Curiosity...

Caleb asked me this morning, "Matthew likes tractors?" We've been talking a lot about Matthew, how he will be Caleb's roommate, how he lives in Vietnam, how he will be his baby brother. He is now a regular part of Caleb's conversaion...

And of course, Caleb hopes that Matthew likes "John De-eah" tractors.

Dossier is scheduled to be done on January 5.

It's Christmas. We started a new family tradition for December 25...pajama day! That's right, the three of us hosted a dinner banquet for the Dang side of the family...in our "jammas".

Merry Christmas!

Here is the Dang Family Christmas card this year. It has been a great year. We're trying to get this blog up to date asap, so please keep checking!

New Photo...

New photo of Matthew...

Dossier complete!

FEDEX just picked up the dossier to send to Washington, DC to have authenticated by the Vietnamese government. Glad to finally have all the documents done!

Next step, wait for the Vietnamese government to authenticate and have the dossier sent to our agency headquarters in Missouri.

Storm saga, cont'd

It is Sunday night, and rumor has it that our power is finally on. It's been a wild weekend...

It is also Mike's and my 7th anniversary.

A storm to remember...

Thursday, I spent part of the morning getting the final touches on our medical forms.

5:45 pm we loose power. The main benefit is that we don't have to watch the Seahawks lose to the 49'ers. We briefly get it back, but loose it again in the middle of the night...one of the largest storms in Seattle history. 1.5 million without power. Almost impossible to find a restaurant or gas station open. Traffic is a mess because none of the traffic lights are working.

Fortunately, Katie has power, so we camp out there.

Olympia...

I drive to Olympia (90 minutes away) to get our criminal records and get all of our Washington state documents state certified. For once in my life, I don't have to wait in line for a government office. Thank you, God!

Caleb sees a photo of Matthew on my computer screen. He points to it and says "Brother!" My heart melts.

Busy day...

I took today off...too much to do for the adoption...

Met Linda at CHI to discuss the process. Right now, everything is hinging on the dossier being done. My dad was nice enough to babysit. Found out that nothing really happens until the dossier is received in Vietnam.

It will take about 4-5 months to get Matthew...this is really mostly consumed with Vietnam doing their paperwork to process the adoption.

I feel like I've just found out I'm 4 months pregnant...yes, it will be a while to get Matthew, but I've got a lot of preparation to do, too!

We will probably get more photos during the next few months, but we can't send him anything. We are also realizing we have NO custody rights over him now, neither does our adoption agency. No way to protect our baby...but we have a Heavenly Father that has ULTIMATE custody.

I'm also trying very hard to get our Christmas cards out ASAP, but it is taking a while to get them all done.

Spent the afternoon getting our medical letters redone. Major hassle because the "rules" have recently changed. I have a very kind and understanding doctor who never complains when I ask her to do something else for us, just one last time...

Caleb and Colton are good sports in not complaining when I have to shuttle them around town in the duo-stroller in the pouring rain.

Dossier fun...

Sent my birth certificate, marriage certificate, and employment letter off to be state certified by Idaho (birth cert) and North Carolina (marriage cert/employment letter).

Had fun standing in line with everyone else mailing Christmas presents. At least I had a baby sitter to look after Caleb.

Lucky me, I already got what I wanted for Christmas...Matthew!!!

It's official!

On Wednesday, December 6, we officially accept the referral.

'It would be a great honor and blessing to have the priviledge of being Minh Nhat's parents. We accept his referral with an emphatic "YES!!!"'

Now, we need to start the dossier process.

We have about 18 document including things like birth certificates, marriage certificates, employment letters, medical letters, copy of passport photos, home study, criminal records, etc. ALL of them need to be state certified and Vietnam certified.

First, all the documents need to be notarized.

Then, they need to go to the Secretary of State in which they were signed or issued to be state certified, basically a pretty piece of paper to ensure that the notary actually is a real person. We will need to have documents authenticated from 4 different states.

Then, they need to go to the Vietnamese embassy to have the Vietnamese government acknowledge that the Secretary of State's seal is good enough for them, and they recognize that this document is valid.

Then, our adoption agency sends the packet to Vietnam to be translated over there...

Then, and only then, our dossier will be complete.

Here is our little Matthew Minh Nhat Dang. He is currently in Saigon, and in 4-5 months we get to pick him up.

The Perfect Doctor

I just got off the phone with Dr. Bledsoe.

I'm in tears. It has just hit me that I'm going to get to be the mommy of this wonderful little boy.

Dr. Bledsoe is a pediatrician that works in a clinic at the UW for international adoptions. And she just so happens to be the mother of a boy from Korea which had the exact same cleft lip/palate as our little boy. Is that not a God-thing or what?

We had a great conversation. She explained to me all I needed to know about cleft lip and palate. 5-6 surgeries over his lifetime...2 in the first year...but that doesn't seem so bad. No other medical issues that we need to be concerned about. She is very enthusiastic and helpful.

The medical interview was the only thing we were waiting for before accepting the referral.

We had chosen a name for our son months ago...and now we finally know who Matthew is.

"The Email"

It's Monday morning, and I'm a bit groggy. Like every Monday morning. I quickly check my email, and notice three emails from Nicky, the Vietnam coordinator in St. Louis.

"Dana and Mike,
Attached you will find the medical information for Vu Minh Nhat, the little boy on the web site. The other families ahead of you decided not to adopt him. If you have any questions please let me know. I will also send all the pictures we have on him via other emails. Please speak with your pediatrician so you are fully aware of what is involved with his surgeries.

If you could let us know by Wednesday of this week what your decision is that would be great.
thanks
Nicky"

I race downstairs and tell Mike, "We're first on the list for that little boy!!!" Honestly, what happened next is an entire haze for me...I was just so excited. I look at the other photos of him. He looks so beautiful...could I really be looking at my son?

I read the medical report, and I'm confused by a lot of the things on there. Fortunately, I know of a pediatrician that specializes in international adoption. She does phone consults for situations like this...I call her office to make an appointment.

Here is my mom visiting her friend, Kim, and her new baby boy, Alexander Hieu (what a cool Vietnamese name is that!!!)

How serious are you about him?

My heart skips a beat...I read an email from Linda, "Can you check with your insurance company and make sure they would cover the surgeries for the little guy with a cleft lip and palate. How serious are you about him?"

I'm on the phone with my insurance company in 5 minutes. Yes, they would cover.

I call Linda. Apparently, there is just one family reviewing...if they decline, we would have a chance.

I hold out a little bit of hope, but it still looks pretty unlikely.

Mommy goes back to North Carolina, but this time she can't take me cause I'm over two. I miss her so much, but at least she gets to see my cousins Casey and Cody!

First glance...

I arrived in Winston-Salem for a business trip yesterday. I check my email and a note from Linda at the adoption agency "Vietnam Update". Among other news I read, 'In addition to the waiting children mentioned in the update there is also a 6 month old, adorable little boy, with a cleft lip and palate.'

Oh wow...I think. That would be incredible. We had told CHI that we would be interested in adopting a "waiting child", meaning a child who has a medical condition. I know that cleft palate and lip is pretty correctable. But I'm not sure how Mike will feel. I don't want to do anything without his 100% support. So I pray, "Lord, if this little boy is supposed to be with us, please work in Mike's heart to agree."

I run to Wal*Mart during my lunch break and quickly dial Mike. "Oh, by the way, Linda says there is a 6 month old boy with cleft lip and palate."

To my amazement, Mike responds immediately enthusiastically, "Well, if this is the child God has for us, we can deal with the cleft part."

My heart races. For the first time, I feel like we may be close to having another baby. But my excitement is short lived.

I email Linda once I get back to my computer. "I just spoke with Mike. We're very interested in finding out more about the little boy with cleft lip/palate."

I receive an email back saying that there are three families that have already expressed interest. My heart sinks. I notice that his picture has finally been posted. He is sure adorable. Lots of hair. Beautiful chubby features. Wow.

But I dismiss the possibility. Certainly with so many families ahead of us, we'll never be given a chance to adopt him.

Hey you!

And now with Mommy and Aunt Katie.

My handsome grandpa celebrates his birthday with my Dad and "Uncle StevenSeahawk"

Caleb turns two...

Caleb's birthday is a lot of fun...but the adoption still nags at my heart each day.

I had hoped to have another baby before Caleb was 2 1/2 (the same age I was when Katie was born), but that looks unlikely.

I'm really struggling. This is really a walk of faith, because I have no control and at this point, nothing makes sense. I've promised to wait until Christmas, but I find myself worrying about what we will decide to do then.

However, I find myself really convicted as well. We say we believe a lot of things, but sometimes, for all of us, we are really tested whether or not we believe them. My test...Do I really believe that God is in control of this adoption process? Do I really think that I have the right to call the shots, or am I really submitted to God's best...and willing to wait for it to be manifested in due time.

I think about Mike's and my committment to wait till Christmas. So I finally submit my heart and truly believe that somehow, in some way, God will reveal to us more of His plan by then. Who knows, maybe we'll get a referral next week? Wouldn't that be wishful thinking? Like Sarah, I laugh in my heart...could God really do that?

Can you say "What a birthday cake!?!

Ba Noi and Ong Noi are among the many family and friends who come to celebrate!

Got my J.Deere hat, tool belt, and tshirt...time to fix something!

John Deere party...all the way! From the doormat to the tractor window decals, to the banner, plates, napkins, and cups!

Colty and Katie help us get ready...

I'm TWO! Getting ready for the big P-A-R-T-Y!

I love to draw. Can't do too much in the way of recognizable objects, but I love to ask others to draw a horse, truck, face, etc. for me. And I finally realized that crayons are to draw with, not eat!

And in case anyone thinks I'm Picasso for drawing a truck at the age of two, no, one of my parents drew it for me. Mommy says that since the artistic skills of both her and Daddy can often be mistaken for a 2 year old's kinda indicates that I won't be Picasso.

Sandi took some photos by the Arboretum.

Getting a ribbin' at Tony Roma's.

Mom and Dad on our way back from snorkeling.

Momma's ready for some snorkeling!

Bac Hai, Daddy, and me

Bac Hai (and Dad) enjoy a bit of golf...

Caleb - Jan 06 to Sept 06

October blues...

October begins...It is obvious that things on the adoption front are slowing down. We haven't seen any referrals to families on the list ahead of us recently, and we haven't been asked to do our dossier, so we know we are at least 6 months from a referral.

We have always hoped that we would get a photo of our baby for Christmas, but now, we are thinking that is very unlikely. We had only anticipated being on the waiting list for about 4 months...now it seems like it could easily be a year.

Mike and I struggle with whether or not we are making the right decision. Should we pursue growing our family with "homemade" kids and adopt later? Are we really willing to put our lives on hold for over a year waiting? Should we try to get pregnant and see which baby shows up first? But most importantly, we are asking, "What does God want us to do? How is He leading us?"

We both come to unanimous agreement. We will wait until Christmas. We will not make any "course corrections" until then. We really have no idea what we would do after Christmas, but we both have a peace that we just need to be patient for three months. We trust that God would give us the wisdom at that point what we should do.

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path...Faith is one step at at time.

Bac Hai, Dad, and me overlook Keahou Bay from the Sheraton. You can see our condo (sort of) in the distance.

Don't ask me how I pulled this off...but yes, I'm off to Hawaii again. This time with my Mom and Dad and my Uncle Jeff (a.k.a. Bac Hai, Cac Hai) This also happens to be my 50th flight. (My mom says don't count on flying this much after I turn two, and she starts having to pay for my tickets)

Anthony and Amy and me. This is the first trip that I can actually talk some...so the whole time, I kept asking for "Amy! Amy! Amy!" Can't quite say "Anthony", but how about "Nee?!?"

Playing video games at the bowling alley with a bunch of our friends from the Vietnamese church in Winston-Salem.

Back in North Carolina (yes, again) but this time Daddy came with us. Here he is with his friends, Francis and Joseph.

Make a wish, Aunt Katie!

We're out celebrating my Aunt Katie's birthday....Colton, say "Cheese"!

Me and my babysitter Lindsey (a.k.a. YinSee). She has to go back to school, boo hoo!!! Since she won't be here anymore, I just hope she has a friend or sister or something that is just as much fun as she is!

Playing in the yard of the (former) home of my Great-Grandparents Willard and Elsa Farnham. My mommy tells me they would be very happy to see us there.

Today we went to the Portland Zoo...Had a great time with my Dad and Mom as well as Katie and Colton...so many animals, so little time.

Today I visited the Issaquah Fire Station...and they even let me ride in the big red truck!!! I could so do this!