Small Setback, but More Pics

Got a tiny setback today. The agency called to say the box of dossiers that they sent out came back to them last Monday because the CCAA (China Central Adoption Authority) had moved, and the postal service there did not forward the box to the new address. So they turned around same day and sent them back again. That will set us back by about 2 weeks. Looks like my DTC date is now 7/24 instead of 6/27. That "September or October" travel time frame is looking more like October at this point. Patience, patience.....I can deal with this. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a very minor setback. (This is what I keep telling myself so I don't start pacing the floor!)

On the happy side, I joined a new Yahoo group that I found for families adopting specifically from the Xuzhou Social Welfare Institute, and it turns out that at least one of the ladies on that board had some pictures of XiaoTian that were taken by someone who visited the orphanage. She forwarded them on to me. (I'm not allowed to post them, though.) These are much more current than the pix of him I got from the agency (those were from Oct of 2004), so his face has filled out and matured a little now. I think he's a very handsome lad. And he's smiling in every single photo! Aren't I a lucky mom, to be getting such a happy-looking kid?

Birthday Cake Time

The preapproval letter arrived at WACAP today!!!

That means that the orphanage (and possibly XiaoTian, too!) knows that he is being adopted, and it also means that I can finally send him something. I am simply beyond excited. I have already contacted the lady from the Blessed Kids website to arrange for his birthday cake and some cameras to be delivered. And as soon as my son, Rick, gets pictures of our (full) refrigerator, I will be getting the photo album and letter in the mail to WACAP to send over.

Now we wait for the Travel Advisory. WACAP thinks we're looking at September/October for travel. I think the weather in China will be a lot nicer then than now. It is blistering hot at the moment--tomorrow is expected to be 103 Fahrenheit in Xuzhou, according to Weather Underground. Whew!

I wonder if they'll let or help XiaoTian write me a letter?

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Letter to Xiao Tian

Here is the letter I'm sending XiaoTian along with the photo album:

Dear XiaoTian,
亲爱的小天，

Do you remember a day in March when someone came to tell you that a family was asking about you, and to ask whether you would be willing to travel to another country to have a family? We are that family. I decided last October that I wanted to adopt another boy, and since I knew sign language, it seemed natural to adopt a deaf child. In March I finally saw your picture and read about you. I was very happy to learn that you are willing to come to another country. I have been working very hard ever since then to get all of the paperwork finished. It is a long process, and we are almost done.
你还记得在三月里的一天，有人来告诉你一个家庭问起你，问你是否愿意到另一个国家去拥有一个家吗？我们就是这个家庭。去年十月间我确定我要收养另一个男孩，并且因为我会手语，所以看来很自然的，是收养一个失聪的孩子。三月间，我最终看到了你的照片和你的事情。我非常高兴的得知你愿意来另一个国家。从那时起，我一直在努力的完成着所有的文件。这是一个漫长的过程，但我们就快完成了。

We live in Elkridge, Maryland in the United States of America. Elkridge is near the port city of Baltimore on the East Coast. Can you find that on a map?
我们住在美利坚合众国马里兰州的鹿岭。鹿岭靠近东海岸的港口城市巴尔第摩。你能在地图上找到吗？

I cannot promise you that your new life will always be easy. Especially in the beginning, there will be many challenges. I am learning some Chinese sign language, but it will be extremely important for you to quickly learn American sign language AND English, because those are the languages of your new school. When we first arrive home, there will be many appointments with doctors and teachers and other people so that we can document your deafness and establish an education plan for you at the school for the deaf. Since you won't know much English or American sign language yet, there will be many things you won't completely understand, and you will need to trust me to help you learn to understand. I know it will not be easy for you to trust me completely, because I am still a stranger to you, but I hope that your trust will grow as we get to know each other better as mother and son.
我无法保证你你的新生活会总是轻松的。特别在开始的时候，会有很多的挑战。我在学一些中国手语，但尤为重要的是你尽快学习美式手语和英语，因为那是你新学校的语言。当我们初次到家以后，会有很多和医生，老师以及其他人的会面，这样我们才能登记你的聋哑并且为你建立在聋哑学校的学习计划。因为你还不懂很多英语或者美式手语，会有很多事你不能完全明白，因此你需要信任我来帮助你弄明白。我知道让你完全地信任我并不容易，因为对你来说我仍是一个陌生人，但我希望你的信任会随着我们作为母子有了更好的互相了解而增长。

So you will not always have an easy or perfect life. What you will have, however, is every opportunity I can possibly give you. We live near an excellent school for the deaf, and when the time comes, if you have done well in your studies and want to go to university, we are within driving distance of Gallaudet University, which is the only university for the deaf in the United States. We are in an area where jobs are plentiful, and deaf people can do any kind of job they want to do, if they have done well in school.
所以你不会总是拥有一个轻松而完美的生活。而你将拥有的，是我所可能提供给你的所有的机会。我们住在一个非常好的聋哑学校附近，到时候，如果你学习很好并想上大学，我们车程以内就有盖劳德大学，美国唯一的聋哑人的大学。我们的地区工作机会丰富，聋哑人可以做任何他们想做的工作，只要他们在学校里做得好。

The other thing you will always have, as my son, is love. My other son, Rick, is looking forward to your arrival as eagerly as I am, and is ready to love you as his brother. I will always love you--you will not be my "adopted son" or my "deaf son" but simply MY SON. You will have the same love that I have given Rick for 18 years, and you will enjoy the same privileges, as well as the duties and responsibilities, that he has. You will have an equal place in my home and in my heart.
另一件你会一直拥有的，作为我的儿子，是爱。我的另一个儿子，里克，也像我一样的热切的盼望着你的到来，并准备好爱你他的兄弟。我将永远爱你-你不会是我的“养子”或我的“聋儿子”而只是“我的儿子”。你将拥有我已经给予里克十八年的同样的爱，你将享有和他一样的特权，以及责任和义务。在我的家里和心里你们占据着平等的位置。

One issue I would like you to consider ahead of time is whether you would like to take an American first name and use XiaoTian as your middle name, or if you would prefer to keep XiaoTian as your first name. Chinese names are difficult for Americans to pronounce, so most Chinese people who come to America take an American name. But not always. You, Xiao Tian, are a young man, and you have had your name for a long time. It is part of your identity. I do not want to take that away from you unless you decide you actually want a new American name. I shall bring a list of names and explain to you what they mean so that you can decide if you want to choose one, or you may remain XiaoTian. This is your decision to make.
有一件事我想让你预先考虑的是你是否想要一个美国名字作为你的首名而把小天作为中间名，或者你希望保留小天作为你的首名。对美国人来说，中文名字很难发音，所以大多数到美国的中国人都取了美国名。但也并不是总要这样。你，小天，是一个年轻人，而且你已经叫这个名字很久了。这是你身份的一部分。我不想把它从你这儿拿走，除非你决定你确实想要一个新的美国名字。我会给你一份名单并向你解释他们的意思以便你能决定你是否想选择一个，或是你仍然保留小天。这是需要你做的决定。

This has become my favorite poem:
这已经成为我最喜爱的诗：

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.
我拥你在心里抚摸你在梦里 每天你都在这里和我在一起，至少看来是这样

I know you wonder where I am... what's taking me so long. But remember child, I love you so, and God will keep you strong.
我知道你在好奇我在哪里。。。是什么让我耽搁这么久 但是记着孩子，我是如此爱你，而上帝会令你坚强

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.
现在走出来感觉这轻风让它触摸你的皮肤 因为今夜，就如一直以来，我从风中送给你亲吻

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you. I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
愿上帝拥你在他手中直到我能和你在一起 我答应你，我的亲爱，我在尽我所能

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend. But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
很快，你将拥有一个真正的家，不是假装 但为今夜，就如一直以来，我从风中送给你亲吻

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight. And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
愿上帝包裹你在他的臂弯紧紧地拥着你 并让天使们带去我给你的亲吻在每个夜晚


I want you to know that I go outside every night before bedtime, and I blow a kiss into the wind, hoping that the same wind will touch you gently on your cheek the next day after it travels halfway around the world to you. You are always in my thoughts.
我想让你知道每晚睡觉之前我都到外面，向风中送去一个吻，希望这同一阵风在第二天穿越半个世界后会轻触到你的脸颊。你总是在我的思绪里。

I am sure you have many questions that this letter and the photos cannot begin to answer. If your school or Social Welfare Institution has a computer, and if you have any teachers who know English, you can ask them to send me an e-mail at kfisher@jhmi.edu, and I promise to answer anything you want to ask. Or you can write me a letter.
我肯定你有很多问题是这封信和这些照片所无法开始回答的。如果你的学校或者福利机构有电脑，又或者你有哪位老师懂得英语，你可以叫他们给我发电邮到kfisher@jhmi.edu， 我保证回答你想问的任何问题。你也可以写信给我到下面这个地址：

Even if the letter is in Chinese, I have a friend named Tongguang (who took the American name David) and his wife Xia (who kept her Chinese name) who can help me to translate your letter and answer it. They also translated the photo book and sign book I am sending you into Chinese. You will meet them when you come to live with us.
即便这封信是中文写的，我有一位朋友叫王同光（他有一个美国名字大卫）和他妻子霞（她保留着中文名字）可以帮助我翻译你的信和回信。也是他们把我将要送给你的相册和手语书翻译成中文的。你来这里和我们住以后会见到他们。

I hope to be with you soon, my son. It is now July 6 as I write this (and your birthday is tomorrow!) and they tell me that I should be allowed to travel to China at the end of summer or early in the autumn. I know that seems like a long time to you, but now that I have completed the adoption paperwork, there is much work that your government and my government must do to process those papers. As soon as it is allowed, I shall come to you. Until then, I wish for you sweet dreams of your new family, and I hope you will feel my kisses in the wind.
我希望能很快见到你，我的儿子。现在我写这封信时是七月六日（你的生日即在明天）而他们告诉我在夏末或者初秋我会被允许这中国之行。我知道对你来说这看起来象是一段漫长的时间，不过现在我已经完成了收养文件，你的政府和我的政府必须作很多工作来处理这些文件。一旦允许，我就会来接你。在那之前，我祝你梦到新家甜梦，并希望你能感觉到随风而来的我的亲吻。

--Mama (Kim)
--妈妈（金）

Happy Birthday, Xiao Tian!

Okay, so I lied a little--I don't yet have the LID notification, but a more important event came up. As I write, it is 9p the night of July 6, but on XiaoTian's side of the world, it is 9a tomorrow, and it is his birthday. My hope is that he is very close to knowing about us. As soon as my preapproval letter comes, I can send something to him. And guess what? Someone from one of my chat boards clued me in to a site that will deliver birthday cakes to the orphanage for you. They get around customs by using a local cake service. Check out the site www.blessedkids.com. It's awesome! (They even send a disposable camera so pictures can be taken of him when he gets the cake.)

Since it is considered culturally appropriate to send cakes/gifts even after the actual birthday, if that preapproval letter isn't too far out in the future, I'm going to send him a cake from Mama and Rick. That'll get there faster than the photo album package I'm sending through the adoption agency, so his birthday cake will be his first inkling that something is still up. My poor guy--I know he must be wondering whether the family that social worker talked to him about back in March is ever going to come to get him. Soon, sweetie, soon.

Happy birthday, son. And may there be many, many more with our family around you.