Another Blessing...

Okay, I have given plenty of time for the news to be spread by the rightful "spreaders", so I think it is my time to announce that Anna has a new baby cousin....from China!!!

Seriously, how cute is she???

On August 23, 2007, my cousin, her husband and her son received the news that they had been matched with a baby girl - Qing Zu Qiao - which they will name Salem Cassidy ZuNei. She is from the same province as Anna, Guangdong. They are only 1 month and 16 days apart and both were born with cleft palates. Fortunately Cassi did not have a cleft lip at birth and because of her fragile state when she arrived at the orphanage was able to be enrolled in the Love Without Boundaries program and her palate was repaired in China. Obviously when she gets home, they will have her evaluated for any future procedures or corrective surgeries, but we pray that everything was done correctly, healed properly and minimal will have to be done.

Gina, my cousin, is still in the "paper chasing" phase of the process, but they are making good progress. Their home study is finished and have the majority of the paperwork needed other than that precious I-797-C / I-171-C. Basically the US Homeland Security or Immigration saying they can bring a foreign born orphan into the country. We are hoping that they can be DTC by Thanksgiving, which is very possible.

We are just ecstatic about Gina and Richie's adoption and cannot wait to get Cassi home. What a cool thing for Anna to have a family member soooo similar to her in so many aspects. What great friends and support they can be to each other. It truly is another blessing from God.

We prayed for our daughter, but in the journey to Anna, we prayed for so many other children that were/are in need of a loving home. We also prayed for God to move on hearts of those that could care for these children. For us, this is an answer to one of our prayers. And fortunately, we get to not only see an answer to our prayer, but we get to be related!!! How awesome is that??

Anna and Cassi will be able to give each other something that neither Gina or I can give our daughters...the ability to truly relate. I can sympathize with Anna, try to understand her questions and the pain that she will experience when she begins to wonder "why?", but I will not be able to relate to the many questions and feelings she will have regarding her birth family, her birth country, and the fact that there are so many things about her history that we just don't know. But, she will have a close family member that can say, "me too." I hope that they are a great support system for each other and and work through these questions together. God is so good. God's timing is perfect and His plans are complete. I wonder what else He has in store for our family...only time will tell :-)

So incredibly happy for Gina and Richie, and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna to Cassi!