Finger Prints are done!!

Today we were lucky enough to be able to get our finger prints done. We didn't have an actual appointment, but were told we could come in early. thank goodness because our appointment cards came yesterday and they had us 3 weeks from now getting them done! What a hold up that would be. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed and saying some prayers for our I-171H comes quickly. This is the last thing we are waiting on before I turn everything over to A Helping Hand to finish their part and mail it off to China.
We sure hope to get it to China some time in February.
I'm looking forward to a nice and relaxing weekend. We will be filing our taxes on Sunday and going to a Chinese New Year festival tomorrow night in Lexington.

Have a great weekend everyone.

We get our finger prints done tomorrow

It pays to be organized and to save everything. We are still waiting for USCIS to send us our fingerprint appointment card. We were finger printed so many times with Jenna's adoption and one time we required assistance from one of USCIS employees. Luckily for me I saved her contact information. I emailed her early this week, not knowing if she still worked there or not. Within a few minutes she got back in touch with me and told us to come on in this Friday and we could get them done. Thanks Jennifer for helping us out once again. She has went above and beyond now two times helping make the adoption process a little smoother. We greatly appreciate it.

Also I was online last night and fell in love with a quilt and have decided to use it for Leah's bedding and take back the other one. Her room will still be in owls, but this quilt has brighter colors and the women making it is going to put Leah's name on it. Can't wait to get it. I love Ebay and ESTY you can find anything on these sites.  Of course the picture will say Leah Grace, but I love the brighter colors. So some of the things I bought will be going back to Target. Some of them we will keep because they match.  The blanket with polk a dots is a Christmas gift from Nana and Papa to Leah.

Finger prints

I just don't remember it taking this long to get USCIS to send us a fingerprint appointment! I'm trying not to get stressed over it, I keep reminding myself to relax with Leah's adoption no matter what it's much faster then our first adoption experience, but we are so ready to see our little girl's face. We are just a few steps away from being matched and I don't like delays. Once we get our finger prints done ( I guess they may have changed since Jenna's adoption) then we wait for them to mail us the I-171H, then I get everything certified, then Mrs Hillary Clinton will sign off on it all and we can finally send it to China, then we wait to be matched with Leah Grace. I'm still really hoping for a March match, but it could be April at this rate. We will travel around 6 months after we are matched.
Jenna is so excited about her sister, she prays for her and writes letters to her. She is so loved already.

We love you Leah Grace and hope to see you soon!

My daughter, the bravest person I know

I'm honest in saying that my 30 pound, 5 year old daughter is the bravest person I know. She has been through so much her five years on this planet. She has had many health issues and is never scared by the test they have to perform on her. She likes to be explained what each procedure will intell and what the purpose of the procedure is.
Yesterday her school called because she was having chest pains. Her wonderful cardiologist wanted to see her right away so within 45 minutes after the call she was already having test performed on her. He first thought the chest pains were not related to her heart, but brought on by acid reflux. Her sonogram revealed that the valve is still leaking quite a bitand will have to be replaced one day in the next year or so, but the hole in her heart (VSD) had closed up on it's own. So that was good news and we were very happy the chest pains weren't stemming from her heart. They sent us over to Kosair hospital for blood work and chest X-rays, standard stuff because she takes heart medication they have to monitor these things.
This morning the doctor called me and advised me that her potassium is dangerously low and we need to stop her heart medication ASAP and her diet this weekend should be high potassium foods. She will have to be rechecked on Tuesday and we will go from there on what needs to be done to help her. Her heart is also more enlarged then last year, so he has to recheck her in 6 months instead of 12 months. the had first hoped not to have do do surgery until she was closer to her teenage years ,but we the amount of leaking and the strain it is causing her heart, it looks like it will be in the  next year or two. 
She never complains about the blood drawn or procedures, she never crys. She smiles and enjoys her life.  We sure learn many lessons from this little girl and we know how blessed we are to have her.
We love you to China and back Jenna Leigh!      

A Helping Hand

A Helping Hand

We will never forget the moment at 11:23am

When we received our call from A Helping Hand

You have a beautiful daughter; the words were soft, but clear

Three years of emotions dropped with every tear

You supported and encouraged us, when the wait became so long

Picking you as our agency, God knew that’s where we belonged

Extended family, you each will always be

We spread the word of your hard work and how Jenna came to be

Our journey now begins to bring Leah Grace home

We put our trust in you and know we are never alone

Uniting families together, that is God’s great plan

Angels sent from heaven, work here at A Helping Hand

Written By

Kristie Olges

Leah's bedding

We have decided on Leah's bedding. We decided to go with something a little different this time. Jenna started out with Butterflies, then she switched to Ballerina. Leah's bedding is called Love and Nature, with her room theme being owls. The walls will be pink and green. Right before Christmas Scott and I were shopping at Target and we both fell in love with it. We bought the bedding and the lamp. My grandma bought the pictures for Leah's Christmas gift and my mom had a blanket made up with pink and brown owls, then had her name embroidered on it. I know it's hard to believe, but this is our first purchase we have made for her. With money being tight, I'm not buying clothes yet. I will wait until we know her age and size before I buy those matching sister outfits. Now we just need the baby to go in the room, oh and Scott has to paint the room! So really we aren't ready, but our hearts sure are.