letter to the child you've never met

today i was able to send my son a letter.  a letter that will be translated to mandarin and presented to him along with a cake, a mom panda and baby, and a pillow case with our picture on it.  Quite the difference from India huh? 

Dearest Tong Guang Oliver,

     

As we say hello to you for the first time as your family, we find ourselves not knowing what to say.  

You are our son, our brother, our friend, and our baby.  

We knew you were meant for us.

We knew we loved you. 

We hurry to send all the right papers

We talk about you when we sit together for dinner

You are growing so big, 

So thoughtful

So fun

You have sisters to play with waiting for you.  You have a mommy and a daddy happy to gather you soon.  

We send you all our warm hugs, snuggles, and kisses.

We hope this gift finds you happy and well.

We cant wait to love on you!

Have no fear little one 

have no fear

When things seem scary you need to be brave

have no fear

No fear when there is something new

 no fear if they're looking at you

no fear when it is time to sing

no fear of anything

if you feel kinda sicky and icky inside

dont you run and dont you hide

when its time for you to do your part

take a breath and make a start

Have no fear

Dont shiver and dont shake

dont shed a tear

when the curtain goes up your Family is here.

We think you are special, we think you are great.  We cant wait to meet you. 

love and hugs,

mom, dad, lucy, neha, and charlotte

the reveal

The first post about my fourth child. My first son, our first Chinese baby. A story that started almost 7 months ago.  A revelation in believing in a higher being, and stepping of the cliff of uncertainty.  This is how it all went down.......

 I was rummaging through blogs shortly after we returned home with Neha (our newly adopted daughter from India, home now for just seven months)  I was meeting new friends and looking for other stories of success, struggle, attachment, language barriers, etc when I found my self on a blog describing a little boy who was almost 5 living in a separate section of a Chinese orphanage.  He was sequestered in his own isolation with his own nurses, mostly crib confined and cursed with a lifetime diagnosis of HIV.  He was feared by most, and assumed to be highly contagious therefor required to not have any contact with other children or outsiders.  Using his own separate supplies of silver wear, clothes and even dishes for fear of contamination he stood in his crib looking yearn fully out the window.  There was another final photo of him standing up against the wall, fully dressed, smiling from ear to ear and one hand had a thumbs up.   If that doesn't scream "glass half full", and overflowing with an amazing attitude towards life I don't know what does.

I felt like I had to investigate.  I inquired about the child through the agency listing him and found out that he had a family that had his file and planned to move forward with him.  I was content knowing he would be free, loved and honored.

 Then the agency sent me their waiting child list, obviously I was interested in seeing what else was out there, right?  Home just two months with our 4 year old foreign born daughter, barely getting by, struggling with a new family dynamic (we have two biological daughters as well) treading water to get further along in language and development, and practically broke from 3 years of prior adoption expenses and a trip to india, I never once thought it would be irresponsible to look at the children waiting.  Just a look right?

                                           
                                             Well, as they say the rest is history.



It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Dang Tong Guang, and his life has already been more adventurous than most at his age. He has spent the majority of his life, 2 years 7 months to be exact in a wonderful facility called Marias Big House of Hope in Luoyang, China.  We anxiously await travel dates, and a trip of a lifetime as we gather our son.  Here chronicles his life so far and the future he will have.  Here are the adventures of Oliver Quinn.