criminal record. The woman at the DHS said they need to make sure that our fingerprints have not changed. She said we could have lost a finger or gotten a scar in the year. She said they need the most current fingerprints. Who knows. It went really quick, we went and had the "biometrics" taken and were out of there just after 8:00.
Now we just wait for our referal and the I-171 to come.
We kept wondering why we needed to be fingerprinted again. Do they change? No. Wouldn't they just keep them on file and they could just run the back ground check again? I guess not. We have heard a few different reasons. Someone told us that it is illegal for them to keep our fingerprints if we don't have a criminal record. The woman at the DHS said they need to make sure that our fingerprints have not changed. She said we could have lost a finger or gotten a scar in the year. She said they need the most current fingerprints. Who knows. It went really quick, we went and had the "biometrics" taken and were out of there just after 8:00.
Now we just wait for our referal and the I-171 to come.
Monday, August 27, 2007
The End is in Sight
We are getting very close to getting our referal. It could come in the next month or two. Then we would travel with in three months of the referal. I am starting to panic. For so long it has been something way off in the distance. Now, it is any time. I worry about the money, I worry about traveling, I worry about Sam, I worry about her, I worry about us. I worry alot. I know that I need to trust in God and that he will provide. He has all along this process and will continue to be with us as we complete the journey.
Today in the mail we got the notice for our fingerprinting appointment. David and I have to be re-fingerprinted by the Department of Homeland Society so they can run another FBI background check on us. When we did it last year, it was all CSI-like and digital. Our fingerprints were scanned into the computer and the image came up on the screan, just like on TV. You can't tell me they did not save those fingerprints. I am also sure my finger prints have not changed in a year, but we play the game and jump through another hoop (with $70.00 each in our hands).
Stay tuned, we will be reporting soon about a referal!
Today in the mail we got the notice for our fingerprinting appointment. David and I have to be re-fingerprinted by the Department of Homeland Society so they can run another FBI background check on us. When we did it last year, it was all CSI-like and digital. Our fingerprints were scanned into the computer and the image came up on the screan, just like on TV. You can't tell me they did not save those fingerprints. I am also sure my finger prints have not changed in a year, but we play the game and jump through another hoop (with $70.00 each in our hands).
Stay tuned, we will be reporting soon about a referal!
Another Yard Sale??!!
You would think after the last yard sale in June that I would never ever even think about another one. I did. David was still in denial up till the friday before. My parents, brother and sister in law were out of town and very thankfull for the long planned trip they were on. I felt guilty asking friends to come again and help after the last one. So, it was Sam, David and me. Our friend Chris did come in the morning for a bit to help move heavy items. Our friend Jean came and brought wonderfully yummy, gooey chocolate chip cookies.
We decided to just do a one day only, blow out sale. Ok, I decided to do it. We still had a lot left from the last sale and the end is in sight for our adoption, so I am starting to panic. We had a few more donations to add to the pile and all the stuff from last time. We made about $450 and got rid of everything. The side benifit is that I got enough clothes for Sam for the fall, I only had to buy him new shoes. I got some nice "new" work clothes too.
I am putting this in writting and you can all hold me to it. I, Rachel Stolpe, promise to never, ever have another yard sale. There, I said it. I posted it, I have to stick to it.
Thank you to everyone who donated items, shopped and supported our efforts.
We decided to just do a one day only, blow out sale. Ok, I decided to do it. We still had a lot left from the last sale and the end is in sight for our adoption, so I am starting to panic. We had a few more donations to add to the pile and all the stuff from last time. We made about $450 and got rid of everything. The side benifit is that I got enough clothes for Sam for the fall, I only had to buy him new shoes. I got some nice "new" work clothes too.
I am putting this in writting and you can all hold me to it. I, Rachel Stolpe, promise to never, ever have another yard sale. There, I said it. I posted it, I have to stick to it.
Thank you to everyone who donated items, shopped and supported our efforts.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Yard Sale Success
All we can say is, "God is so good!" In addition to God being good, so are our friends and family. We made over $1700 in the past three days. We could not have done it with out all the help and donations from our friends and family. We had several people helping to sort and price and then run the sale. People brought us food and kept us company. David's parents also had a sale in Dallas, thank you to them for their efforts too.
I think I mentioned in my last post about our friend Cathy comment in response to all the work we were doing for the yard sale. She said, "I can't wait to tell your daughter how much you loved her." We can't wait to tell her how much you all loved her! It is amazing to us the out pouring of love from all of you that have not even met her. It is hard enough for us to understand how much we love this baby we know nothing about. It is even more amazing that our friends and family love her too and are willing to help us so much.
Thank you so much, we are so blessed!
Monday, June 18, 2007
YARD SALE!!!!
We are doing it again! This Thursday, Friday and Saturday (June 21,22,23) we are having another yard sale. Several people have donated their not longer needed treasures. We are so thankful to all of them. Others have offered to donate their time to help us sort, price, and run the sale.
Please join us to shop!
Please join us to shop!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Sam and his baby sister
I usually write posts about the process or what the latest hoop is that we had to jump though was. This time, it is about Sam. He is one of the main reasons we are adopting. He desperately wants to be a big brother and has been asking for a sibling for several years now. Sam is very social and loves to be with other kids, he would do well in a house with several other kids. That won't happen, but he will have one younger sister. He is so excited about his baby sister and talks about her all the time. He has her whole life planned out for her. Her favorite color will be purple, she will like pandas, she will go swimming with him and she will dresses. I hope she does not mind he has already decided these things for her.
Yesterday while at Grandpa School, my dad asked him if his baby sister was going to attend Grandpa School. Sam said no. Grandpa asked why. Sam told him that his baby sister was going to be "more normal" like mommy and not weird. He said it was OK for him and Baby Jenna to be weird and go to Grandpa School, but not his baby sister. That kid is so funny.
In case you are wondering, Grandpa School is where Sam goes in the morning before real school. He loves Grandpa School and learns so much there. My dad is the teacher at Grandpa School since it is at his house.
Yesterday while at Grandpa School, my dad asked him if his baby sister was going to attend Grandpa School. Sam said no. Grandpa asked why. Sam told him that his baby sister was going to be "more normal" like mommy and not weird. He said it was OK for him and Baby Jenna to be weird and go to Grandpa School, but not his baby sister. That kid is so funny.
In case you are wondering, Grandpa School is where Sam goes in the morning before real school. He loves Grandpa School and learns so much there. My dad is the teacher at Grandpa School since it is at his house.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Must See YouTube clip
The author of the song played on this clip sent this link to everyone on in the FCC. It is an amazing clip. It really gives you an idea of what we are headed for. It shows the parents being handed their babies for the first time. It really is a tear jerker. It helped to make the whole process seem a little more real for us (and those around us).
The other thing this clip has done is added another passenger to our trip. My Dad is going to come now. It has always been the one thing about the trip that has weighed heavily on our hearts; the thought of my dad not traveling with us. He was so moved by this video and was urged by my mom. He checked it out with his doctors and they all said, "If you are feeling well enough, by all means, go and have a great time!" We are all so excited. He has been so influential in this whole process. He started us thinking about adoption in the first place, did a ton of research before we started and has continued to research things along the way. He has been emotionally and financhially supportive, so the thought of him not coming with us, was really hard for us. We always knew my mom would come and were so thankful for that. She has the organization skills David and I sometimes lack. Plus we wanted an extra adult to help with Sam. Now, we will have two adults. My friends have joked that they are not sure if China is ready for us all to be there. They also think it should be funny and interesting to see us all in China. We will see. I know it will be a great trip and if it ever comes time, we will be ready.
Please watch this clip and envision us standing there being handed our daughter.
The other thing this clip has done is added another passenger to our trip. My Dad is going to come now. It has always been the one thing about the trip that has weighed heavily on our hearts; the thought of my dad not traveling with us. He was so moved by this video and was urged by my mom. He checked it out with his doctors and they all said, "If you are feeling well enough, by all means, go and have a great time!" We are all so excited. He has been so influential in this whole process. He started us thinking about adoption in the first place, did a ton of research before we started and has continued to research things along the way. He has been emotionally and financhially supportive, so the thought of him not coming with us, was really hard for us. We always knew my mom would come and were so thankful for that. She has the organization skills David and I sometimes lack. Plus we wanted an extra adult to help with Sam. Now, we will have two adults. My friends have joked that they are not sure if China is ready for us all to be there. They also think it should be funny and interesting to see us all in China. We will see. I know it will be a great trip and if it ever comes time, we will be ready.
Please watch this clip and envision us standing there being handed our daughter.
More waiting?
As if we had not waited long enough already, we are facing even more waiting. China is so backlogged with adoption applications and can not process them in a timely manor. That means the time between log in date and referal is stretching out. So we started the process in the fall of 2005. At that time we were being told referal times were under a year. When we sent our paperwork to CHina and got our Log In Date (November 16, 2006) we were told that referals were taking 12-14 months. Now in the spring of 2007, we are being told two to three years, but you never know. Hopefully things will start moving and we will have our baby soon. Soon in terms of the adoption world mean sometime in 2008. We are still hoping to travel sometime next spring or summer, but who knows. Hopefully it will be before the olympics. We will keep you all posted on the timing. Continue to pray for our patience. I keep saying the drawn out time is ok since we still need to raise a lot of money.
Yard Sale
To help raise funds for our adoption we will be having a yard sale June 21,22, and 23. You can help in three ways.
1. Donate items to us. We will even pick them up.
2. Shop at our sale.
3. Help us run the sale.
Last year it was very successful and we are hoping for the same success this year. We will be having it at our house this year. Maybe we will get new and different crowd!
Call or email us if you have items to donate, want to shop or want to help work at the sale.
414-403-0860 or Stolpeadoption@yahoo.com
Thanks for your support.
The other big news is that David's parents are also having a yard sale at the same time in Dallas. We were thinking about putting a friendly wager on the sales totals. We will post both results.
1. Donate items to us. We will even pick them up.
2. Shop at our sale.
3. Help us run the sale.
Last year it was very successful and we are hoping for the same success this year. We will be having it at our house this year. Maybe we will get new and different crowd!
Call or email us if you have items to donate, want to shop or want to help work at the sale.
414-403-0860 or Stolpeadoption@yahoo.com
Thanks for your support.
The other big news is that David's parents are also having a yard sale at the same time in Dallas. We were thinking about putting a friendly wager on the sales totals. We will post both results.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Lenten Reflection
Here is a reflection from Lent.
Today at Church Lori was the worship leader and asked me to share after the time of confession. She said that when she read the passages for today she immediately thought of our journey toward our adoption and how fitting it would be. I am thankful to Lori on so many levels. She is a great friend, mentor and spiritual leader. She also helps me come out of my shell a bit. She knows that I am not big on public speaking, but will do it if asked, I would never volunteer. She knows that I don’t think I would be good enough, but she thinks I will do a great job. I am so thankful for her encouragement. So, today, even thought I was so nervous and my stomach was doing flips, I shared. Below is what I shared. I also brought in my Chinese baby-doll that my friend Karin gave me.
This passage from Philippians gives us encouragement for our journey of coming to terms with infertility and proceeding with our adoption. “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on to the goal.” Our goal is a daughter for us and sister for Sam. Whether biological or adopted, the goal is the same, growing our family. I take comfort that God is with us through this process, there is no way we could do it on our own. The theme for today’s service; “When we are exhausted, God makes a way through mighty waters” is just what we need to hear and remember. The waters of adoption are so mighty, we need all the help we can get on our journey to our daughter in China. Thank you God for being on this journey with us.
Today at Church Lori was the worship leader and asked me to share after the time of confession. She said that when she read the passages for today she immediately thought of our journey toward our adoption and how fitting it would be. I am thankful to Lori on so many levels. She is a great friend, mentor and spiritual leader. She also helps me come out of my shell a bit. She knows that I am not big on public speaking, but will do it if asked, I would never volunteer. She knows that I don’t think I would be good enough, but she thinks I will do a great job. I am so thankful for her encouragement. So, today, even thought I was so nervous and my stomach was doing flips, I shared. Below is what I shared. I also brought in my Chinese baby-doll that my friend Karin gave me.
This passage from Philippians gives us encouragement for our journey of coming to terms with infertility and proceeding with our adoption. “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on to the goal.” Our goal is a daughter for us and sister for Sam. Whether biological or adopted, the goal is the same, growing our family. I take comfort that God is with us through this process, there is no way we could do it on our own. The theme for today’s service; “When we are exhausted, God makes a way through mighty waters” is just what we need to hear and remember. The waters of adoption are so mighty, we need all the help we can get on our journey to our daughter in China. Thank you God for being on this journey with us.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Baby's Visa
So many people tell me that I don't update this blog often enough. There is not much to update though. Nothing is really happening. We are just waiting for our referral. That should come in about a year. We still need a lot of money and we are still really excited. Sam is still really excited and has planned out his baby sister's whole life for her already. He has decided her favorite color will be purple and she will like swimming with him.
Last weekend we got a big brown envelope from the China Consulate in DC. It was pretty exciting. In the envelope was all the forms we will need to get our baby's visa while in China. All the forms were in Chinese and English, which was cool to see. It was also exciting to get a letter from China. Now we know for sure that they have our paperwork and we are in their system. That was reassuring. Otherwise, nothing much is happening.
Next month we will need to have our home study updated. That means the social worker has to come out again and visit with us. I was thinking that it was silly to update it so soon, how much could have changed in year? Then I thought about it and a lot has changed, David has a new position at St. Charles, I went back to work, Sam has a baby cousin now. I guess things have changed. Plus the social worker is really nice and it will be good to see her again. We do have to pay $600 to have the home study redone.
That is all for now. I will update more when I have more to update about. Thank you to everyone for keeping up with our progress and for supporting us. We appreciate all the prayers and well wishes.
Last weekend we got a big brown envelope from the China Consulate in DC. It was pretty exciting. In the envelope was all the forms we will need to get our baby's visa while in China. All the forms were in Chinese and English, which was cool to see. It was also exciting to get a letter from China. Now we know for sure that they have our paperwork and we are in their system. That was reassuring. Otherwise, nothing much is happening.
Next month we will need to have our home study updated. That means the social worker has to come out again and visit with us. I was thinking that it was silly to update it so soon, how much could have changed in year? Then I thought about it and a lot has changed, David has a new position at St. Charles, I went back to work, Sam has a baby cousin now. I guess things have changed. Plus the social worker is really nice and it will be good to see her again. We do have to pay $600 to have the home study redone.
That is all for now. I will update more when I have more to update about. Thank you to everyone for keeping up with our progress and for supporting us. We appreciate all the prayers and well wishes.
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