Christmas Letter 2009

Another hectic Christmas season has quickly come and gone. It's already Christmas day, and since I now have a little time to myself, I'll take this chance to finish one last thing from my to-do list ... write a Christmas letter. So here's what we've been up to in 2009 ...

Obviously, the biggest event going on in our lives this year has been our adoption. I really wish there was some new news to share, but there's not. We're just waiting to be matched with our daughter. We're hoping that happens in 2010, but it may not. We are trying to be patient and trust in the Lord's timing. Some days that is unbearably difficult. So please continue to pray for us as we go through the emotional rollercoaster. But more importantly pray for our child. Pray that she will be well cared for and find favor in the eyes of a caregiver. It nearly breaks my heart when I think about what her Christmas was probably like this year (because yes, I do believe she has already been born), and I pray that this will be her last Christmas without us. But I know God has an amazing plan for our family, and He has already selected the perfect child for us. So even in the midst of sadness, we praise Him.

One of the things that I love about adoption is that—just like Christ’s death on the cross—adoption is a redemption story. The circumstances that lead to adoption are not perfect. Usually they are painful, difficult circumstance. But adoption transforms something painful into something amazingly beautiful. So while our child’s current circumstances may be far, far from perfect right now, and we experience our own grief and sadness as we wait for her, we know that God has a miracle in store for us, and the joy we have ahead of us is beyond measure. How amazing is that?

So other than the adoption, what have we been up to? Well, Hayden turned 14 this year and started high school. It's hard to believe how fast he has grown up. He was only 4 when we got married, and now he's as tall as John and still growing. He’s still playing football and doing very well in school. He is turning into a fantastic young man. Now that he’s a teenager, it’s no surprise that he doesn’t come over as much as we would like since he has a lot of friends and activities that keep him busy. But we enjoy the weekends he does spend with us, and we try to make time to play some Rock Band or a board game when he’s here.

Work is going well for us. John went back to work driving a school bus part-time, mainly for the insurance after he was diagnosed with diabetes in the spring. So between the school bus and our new business venture, Adoption Bug, John has been extremely busy lately. Our little “side business” has taken off faster than we ever could have imagined—which is great since some of other graphic design and marketing work has considerably slowed down in this economy. I used to do freelance work nearly full-time, and this year it went down to only 3 days a week. But there’s no way we could have accomplished what we have with Adoption Bug this year if I was still working full-time, so it has really turned out to be a blessing. So while our work situations have been full of changes and uncertainty this year, we certainly cannot complain.

John and I also celebrated our 10th anniversary in November. Again, it’s amazing how quickly time goes by, and it’s almost unbelievable that we’ve been married a full decade. I am so thankful for every day that we are able to spend together. I’m so blessed to be married to my best friend and confidant. I truly cannot imagine my life without him.

That’s about it. That’s what we’ve been up to this year and some of the things on my heart right now. We hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and we wish you a new year full of countless blessings!

Love,
John, Tammi, Hayden & Rocky

Log-In Date











We found out a few days ago that our dossier was logged in at CCAA on Aug. 21, just 9 days after it was sent to China--probably the only thing that will go fast during this process. We still have no idea how long it will be from here. It could still be a very long time ... or not. We'll just have to wait and see.

In other news, we finally got our Adoption Bug website launched, so we're now selling and printing all my adoption-themed tees ourselves. Woo-hoo! We're getting the word out through Facebook and various online ads. We're hoping that my new little business will take off enough that I'll eventually be able to stay home full-time and spend most of my day being mommy. So please help spread the word and send the link to any adoption friends you have. We're also getting ready to launch a fundraiser program for adoptive families. To spread the word, you can become a fan of Adoption Bug on Facebook, post a link to http://www.adoptionbug.com/ on your Facebook page or Twitter, or go here and grab a button to put on your blog. Thank you so much to everyone getting the word about about Adoption Bug!

Dossier to China










On Wed. we found out that after months of "paper chasing," our dossier is finally on it's way to China, making our DTC (dossier to China) date 8/12/09. Now we wait to find out our L.I.D. (log-in date), which is the date our file is actually entered into CCAA's system. Then we really wait to eventually get matched with out daughter. There's still a very long wait ahead of us, but this is at least a step moving us in the right direction in our adoption journey.

And the Gifts Go To ...

Thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who so generously gave to our adoption fundraiser!!! In addition to the online contributions, we received some checks in the mail for a grand total of $1270. This is a huge blessing to us that will enable us to send our dossier to China in just a couple weeks. Woo hoo!! Words cannot express how thankful we are to each of you. So now without further ado, I will announce the recipients of our gifts. We decided to add a few extra tees just because we felt like it.

Mini Laptop Computer: Tracy Wanat

Faith, Hope & Love Tees:
Debra Kimbrough
Pam Murray
Joe & Tammie Herron
Kelly Kirkpatrick Stockburger
Mike Spruill
Lance & Jeni Ward

Custom-Printed Mouse Pads:
Doc & Rae Nunes
Joe & Tammie Herron
Pat & Helen Fortier

4GB USB Stick:
Dave & Becky Kimbrough


For anyone who loves the Faith, Hope & Love Tees but didn't receieve one, we happen to be producing these for some friends that are having their own adoption fundraiser. They are amazing folks in the process of adopting a precious 7 yr. old little girl from China. So buy some shirts at http://www.amazinggracechina.blogspot.com/ to help the Steele family in their adoption journey. The shirts are pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

Thanks again everyone!!

Prize Give-Away (Not a Raffle):

It was just brought to our attention that it is against the law for individuals to hold raffles in the state of Texas. I guess I should have done my homework first. I've just been to so many other adoption blogs (some of other Texas families) that hold raffles as part of their fundraising efforts, that I never even questioned whether or not it was legal. But now we know. Therefore, we are no longer having a raffle.

However, we will continue to accept donations through our blog (click on the chipin button to the right) until the end of the month from anyone that wishes to contribute to our adoption fund out the kindness of their hearts. Then on August 1, we will select eight people that we wish to give these lovely prizes to. We do not guarantee that making a donation, or the specific dollar amount of your donation, will affect your chances of being selected to receive one of these gifts.

Fundraiser: Win a Mini-Laptop Computer and Other Great Prizes

We’re so excited about our first adoption fundraiser -- a raffle. The grand prize is a new (factory refurbished) Asus 10” Mini-Laptop (Netbook) computer. This small, super-portable laptop only weighs 3.2 lbs. Detailed specs are listed below.

But wait, there's more!! See that awesome shirt I'm wearing. We're raffling 3 of these shirts also. Each winner can select their size: adult, women's fitted, youth, toddler or infant onesies. Click the image below to see the details of this design that includes Chinese characters of "Faith, Hope Love" and 1 Corinthians 13:13 printed at the bottom. Don't worry, if you don't win one in the raffle, after Aug. 1, you can purchase them for $20 each ($15 for child/youth sizes).

And ... we're raffling 3 custom-printed mouse pads. You can send us a high-resolution photo or logo, and we'll print you a super-cool mouse pad.

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And finally (at least for now), we have one brand new 4GB USB stick. You can always use an extra one of these.

Each item will be raffled separately (starting with the grand prize mini-laptop) for a total of 8 separate winners..

Raffle tickets are $10 for one or $15 for two. Each additional ticket is $5. Purchase as many tickets as you want. Just click on the Chipin button (top-right of this page), and enter the dollar amount of the tickets you’re purchasing. We will email you your raffle ticket numbers.

All proceeds will go towards our CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) Application Fee and agency fees that have to be paid before we send our dossier to China. We’ve pulled together most of the funds on our own, but we’re hoping to raise the remaining amount with this fundraiser to send all our paperwork at the beginning of August.

Raffle ends July 30, and we will announce the winner on August 1, 2009.

With the money we raise, we’ll be one step closer to building our family through adoption and being able to provide a loving, forever family for a child who desperately needs a family. Email me at tammi@xcomcreative.com with questions about the raffle or our adoption journey. We truly appreciate everyone’s support.

Grand Prize Details:

Asus Eee PC 1000 - Black Netbook, Intel Atom processor N270 (533MHz), 1GB DDR2, 160GB, Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector, 10"WSVGA widescreen display, Windows XP Home, Factory Refurbished - EPC1000H

Retail Price: $399

Features

• Intel Atom processor N270
• Features a 533MHz frontside bus, 512KB cache and 1.6GHz processor speed.
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• For multitasking power, expandable to 2GB.
• Note: Optical drive not included
• Compatible with optional external recordable DVD and CD drives (not included).
• 10" WSVGA widescreen display
• With 1024 x 600 resolution showcases movies, games and other images in rich clarity.
• 160GB hard drive
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• With shared video memory for lush images. Intel High Definition audio support with 2 built-in stereo speakers.
• 2-in-1 memory card slot
• Supports Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard formats for easy digital photo transfer.
• 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
• For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
• Built-in high-speed wireless connectivity (802.11b/g/n) lets you wirelessly connect to the Internet.
• Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector provides an easy Internet connection.
• Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system
• Product Height 1.5"
• Product Width 10.4"
• Product Weight 3.2 lbs.
• Product Depth 7.5"
• Direct-Disc Labeling No
• Digital Media Reader or Slots Yes, digital media card reader
• Graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Video Memory Shared
• MPEG Yes
• Built-in Webcam Yes
• Audio Intel High Definition Speakers Built-in stereo
• USB 2.0 Ports 3
• Battery Type 6-cell lithium-ion
• Pointing Device Touchpad
• Package Includes: Asus Eee PC Netbook, 4-cell lithium-ion battery, AC power cable and Owner's manual

Homestudy Complete

So after writing autobiographies, answering long questionnaires, conducting four interviews with our social work, submitting three reference letters (thanks Lance, Keith & Helen), providing verification of health insurance, obtaining life insurance, getting physical exams, receiving a letter from our prospective guardians (thanks Robert & Sandy), receiving criminal background checks in any state we've lived in since age 18 and letters of good conduct from our local police department, providing copies of tax returns, financial statements detailing our assets and liabilities, letters from our accountant, copies of bank statements, birth certificates, marriage certificate, drivers licenses, social security cards, work history, residence history, floor plan of our house, photos of our house and family, and even copies of Rocky's vaccination records from our vet—we have completed our homestudy! We received a copy to review from our social worker this week, and it gives a very positive assessment of our marriage and ability to parent an adopted child with no reservations. Hooray!

We have sent it to our agency to review and modify if needed before our social worker submits her final signed report, but that should happen this week. As soon as we have that, we’ll be able to submit our I-800A ("Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country") to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services). We’ll wait 2-3 weeks for authorization to get fingerprinted at a federal immigration office. Then we’ll wait another 4-6 weeks for approval to adopt.

In the meantime, we’ll be finalizing all our other dossier paperwork. Luckily, most of our dossier documents overlap with our homestudy documents (except that we need certified, notarized originals, rather than copies), but luckily our agency handles all the notarizing and authenticating for us (double hooray!). Then as soon as we receive our USCIS approval, we can send our dossier to China. Then the waiting really begins.

Keep us in your prayers as we continue this long, difficult journey. We know that God has an amazing plan in store for us, but we have to be patient in the process.