pictures in the yangdong swi gardens

We can't stop staring at these pictures of our little Lilah - every feature is engrained into our minds and hearts. Today I went to Blacks and got them developed over and over and over again! Everywhere you look in our house there's a picture of her!

Along with these two photos we received her measurements; she now has 5 teeth, one more gained in the last 2 months! Her foot length is 11 cms, very good information to know for shoe shopping! Everything else pretty much stayed the same regarding her weight and height.

She is so very very precious.

updated picture of our little beauty

I am still shaking; it feels like referral day all over again. With tears of joy and love overflowing, we received updated pictures today of our little Lilah Grace.

The waiting is tough, it seems to get longer as the days go by, but this beautiful little face will carry us through. In 5 days she will be 14 months.

What an amazing gift to receive these pictures, thank you so much Adele, (from blessedkids).

Psalm 28:7 - "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

can't help but want to hold her

our little piglet!

Our little Lilah was born in the Year of the Pig! I came across an article recently regarding how many couples in China had planned their pregnancies around the Year of the Pig (2007). Children born in the Year of the Pig are said to be ‘blessed’. I can definitely say that the Lord has blessed us with this precious little one.

Luke 1:45 - And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Psalm 68:19 - Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.

Psalm 71:19 - Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!

Proverbs 28:20 - A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

canada day, eh

Happy Canada Day from the nation's capital, Ottawa. All being well this day next year our little Lilah will be a Chinese Canadian girl and she will be with us on Parliament Hill celebrating Canada's birthday! I think she would have great fun on this train, it seemed to be a great source of entertainment for the little people!

While I was trying to get a glimpse of our Prime Minister (Stephen Harper) these little girls requested that I take a picture of them! Of course I couldn't say no, they were just so sweet!

A quote I really enjoyed today, spoken by the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean: "Our country is made up of every hope we cherish. Our country is made up of every dream we share". I have to admit, it brought a lump to my throat.

thirteen months old today

You're another month older and we're another month closer to you Lilah Grace.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

lilah's 12 month medical update

Today we received Lilah's 12 month medical update! We are thrilled that she is developing well; she must be adorable looking with those little teeth. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures, but we will stay optimistic that they will maybe come later. Here are the measurements from her birth and 6 month reports we received previously, and also her 12 month report we received today. I can't wait to hold my precious baby girl!

	BIRTH	6 MONTHS	12 MONTHS
HEIGHT:	53cm	62cm	77cm
WEIGHT:	3.8kg	7.2kg	8.6kg
HEAD SIZE:	33cm	41cm	44cm
CHEST SIZE:	33cm	42cm	45cm
TEETH:	0	0	4

daddy's day

Happy Father's Day Colin!

There is one thing I know for sure, and that is what a fantastic father you will be to our little Lilah girl.

To my daughter - Kisses in the Wind

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are, what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin.
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my baby girl, I'm doing all that I can do.

love, love and more love

We can't get enough of our baby girl. We look at her picture many times a day declaring our love for her. I was reminded last Sunday of the following verse, speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:8 - Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. What a beautiful verse!

care package enroute to yangdong swi

So our agency told us we are allowed to send a care package to the orphanage for our little Lilah. It took us quite a while to figure out what exactly would go into that small package! We finally decided on the following...

- A little dress with matching ruffle bums and a little clip for her beautiful hair.
- A photo book with her mama and baba's pictures in it, so maybe she will recognize us!
- A new dolly since it's her favourite toy.
- Candy for her caregivers and a letter thanking them for looking after her.

it's your first birthday lilah

It's your first birthday today Lilah - you're one year old! It's hard to put words to a post like this because we miss you terribly on this special day. We love you so much and it's hard knowing we're missing your first birthday.

On Sunday 13th April when Cathy called to tell us about you, she gave us 3 facts; your name, your birthday and the province you were born in. I will never forget that day; it will live with me forever. When we found out you were born in May we couldn't help but be amazed that we all shared the same birth month!

You're our precious little girl Lilah and we'll make this day up to you in the days and months and years to come, all being well. We love you so much baby girl. We bought a cake as a reminder of your first birthday, it's not edible but you can play and have some fun with it when you're a teeny bit older!

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

finding ad

We take it for granted that we have many photos of ourselves as babies and even more so now in a world of digital cameras; photos of our children are in abundance. Unfortunately orphanages in China don't have the time or money to take a lot of photos of the babies in their care. In most cases we will only get our little one's referral photo and maybe one update during the waiting period. Since 1999, the orphanages in China are required to run a provincial newspaper advertisement for children that are found and brought to their orphanage. They are called 'Finding Ads' - these ads contain information about where and when the children were found and which orphanage is caring for them. Originally these were text only ads, but most provinces now include photographs. These photographs are usually the earliest available pictures of our children, some from as young as a few weeks old.

Brian Stuy and his wife Longlan (adoptive parents to three beautiful Chinese girls) maintain this website - www.research-china.org - they locate the baby's finding ad, send a photo of the picture in the newspaper and may even have a copy of the actual newspaper!

Our daughter, Dong Xiao Tong's ad was in the 'Yangcheng Evening Newspaper' published July 13th, 2007 and is the 777th picture ad for 2007. She is so precious! Being able to get her baby picture is an opportunity we are most grateful for.

Deuteronomy 26:11 - And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house.

our dossier has been sent to china

Our LOA (Letter Of Acceptance) and dossier have been translated, notarized and were sent online to China today. Now we are waiting for our LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation) which can take anywhere from 3-4 months.

Romans 8:25 - But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

mothering sunday (x2)

I am only a mother to a photograph of my daughter this year, all being well next year will be the real deal and I'll have earned this day! Psalm 127:3 - Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. I really enjoyed the following poem and thought I would share it.

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"THE LOVE OF TWO WOMEN"

Once there were two women
living half a world apart.
God joined these women together
with a common thread between their hearts.

In one, He created a life,
a beautiful baby girl.
In the other, He planted an idea,
weighing it heavily on her soul.

The first, heartbroken, faith strong,
knew the baby wasn't hers to raise.
She watched as the baby was taken,
and knelt down to God in praise.

The second, frightened, faith strong,
asked God to hold her hand
as she traveled toward a dream
to an unfamiliar, distant land.

The baby, she was beautiful,
an angelic Asian face.
She stared, wide-eyed and curious,
as into her mother's arms she was placed.

And there were tears full of sadness
as one mother's heart wept.
And there were tears full of gladness
as one mother's heart leapt.

Two very different women
with a common circumstance.
Each asking for God's guidance
instead of leaving life to chance.

Two very different women
who love the same little girl,
praying to God daily
to guide her through this world.

And though they'll never meet,
they are forever joined heart to heart
by the same awesome God,
lands apart.

by adoptive parent, Shannon

our daughter's current home

Yangdong County SWI in Guangdong Province, China

The orphanage is located in Dongcheng Town. The director of the orphanage is Mr. Jiang. He became the director in 2003, and prior to becoming director he worked for 20 years as a surgeon at the nearby People's Hospital of Yangdong. You can read more about the orphanage here.

Also, here and here are blogs of families who have visited the orphanage. It's really nice to know that the staff try their hardest to give the children the best possible care, unfortunately this isn't always the case. But still, reading through these blogs breaks our hearts - all we can do is pray and we leave our little Lilah in God's care.