Count....

I forgot to let you all know that today is day 108 in the waiting process for our LOA.  Patience Lord, patience please. 
~Robin     

We received a video of Maddison - oh what a cutie!

Do you remember that special family, the Bolens, who took pictures of Maddison during their trip last month?  Well........we received a video of their visit to the orphanage this week in the mail.   YEA!!!!!!  It is full of wonderful images that warm the heart.  We are so thankful to Jennifer and Kevin for their time and effort.  It is wonderful!!!!

The video consists of a couple of sections.  They are as follows:  the outside of the orphanage, a couple of rooms inside, Maddison and her roommates, the orphanage director, a few office staff, a  few nannies, and the Bolens.  Unfortunately, it is to big to load the whole video on the blog, but Dave figured out how to do a few little clips.  

Jennifer got to hold her.  Praise the Lord she got to hold our baby.  We got to see her facial expressions and watch her walk.  Maddison was like a weeble........"weebles wobble but they don't fall down."  She just teetered around and was as cute as a button.  She was very quiet and interested  in everyone and everything.  

All the children looked well taken care of.  We saw gentle touches and kind faces in the workers and staff.  They seemed very proud that some of their children were being adopted.  Up until this spring, the Hebi City Social Welfare Institute has had less than a dozen children adopted out to our knowledge.  We know of 5 (and that includes Maddison) that have or will be joining their forever families during this spring and summer.  Isn't the Lord good.  That means 5 less orphans in Hebi, China.  

Maddison did not like the flash on the camera and would make awful faces after the pictures were taken.  Dave thinks she already can give that teacher look that I have so wonderfully perfected over the years.

She was quiet and very mobile.  She seemed to accept and enjoy the love that Jennifer gave to her.  She was not crying and never made a noise.  The orphanage director carried her around in his arms for a little while and she acted very comfortable being carried.  Like she was used to that kind of attention.  She was very interested in Kevin, Jennifer, and one of their boys.  He tried to hold her, but she did not want anything to do with that.  That is a good thing.  MaddieJi, stay away from those boys.  Dave, just out of the blue, told me the other day she was never going to date!  Pitty the boy who wants to date his little girl!!!

~Robin

Woohoo! We Got Updated Pictures!!!!

This afternoon we received an update on Maddison from our adoption agency.  It included updated measurements and a few additional pictures.  Looks like they shaved her head again!  Robin was so hoping that they would let her hair grow....  Oh, well, the bows will have to wait.

Our personal favorite!!!

Here are her updated measurements (5/14/12):

• Weight - 22 lbs
• Height - 32.3 inches
• Chest -  20.5 inches
• Head Circumference - 18.1 inches
• 13 teeth
• Health Status - Good

Other notes from Update:

• She can walk
• She is learning to go up and down stairs
• Still needs diaper (shucks!)
• She smiles a lot
• She drools a lot - family had better take a bib for her
• She is eating bread, biscuits (cookies), and drinking water
• She is quiet (takes after Dave, not Robin)
• They call her Jia Jia (Jia translates as beautiful and yes we totally agree.)

 We are still waiting on LOA (day 102!).  Getting this update sure helps the wait!

Day 100

Well, today we have been waiting 100 days for our  LOA.  We did receive an e-mail today from our adoption agency, but it was just to inform us that China has raised the price of some of their post adoption translation fees.  No longer can they translate the reports, but a company contracted by the Chinese government has to do it.

Maddison is 18 months old today.

Today is the 15th of May and that means Maddison is 18 months old.  Oh how we wish we could be with her today!!!!!! 

The wait for our LOA is at 99 days today.  I keep telling myself patience is a virtue.  Don't we have lots of that by now?    Please keep praying for Maddison and this set of paperwork specifically.

Thank you

 

~Robin 

Anxiously Awaiting LOA !!!

Still no news :(.  We are on day 97 of our wait for LOA.  For those who have been following along, I thought I'd update the remaining steps left before we leave for China.  Once we get our LOA, it will still be between 10 and 12 weeks before we travel.  So here's the list..... (I'll update list as we go to count down the items remaining!!)

• Receive LOA
• Send I-800 application to USCIS (asking US immigration for permission to adopt the child we were specifically matched with)  
• USCIS forwards our approval to the National Visa Center (NVC) to petition visa
• The NVC forwards the approved visa petition to the US Consulate in Guangzhou China 
• The Consulate reviews the visa application (the DS-230), makes sure it meets the qualifications for an immigrant visa, and then signs off that everything is in order for the adoption to be completed.
• The approval is forwarded to the CCCWA, which issues our Travel Approval!

Continue to pray that we will get our LOA this coming week!  Had to leave you with one picture... :) !

 -Dave

What number are we on today?

Just an update on the number waiting game............today is day 91.  Have a blessed Sunday and please keep praying for our paperwork.  Thank you!!!!!!!

Here is the latest verse,  "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9.  I think I needed the words strong, courageous, terrified, and discouraged.  I have changed the wherever you go to wherever you are too. Thanks for your words Lord!  
~Robin

Good News

We received updated pictures of Maddison from our new friends the Bolens.  They were in China getting their daughter Naomi a few weeks back.  Here is a picture of their family in China.

As part of their travels, the Bolen family had to travel to Hebi to get Naomi's passport.  Apparently, this is a new requirement that the Chinese government enacted in April of this year.  Robin had been in contact with Jennifer and she hoped they would be able to get into the orphanage.  If the Bolens did get in, they were going to request the opportunity to visit and take pictures of Maddison.  God would have to open the doors if this was to happen!  Needless to say, God worked miracles and the requests were granted!  Praise the Lord!  He did move mountains!!!!!  Here are some of the pictures that they were so kind to take.  We are so thankful to the Bolens for their time and interest in Maddison and for these pictures. 

Maddison with the Orphanage Director - How about that Smile!

Jennifer shared with us that Maddison has a sweet disposition and is precious.  (For those of you that don't know .....  Robin's little dog, that came home with her from Kenya, was named Kipenzi..   In Swahili, precious is the word kipenzi.  We had to put Kipenzi to sleep in February and it was VERY difficult.    Robin believes Kipenzi was a gift from God and we believe Maddison is our next gift from Him too.)  Jennifer's words have brought such comfort and peace to us both.  She mentioned that Maddison was in the palm of God's hands and again if you really know Robin, especially through this whole process, you would know that those words bring the "peace that passes all understanding."  Thank you Lord, for allowing this peace. 

She has a little truck in her hands.

 Jennifer with Maddison

Maddison in Her Crib - She appears a little apprehensive.
  Notice she is next to a window.  Robin prays she can see the birds and God's beautiful world.

What'd you say "Willis" - Maddison with one of the Bolen Boys

Another picture with one the boys.

Maddison and Naomi

The Bolens were also so kind to send some pictures of the orphanage.  It appears that the orphanage is pretty nice.  We have another picture of the orphanage a few years back and it appears they have built a new orphanage.  It looks so much nicer!  Jennifer thought that it was a little sterile, but the director and nannies really loved and took very good care of the children.  Here's some pictures of the exterior and interior of the orphanage.

The Nannies in the Orphanage with Maddison's Playmates

Pretty Nice Play Equipment

We just want to thank the Bolens for taking the time to take some pictures of our little girl.  It was so kind that they took them and sent them to us.  They were also able to take some video of Maddison while they were there.  The Bolens just got home and will be sending us this video once their life settles down and they recover from the jet lag!  Praise the Lord for selfless new friends.

New Picture of Maddison

This afternoon we received an updated picture from our adoption agency!  Only one picture, but its better than nothing!!!!  Our adoption agency has said that they will request an update next week.  Hopefully, we will get a few more pictures and maybe some updated measurements.

Robin is excited that her hair is growing!  This will allow her to use all the bows she has been making and collecting.

We are still waiting for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China.  It is now day 80 of our wait.  Once we get this piece of the puzzle, it will be about 10-12 weeks before we will travel.  Continue to pray that our paperwork will arrive shortly!

Sharing new friends' happiness

If you have not had a chance to look at some of the blogs we follow, please take a moment.  I do believe, their experiences will be very uplifting and encouraging to your heart.   They are located on the right side of our blog down below Maddison's picture, the map, and blog archive.  They are listed in the section entitled "My Blog List."

1)   Please take a moment to look at the Bolen Party of Five.  They were introduced to their little girl, Naomi, today.  This is also known as Gotcha Day.  She has spent time in the same orphanage (Hebi City SWI) as Maddison.  Even though we really don't know them in person, Dave and I feel a connection with them.  My heart has been leaping for joy for their family ever since last evening.  I got up early just to have a look into their day. 

2)  Please take a moment  to look at Loving Life with Lexi also.  Lexi is the older girl and Ivy, the little girl, has been home for a little over a month and has had major heart surgery and the like.  What a testimony to the power of prayer.  This site does have music attached to it, so if you would like you can mute your computer or turn off the music at the bottom of their page.  

Both families need prayer.  Our Lord is amazing and wonderful!  

-ROBIN

Where, oh where does our LOA sit? Where, oh where has it gone?

Just to keep you posted............

We are on day 70 of waiting for our LOA (letter of Acceptance).  I thought I learned patience teaching and Dave at work, but kids must take a lot more!!!!!!!!!   :-)   I never can remember the number, so I think I am just going to start asking Dave "Are we there yet?"   On a serious note, I do have to share this verse. 

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:7  

This has been such a comfort.  Thank you, Lord!!!

-ROBIN

We have furniture for Easter!!!!!

Easter weekend was a busy weekend for us.  Besides all the other important activities of this holiday weekend, the nursery furniture finally arrived in Bozeman, Montana!  Yea!!!! (Just a side note, we started ordering nursery furniture in August and after one discontinued selection, a store closing, and a back order, it finally arrived!!)  On Friday afternoon, we loaded up a rented pickup truck and headed to Bozeman.  The distance to Bozeman is only about 200 miles and that takes about 3.5 hours to drive. We had a beautiful drive planned along a section of highway north of Island Park along the twists and turns of the Gallatin River.  Dave used to travel this area all the time going to and from school (Montana State) and I've never been that way, so we had our route selected. We could not wait!   For fun we decided to include a spring snow storm with some blowing wind and a few mountain passes to add to the excitement of the adventure.  Yea, it was a great white time! 

Radio reception was not the best so I was reading aloud to pass the time and make noise while Dave drove.  (If you want a good book to read, I suggest Bound by Love by Linda Droeger.  It is the story of the Chinese couple, Joshua and Lily, who started our adoption agency.  Wow!  We, in America, don't understand how different life is for others around the world.  Joshua was the first Chinese who was allowed to leave China and study at an American seminary.  Fascinating story!!!!!)  Anyhow, every time I would look up the weather would get worse, so we decided that I should just keep reading.  (I was so in awe at the storm, I forgot to take pictures.)  Yes, we did some prayers along the way too, but the Lord is great.  He protected and got us there safely!  When we went to bed, the snow was still falling.  We did have thoughts of a snow filled pickup truck and five boxes to get home, but no need to worry.  After shoveling out the pickup and a sunny tour around Montana State, we had a snow free back of the truck.  See, God is so good!!

Dave's old stomping ground at Montana State.  Look at that snow melt!

The engineering buildings.

Oh my!

Again, the Lord is so good.  A couple of guys came in to pick up their order and helped us load the truck.

We had great help!

 Notice the snow on the mountains and the great, big, blue Montana sky.

I have decided where there is an engineer, there is a way!  I just got to be the"Vanna"  in picture.

Ryan (our nephew) and some of his friends came over and helped unload.  Yet again, the Lord is Good!

Then the assembly process started.    My dad came over to help Dave assemble the crib.

 

A little while and a few cups of coffee later.......

Wha-la!  We have a crib!

The Lord was so good to us again and had his hands on the whole process.

- ROBIN

Basketball, basketball, and more basketball!

What does basketball have to do with the journey to Maddison?  Good question!  For those of you who don't know how wild Dave is about the sport, I'll share.  Dave and I met on a blind date during the spring of 2006.  Our blind date was initially postponed due to basketball.  (I have been known to give him a hard time about it each spring.)  The story goes like this.........Salt Lake City was one of the host locations for the basketball tournaments that year and SLC is really not that far away.  We were originally suppose to go out on the 18th of March, but due to basketball tickets, our date was changed to the 21st of March. 


Now, I am a devoted football fan, but dad did go to the University of Kansas and they are a basketball school.  Over the years, I have grown up watching KU basketball.  Not that I understand all  the ins and outs of the game, but I have the general concept down and I have been known to be a vocal fan.  Those of you in the states know during the month of March, basketball mania rules by the title of "March Madness".  The University of Kansas was deep in the thick of things this year and just could not get it together for the final game.  We were all so very sad!!!


Well, all the family history aside, again you ask,  "What does basketball have to do with the journey to Maddison?"............


Alright, I think I need to explain one more thing.   Our youngest nephew, Ryan, is a senior in high school and one of the schools he is looking at is the University of Kansas.  He and his parents took the infamous (and we all have been there) trip over spring break to look at colleges.  Yes, KU was visited in the middle of the week between the final four and the college championship basketball game. Needless to say, KU was a wild place that week.


Now, again you ask:  "What does basketball have to do with the journey to Maddison?"


Maddison received this cute piggy bank from Ryan, so she could start saving her RMBs (stands for Renminbi, which is issued by the People's Bank of China and literally means people's currency) and dollars to attend the University of Kansas!

Is Maddie looking at her picture book today?

Dave and I are doing one of our favorite things this evening...........looking at Maddison's pictures.  The USPS says that priority mail arrives in China in seven to ten days.  We were discussing how today is Wednesday and we sent care package #1 ten days ago.  Do you think she is looking at our pictures at the same time we are looking at her?  We will never know the answer to that question, but we do pray that the package arrived, made it through customs, found Hebi City SWI without a glitch, and is bringing some excitement to some children ... especially our little girl. 

- Robin

Updated Pictures of Wen Jia

One of our dogs, Cookie, woke us up this morning at 4:40 AM.  We think she heard the email beep and thought it was our alarm clock.  Since we were up, I went ahead and checked our email.  I have been doing this quite regularly lately hoping that we would be getting pictures from China.  Well, today we received an update from Ann.  In 2 Corinthians 10:15 is says..."Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift."   These pictures are truly a gift! 

The subject line hinted that updated pictures were attached to the email.  However, Ann's internet connection was having issues and she couldn't attach pictures!  We couldn't believe that there were NO pictures!!!!  We we were up, and couldn't go back to sleep.  I kept checking to see if they had arrived.......not yet!  I got ready for work and headed out.  Still no pictures by the the time I left at 6:15 AM.  When I got to work, I checked our email and we got an email from Ann at 6:33 AM.  I called Robin and she had already spent thirty minutes looking at them.  She wanted to call me, but realized I was driving and it was snowing/raining and thought it would be better to wait.  We received 4 pictures of her in the orphanage. ( In China, people don't have all the amenities that we have here in the states.  Many people don't have access to heat so they dress in multiple layers.  We think she must be dressed in at least 5 layers.)  "For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.  How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!  Psalms 92:  4-5.  Robin said I melted when I saw her bib.

Enjoy, with us, the pictures:

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Psalms 118:  28-29

Here's the email from Ann at Red Thread China.  Sometimes the numbers don't quite make sense, but we trust the pictures more. 

Dear David :

Attached are pictures of dang wen jia and below is her information:

head :47cm

chest:51cm

foot:13cm

height:78cm

weight :7.5kg

teeth:7

Her nickname is Hei Mei Gui (Black rose ),because she has dark skin but she is a beautiful girl,that is why she got that nickname !!

Ann

Care Pack #1 for Wen Jia

We have been compiling a "Care Package" for Wen Jia this past week.  Robin has been having fun running around town to various dollar stores and picking up things for her and the orphanage staff.  We thought it would be nice to get a few things for the nannies and orphanage director.  We found some chapstick, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and other office supplies for them.  For the orphanage children, we found coloring books, stickers, crayons, stamp pads, little books, beach balls and a few other toys.  For Wen Jia, we included a disposable camera, a picture book, a taggies blanket, and small stuffed "Lady Bug".  Here are a few pictures:

We spent the afternoon trying to fit the items in a box for shipment to the orphanage.  The boxes we had were either too big or not quite big enough.  After a couple of trips to the UPS Store we settled on a medium box that we could ship to China.  We found that using the priority mail standard box with a weight limit of 20 lbs would be the cheapest way to go for sending our stuff to China!

Which BOX???

Our adoption agency supplied us with a mailing label and letter that we could use to send to the Hebi City Social Welfare Institute.  We also had to include a copy of our Pre-Approval (PA) letter from China.  Here's what we ended up with:

Package, Address Label, Letter to Orphanage Director, and PA Letter

Maddison's First Care Package

Package is ready to go and Robin will mail on Monday!

Update on Finding Ad

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

 
Today we received Wen Jia's finding ad in the mail from Brian Stuy.  We received a copy of the newspaper page that shows her picture and finding ad.  The finding ad was published in the "Henan Farmer's Daily" on June 9, 2011.  She is the second ad in that addition.

Information Received from Brian Stuy

Second Ad is Wen Jia

Brian translated the ad for us:

Dang Wen Jia

Female

She was born on November 15, 2010.  On November 20, 2010, she was found abandoned in the Fifth Mine Worker's village in Tanghe Bridge, Shancheng District, Hebi City.  On the same day, she was sent into the Hebi City Social Welfare Institute by the Hongqui Police Department of Hebi City Police Bureau.

Characteristic:  She has a round face, double-eyelids, slightly dark skin, and she has a cleft palate and lip.

Photo of Wen Jia in Newspaper along with Translation

Donation to Wen Jia's Orphanage

We have been following a lot of adoption blogs these past few months.  Apparently, there are a few businesses in China that you can use to send "Care Packages" to your adoptive child.  We found Red Thread China on the internet and browsed through their services that they provide.  Apparently, Ann has been doing this for a few years and has provided this service to many adoptive families.  All the blogs rave about Ann and how she has been able to get care packages delivered and receive updates of adoptive children.  We sent her an email and asked if she has dealt with the Hebi City Social Welfare Institute and if they are open to receiving care packages and/or donations.  She replied they are and so we took the plunge!

We thought about what we would like to send to the orphanage and Wen Jia.  We both agreed it would be beneficial if we would send something that would benefit the entire orphanage before we sent things specifically to Wen Jia.  We finally settled on sending some shoes, socks and undies.  We wanted to include some hard candies for the nannies and kids.  We contacted Ann and she recommended that we get long sleeve tops instead of the shoes at this time since the shoes she had were more of a summer shoe and it is still winter in china.  We agreed and her's what she put together for us.

Donation of Hebi City SWI

Ann's email said these should be delivered in the next few days.  Hopefully, we will also be getting some updated pictures and information about Wen Jia.  Once we do, we'll post the pictures!

Finding Ad for Wen Jia

Its amazing how much time we can spend looking on the internet for things!  We found out that in China they are required to place a picture of the abandoned child with a writeup in the newspaper prior to declaring them abandoned.  This is termed a "Finding" ad.  Apparently, a gentleman outside Salt Lake City has been very successful in locating these ads and getting copies for adoptive families.  We contacted him (Brian Stuy) and he was able to find Wen Jia's "Finding" ad.  Hopefully, in the next few weeks we will get a copy of the newspaper with her picture on it.  It should be a picture a whole lot earlier than we have at this time (currently, 8 months old).  Brian will also translate the ad for us.

Introducing Dang Wen Jia (Maddison)

INTRODUCING......

Dang Wen Jia

Well, it has been extremely hard not to say anything about our little girl!  During our visit to CCAI and participating in the Chinese New Year's celebration, the gals from the match department surprised us with our little girl.  We had been touring the facilities on Friday, the 20th, when they took us to the conference room to answer any questions we had.  Robin and I didn't have any real questions, but asked a few to be polite.  It seemed strange at the time, 3 of the gals (2 from the dossier department and 1 from the waiting child department) were in the room with us.  As we were about done, they asked us if we would like to see an example file of a child.  This would be what we would get when we were presented with a potential child.  We said yes, who wouldn't want to see!  They opened the file and there were some pictures of a child.  We weren't sure if it was a boy or girl (orphanages cut their hair short, so its hard to tell).  Robin was brave and said, "Isn't she a beautiful girl!".  The three gals started crying and said - this is your little girl!  We were stunned!!!  We didn't know what to say, just flipped through pictures and her file.  She was born on November 15, 2010.  We were told she has a unilateral cleft lip and cleft palate.  Her cleft lip has been repaired, but will need her palate repaired when she gets home.

Here's a little background from her file:

"This female infant was abandoned on November 20, 2010 in Hebi, Shancheng District, in the worker’s village at the Tanghe Bridge Wu mine. After some warm-hearted people discovered her, they alerted the police. The Hebi City Public Security Bureau Hongqi Police Station conducted a thorough search, and as they could not find her parents or other relatives, she was confirmed an abandoned infant. That day, she was delivered to the Hebi City Social Welfare Institute. Our institute’s generational character for 2010 was Wen, and so we named her Wen Jia.

Little Wen Jia is especially calm. When someone calls for her or teases her, she will squint, smile, and look at them. While playing with a toy, as soon as you call her name, she will turn her head and look at you, waiting for you to come play with her. She looks like an obedient little girl, and her heart is full of warmth. We hope that Wen Jia can develop even healthier and sturdier from here on out, and soon go home to a family to give her warmth.

Currently, Dang Wen Jia is developing healthily and happily. We hope that she can become an even cuter and livelier little girl. We wait for Wen Jia’s family to soon come be at her side, and give her warmth and joy!"

Here are a few pictures of the gals who surprised us at CCAI.  Once we got over the shock, 3 additional girls from the office came into the conference room.  Apparently, they were all in on this surprise!  We were told they usually have to call adoptive parents on the phone and send them an email with file.  We were only the third couple (out of almost 10,000 adoptions) that they had been able to present their child in person.  We feel extremely blessed.  Between Robin and the gals, I think they went through a hold box of tissues!

  

Location of Maddison's Orphanage (Hebi, China)

Once we finished up at CCAI and got over the initial shock, we headed back to the hotel.  On the way, we ran by the church where the Chinese New Year's celebration would be on Saturday so we would know where to go.  We parked in the parking lot and called our parents and shared with them our news.  I think everyone was stunned, but extremely excited.  When we got back to the hotel, we sent everyone the files on Maddison.

Before we left CCAI, they told us we could have a week to review her file and make our decision about Maddison.  We had talked to Uncle Bob and a retired pediatrician from our church about reviewing her file when we got it.  We sent the file to Uncle Bob that Friday and heard back Friday night.  He thought it looked good.  After we got back into Idaho Falls, we talked to Dr. Leachelt on Monday.  He reviewed the pictures and blood work paperwork.  He thought she looked very healthy and didn't see any "Red Flags".  We had lunch with Doug and Suzie Daley on Monday.  They returned last January from China with a little boy who had a cleft lip and cleft palate.  They thought she looked adorable and her condition and report from China was very similar  to Seth's.  We had been talking to them about treatments and where they had Seth's palate repaired.  They have become very dear friends and we appreciate their insight and advice.  On Tuesday, I contacted our HR department and once again verified that our insurance would cover her medical condition. We had such a peaceful feeling about adoption this little girl.  Thanks to the Lord for that confirmation.  Everything looked good so Robin and I contacted CCAI during lunch on Tuesday and said she was ours!!!!

Wouldn't you know it, more PAPERWORK!  They sent us a file with directions on what is needed to "lock" our girl in.  We had to write a Letter of Intent (LOI) saying we want Wen Jia, include another family picture, and passport photos of Robin and I.  Since it was the week of Chinese New Year, we had till Friday to get everything emailed back to CCAI so it could get translated and entered into the system once Chinese New Year celebration was over and everyone was back to work.  Our paperwork was submitted on 1/30/12.  We now had to wait for Pre-Approval (PA) from the Chinese government before we could officially say she is our girl.  Well, today we got that approval!  We received an email from CCAI with a copy of our PA.  Now we wait some more!!!  Our paperwork will now be translated in China and then they will approve us for adopting Maddison.  This is taking anywhere from 2 - 4 months.  Then its back to immigration for our countries approval.  I'm estimating we will probably travel in late May or June.  Pray that our paperwork moves quicker and we can get Maddison home sooner.

Robin was out on the web looking for information on Maddison's orphanage in Hebi.  Our adoption agency supports many orphanages in China and donates a lot of supplies that are needed to help care for these precious children.  Last October, they had donated bouncy chairs to her orphanage.  Wouldn't you know it, there was Maddison in the pictures (in pink).  There are two pictures, one with her in a bouncy chair, and one where she is missing!  Apparently, she has crawled off - we may have our hands full!!!  Here are the pictures along with a photo of her orphanage.

Maddison - 10/1/11

Our "Missing" Girl

Hebi City Social Welfare Institute