Off To China

Well this care package is anyway! ;) I used Ann at Red Threads this time. I can now say I have used the three major sites that offer their services for this type of communication for adoptive families. I must say I really love Ann! She is extremely friendly and super fast! I wanted to send an update to Twink's orphanage as our one year anniversary is coming up. She called Twink's orphanage and the nanny that answered said she remembered Twink. She asked how she was doing and was excited to know that there would be pictures coming! :) Twink's orphanage is not very large.

I pray that we receive a response. I have asked for her finding add. If they can not give me the original I have asked for a copy. Please pray that we will receive one or the other. Twink's orphanage has been very giving. When I sent her a care package while in China they took all sorts of pictures of her with everyone. I have pictures of nannies, directors, and most important her foster parents! So with that I am praying that we receive some kind of response.

Landslide In Chuxiong

Please pray for the people in the city of Chuxiong Yunnan Province and surrounding areas. It seems there has been some heavy rain which has caused some mudslides. This is where Twink spent the first two years of her life. Her first family is there, her foster family is there as well as the orphanage staff and children. I have no idea how the foster family is or the orphanage. Hopefully I will here some thing more.

P.S. Twink's botox injections went well today. I also exchanged phone numbers with a mom in the waiting room of a little boy adopted from Korea who has CP and will be 3 yr. old next month! :)

After Many Months

We received and e-mail from Angela at Ladybugs and Love that Lia's foster mom had sent a letter in response to the one we sent in June. She also sent 3 pictures which Angela scanned so we could see right away! One was Twink stark naked looking like a Buddha baby. She had the biggest pot belly on her. The second was of her and her foster dad days before we arrived in China. I believe it was the day they had to bring her back to the orphanage but that is only a guess (date stamped picture). Last was a picture of her foster parents and her foster sister! We received more information on her and lets just say the two of them have a lot in common. She is still living with the foster family as of now. I know of no plans for her future. :(

It is always so exciting to receive these letters and pictures. It gives me a glimpse of what Twink was like when she was younger. I don't just look at Twink in the photo, I look at the big picture. I look at the couch, the blankets, any pictures, books, etc. I am getting ready to send her orphanage an update with pictures. I am going to ask for an item and I pray that they send it to us. I know it's there but I'm not sure how likely it will be for me to obtain it. Wish me luck and a pray wouldn't hurt.

WHY??

I'm sitting here tonight looking over some of my video from Twink's Metcha Day in China. I was dumbfounded by something I had never noticed before but KNEW while I was there. I remember telling EVERYONE in that room and asking a question that was answered with a no! In my video I saw a man fixing Twink's hair to make her look beautiful for us. I thought in the video it was one of the directors but it was not! It was her FOSTER DAD! I am heart broken that our guide did not tell us who he was. I asked him if that's who was over there and I was told no. I had this gut feeling the way he was hovering over her, you could just tell. To have had a picture of all of us together would have been priceless. To communicated a few words would have been priceless! I can not describe my feelings. I am just so saddened. I wonder what he thought when we didn't speak to him! :(

Letter from Afar

I was talking to Carla yesterday telling her how I wished I'd get a letter back from Twink's foster parents but not really expecting to get one this soon. Well when I came back from picking Taylor up from school I opened my mail box and an envelope caught my eye. It was the little blue box with the words air mail in it! Wow, that was fast. I think I started to hyperventilate as I started to tear open the envelope and then remember the paper they use is soooo thin. I had to slow down or risk shredding the letter inside. As I opened the letter a wonderful sent came out of the envelope, I can't put my finger on it but it is beautiful. I pulled the letter out and in it were to pictures! Very sweet and I believe the last day she was with her foster family(thanks to date stamps). I will not share those pictures because to me they are personal and show deep sadness. Twink was with them for 20 months and had a foster sibling with her. I'm not sure if that little one was or is still there but you can believe me when I say I will try and find out and at least try and get ONE picture of the two of them.

So of course when I first received the letter it was in Chinese. I posted all of the place to find someone who knew someone who could translate the letter for me. My wonderful friend Stacy (thank you Stacy)was able to put in contact with someone and I had it translated before I went to bed last night! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful gift of known and communication with her foster family. So many are not given this opportunity for whatever reason and I do not think it is right.

So out of all of my pleas I did come across another site that does translations cheaper than the last person I used last month so I will be using Angela from now on!

6 Months Together!

Today marks 6 months since we received Twink in China! The first picture sums up how Twink felt most mornings in China. She use to wake up and look around wondering what was going on. Many times she'd lay back down. I wonder if she was thinking if I close my eyes will these strange people will be here when I open them again.

Look at her today! Only six months with us and she is so different from when we met in China. There are days that it seems like she's been with us for a lifetime and other days not long at all. Twink is making huge strides in attachment and slowly progressing with sensory issues. Only time will tell what she will be able to say and do. I beleive with all my heart this sweet child will overcome many things. It just takes time and I need to remind myself of that.

Twink had a note attached to her on our Metcha Day. It was from her foster parents. Talk about being in shock. We had it translated and in it we received their mailing address and phone numbers! So two weeks ago I sent off a letter to her foster parents via Adell Hall They received that letter and some pictures last week. We were blessed to also receive the camera back from her orphanage director and some addition pictures. So here are the people that took care of Twink until her mommy and daddy could come and get her!


This is her foster mom! Our first clue that she took a passy also! Thank heavens for these pictures! They did not send her passy with her so we had NO idea. Life may have been much easier had we known.
This is her foster dad. This was the day we received her in China. I don't have any of the foster mom on this day, I'm sure she was pretty sad.
Here they all are together. I'm so greatful for these picture! I do have more but these are the ones I love.