Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A Child Chosen for Us

The CCAA released more children to the shared list on Wednesday, April 21. I had butterflies in my stomach for the first part of the week, because I had a feeling that we'd be getting a call this month with a match. Just my intuition. And, low and behold, on Wednesday, around 4 p.m. we got a call from our social worker. She was calling to say we had a possible match, but she needed to discuss the special need with me. The special need wasn't something that we had necessarily put on our list, but it was related. After discussing with her, I decided, we'd take a look. I was frantic as the file sat in my inbox while waiting for my husband to get home from work...

"Live your life with arms wide open.."

Then we opened the file. And there he was, Zheng Aohang, a sweet-faced 18-month-old from the Fushun City SWI, in Liaoning Province, in North China bordering North Korea. His special need - a cleft palate; his cleft lip has been repaired. When we read his report from the orphanage, we were surprised at how similar (on paper) he and and our daughter are. His paperwork was almost a carbon copy of hers - deep sleeper...active and restless...early riser....

Lord, give us the wisdom to know your will and the courage to do it.

We had less than 24 hours to make a preliminary decision and get our Letter of Intent (LOI) to our agency. So for all of Wednesday night and Thursday morning I was frantically calling surgeons, insurance, fellow adoptive parents of children with cleft palates, nurses, and doctors to help explain to us what cleft palate repair would mean for this little boy and for us. I learned quite a lot in such a short amount of time thanks to the folks that took my by the hand and walked me through our questions and concerns. With all of the positive responses, resources and support, we decided that we would send in our LOI, in good faith of pursuing Zheng.


"Look into your heart and find love...



It's our God-intended right to be loved...



So I won't hesitate no more



it cannot wait, I'm sure



No need to complicate, our time is short,



this is our fate, I'm yours."

16 comments:

Andrea said...

Ahhhhh!!!!!i'm so excited for you guys!!he is beyond precious....a boy and a girl that is wonderful!!! love you!

The Listers said...

what a blessing, courtney! i'm so excited for y'all! my prayers are with you as this beautiful chapter in your family's life unfolds

China Traveler said...

We are so excited for your growing family. He is so precious!

Our love and prayers,
The Dorris Family

Hollie said...

Oh my what a cutie! Sounds like a perfect match for Elyza too! Those two will are destined to make great memories. We are so happy for your family! Isn't it great to have your prayers answered by the One who knows you best?

Traci said...

I am in tears! I am so happy for your family!!!!! He is absolutely adorable. I am so excited for you!

Erika said...

We could not be happier for you! Congrats on your beautiful boy!!! God is so good!
Erika and family :):):)

No Mommy Brain said...

oh courtney! i am so happy for all of you. congratulations!!!

Kristi said...

Courtney, He's absolutely a doll!! My heart actually skipped a beat when I read your email about having been matched....will be so so long for us. He's precious, and gorgeous! So happy for your lovely family! Best wishes. Can't wait to follow your journey to China :-)

Serenity Vanderschoot said...

God is so good! Congratulations on the news of your new gift. Zheng is just precious! I can't wait to meet him one day. I will definitely pray for him, medical wisdom, and your travel plans!! I'm so happy for you guys...xoxo

Anonymous said...

Oh you guys we are so excited for you. He is absolutely precious! God is so amazing. We will keep you all in our prayers. We love you! Love the Blaszczynskis

Sunne said...

Oh Courtney and Jay, he's adorable. He's the perfect match for your family! I look forward to meeting him and welcoming him to our neighborhood!!!

Anonymous said...

WOOHOOOOOOOO!! Let the fun begin again!! Sammy has a new buddy!!! He will be sooooo excited!! I am thrilled for you all!! Hooray for Elyza the big sister!! l,e

Debbie said...

Through my tears of happiness, what a handsome little boy! I can't express my joy for you, Jay and Elyza. What a blessing for you all! I can't wait to meet your newest addition!
Deb, Bill, Hailey and Holly

Fisher Family said...

He is precious!!! Adorable!

Amy said...

Courtney and Jay, What a handsome little guy!.....We hope to meet both of your children and see you again some day. And those special needs - no matter what they are - are scary for sure but stretch and grow you and your faith like you could never imagine. Peace to you through this new adventure!

LedaP said...

Congrats on this little precious guy! We're waiting for LOA to get our 9 year old daughter in Guangzhou - our 2nd also from China.

Leda www.funds4faith.com