Easter 2009

We had a beautiful Easter Day and took lots of pictures.....it was a worshipful morning, remembering the ressurrection of Jesus, and celebrating Christ risen to live in us daily!!!

Jonathan's First Swing into Spring

Consignment sales are great when there's something you've been wanting and you actually find it there...such is the case at the Scott house with J's new Little Tikes Swing...oh the joy of a little boy discovering new exciting adventures...only one of the many he has yet to delight in:)

There's just nothing sweeter than the laugh of your child...enjoy with us!

Jonathan at 6 months

Can you believe it? Little baby Jonathan is a big 6 months. Our little boy is 28 inches tall. It's been a while since we've added anything - December was a whirlwind. I've got a few videos I'd like to get up in the next weeks.



In the meantime, you can enjoy some more of Diana Simpson's photography! She came by today to photograph Jonathan at 6 months. Go to her blog for more pics and a slideshow.

Jonathan's First Swim

Saturday was the day Amy's been looking forward to for a long time! We suited Jonathan up and ran over to the Y for a little free swim. I think he liked it.

Jonathan at the Park

We took a trip to the park last week to take some 3 month photos of Jonathan. Drew did a great job of capturing his budding personality.

He is smiling and laughing a lot---loves to look at any face, and will talk to you if your commit to having a conversation with him:)

Daddy picked out the alligator toy. He and Jonathan became friends very quickly!

At the Lake House

We enjoyed a couple of relaxing days with our friends Todd and Diana at their folks' lake house last weekend. Jonathan turned 2 months, Daddy turned 408 months, and Mommy turned a couple of 360s on a kneeboard. It was a lot of fun.

Jonathan's Mat Time

Where's our certificate?

We've completed the first month of our new homeschool class, "Parenting by the Seat of Your Pants." Jonathan is one month old, and we are enjoying every day. He is getting more cheeky, and we realized he's put on a nice round belly. He's starting to fuss a little more, so it turns out we don't have a "freakishly perfect baby." I'm learning the upside down principle of tired babies: if baby gets too tired (from going out or breaking routine), their little brain prefers crying to actually resting. It didn't make sense at first, but now I equate it to nights that I'm so tired, I can't turn off the TV. Boys never learn.

Gommy brought Jonathan a special shirt from Oak Island, slightly modified to reflect our story. It says "Someone who loves me went to Oak Island, NC and got ME." Just right.

I've shot some video, but I need to sit down and get it into a watchable format. I've always said that I would NOT be the parent who makes friends (or enemies) sit through 15 minutes of video to find that one scene when the kid does something adorable. ("It's coming up soon - I promise!") I look forward to sharing a little montage of Jonathan's first month.

Amy's been keeping one eye on Jonathan and the other on the Olympics. It's been exciting to think about China and Salem as so much media attention has been focused on China, her people, and her culture. I look forward to seeing the "Bird's Nest" in person when we go and get Jonathan's little sister.

Our friends have been great - folks are bringing a couple of meals by each week, and everyone asks about how we are doing. We are good. Sleepy at times, but not edgy. But what you really want to see are pictures, so here ya go.

By the way, don't be surprised if we move the blog over to Wordpress. Me no likey the way blogger works with photos so much. We'll let you know.

2 weeks old and hittin' the road!

We're gearing up for our first family road trip since Jonathan came home. Gone are the days of two duffel bags and "if we forget it, we don't need it." Jonathan has been sleeping well, so we are eager to see how he does in multiple venues.

We're going to a conference north of DC with Sovereign Grace and we are excited. A great conference will become a bigger adventure as we enjoy it with the little man. As a bonus, we will get to visit with the Northern Scotts on the way back.

In case you haven't heard, God did an incredible thing last week through our church. As surprised as we were byJonathan's arrival, the necessary fees were a bit of a shock as well. We trusted God knew what He was doing, but we didn't know how we were going to see Him take care of the expense. Our church family stepped in and generously provided what we needed. That's no small thing - praise God! You can read our response on Concord's blog.

Baby pictures!

Our friend, Diana Simpson, is an amazing photographer. Just to prove it, visit her site to see some pictures of Jonathan. She spent Tuesday morning with us, and we had a blast. I had no idea a photo shoot could be so much fun. You can look at more pics as a slide show on the same site. Thanks, Diana!

Amy's mom and Drew's parents have been with us for the last several days, fixing up the nursery and getting our house retrofitted for baby. It has been a huge blessing.

We need to figure out how to share stuff folks actually want to read, but a day by day journal would be pretty dull. We'll post when he adds a new trick to his crowd pleasing routine of cry (politely, or course), eat with enhusiasm, burp, poop, and sleep beautifully.

A funny thing happened...

A funny thing happened on the way to finding Salem. And it happened quickly. We'd like to introduce you to our son, Jonathan David.

We'll post more in a bit. We're all doing fine, although a "good night's sleep" now has a different standard of measure.

Thank you for praying for us as we receive this amazing blessing. And don't forget to pray for Salem. With the Olympics and other issues in China, we still expect to wait another 18 months to hear news from Beijing. In that time, we'll have to update our files and China wil review us again. Plus, we'll be raising Salem's big brother. Praise God!

By the way, Cody is learning to love Jonathan, too. He has not, however, offered to help with 3 a.m. feedings.

A Heartbreaking Article

Hello all. I've been looking forward to posting some info about our work over the past 5 months getting the house ready for Salem. I've also had several thoughts I wanted to write out. All very cheery, very hopeful stuff. However, reading this heartbreaking article prompted me to post it first. Thanks to Tim Challies for the reference.

From the article:
The demand is so high that child traffickers unable to find enough willing parties have resorted to snatching youngsters off the streets - and 70,000 disappear each year.

Wang Lee started trading in people in 1985 when he was offered money for his girlfriend. After his wife died, he sold his toddler son. "There's plenty of demand everywhere," he said. "You can sell anywhere, anytime. Demand isn't the problem. The problem is supply.

"When I started you could hook eight out of ten girls, just by having sex with them. It was easy to trick them. Now I'm not selling women so much, mainly just children. If it's a pretty girl then maybe I can get £500 or £600.

"But girls who are ugly, you can't give them away. A boy - goodlooking, a few months old - £700 to £800. But a one or two-year-old boy can fetch an even higher price: £1,100 to £1,200. If the boy's cute and the buyer is rich, maybe more. It's all about negotiation."

Child trafficking is a reality in China, and as our wait has grown, I have found these stories more heartbreaking. It's not because I believe child trafficking is slowing down our adoption - that would be an incredibly self-centered response to this article. This is so much bigger than our slow-coming family. Rather, it is another glimpse of the broken families and the broken system from which our daughter will come. I cannot help but think about the predicament that Salem's birthmom will find herself in when I read about Wai Ling and her newborn at the top of the article.

I am, at the same time, grateful that Salem will be spared from this scenario. Thousands of girls are sold as instant or future wives or much worse. Pray that the Chinese government will act against this abuse. And pray that families will take the courageous (though illegal) step to leave their children to be adopted rather than marketed. I'll also ask you to pray for God to intervene, both in changing the culture that puts all hope in male heirs for the future, devaluing women and turning children into commodities and in the abolition of China's One Child policy. These are not easy problems - they are deep and interconnected. The Gospel has the answer to both of these issues, so pray for the believers in China.

Finally, pray for the lost daughters (and now, sons) of China.

A Sleepy Saturday

Hello to all:) I must say we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends who are faithful to pray and check in on us, even after taking a 10 month hiatus from our blog. You guys are great:)

Today I woke up feeling a little puny, so I am having a sleepy Saturday. The Scott's (Drew's parents) are here for a week to help with the house project. They are in the back of the house getting the walls ready for a second coat of compound while I sit here and rest. (Thanks!)

I guess I should fill you all in for those of you who don't know what is going on here at our little cedar abode. After months of sporadic contemplation on moving to add more space, we began to envision our home being the home our children know. So, we spent the next few months researching, drawing countless blueprints, and planning. In April, we demolished our garage to make way for stronger walls and a second story. We have spent our summer here, working and learning a lot (not only about building a home, but about each other:)). Many people from our church and home have come to help us during each stage of the process. Last week, we finished hanging sheet rock and now have one coat of compound on the walls. Added to the back of our house, now rests (atop our garage) an upstairs master bedroom and bathroom, and a nursery:) We are beginning to imagine little feet pitter-pattering their way down the hallway. It's so fun to go into the nursery and envision the room where our daughter will sleep and play, the corner where she will read countless books, and walls that will surround her.

In the waiting, as the Lord has faithfully led us, we have been so blessed by the many twists and turns that have been in our path. At a time when many people seem to acknowledge the long wait as a negative thing, God had poured His grace on us to recognize it as His time for perfecting of our hearts. Daily we are growing and being challenged in this race of life, and in the midst of it all, He is building our family into a stronger one. We are so grateful for the wisdom of the Lord, to lead us in the way we should go, and for seeing our need for this time in preparing us to be parents.

Please continue to pray for Salem. Pray as the Lord prompts your heart. We love you all!!!

Past The Review Room

Well, we are back with good news today:) Drew surprised me today with a hard copy of the CCAA website stating that all dossiers through July 31, 2006 have been reviewed and are now in line for referral placement!!! Needless to say, tears followed with a HUGE sigh of relief:) We were with the Nichols who adopted their daughter in May eating at SouperSalad. It was great to rejoice with Salem's future buddy:)

If you remember, our login date was July 14, 2006, and we have been waiting for over a year to hear the news we heard today. Although the process is slow, we know that God is creating our daughter and will bring her home in His perfect timing.

Thank you for hanging in there with us. We love you all and look forward to introducing you to Salem:)

Already a Part of Our Family

I cannot begin to describe how the Lord is weaving Salem into our hearts already. I'm not sure, because I am not a parent with a child in my arms yet, but I am beginning to understand the love that a parent has for their child, and we haven't even met her yet. This is truly a God thing and I am enjoying it so much. We love her so very dearly, and cannot wait to share our lives with her.

As a reading teacher, I am enveloped in the arms of books everyday. If I am not reading at school to the children, I am reading at home. Who would have thought that the child who stuggled to enjoy reading would be passionately teaching others the value and excitement of taking a reading adventure through the pages of books. Everyday I thank God for my job and the joy it brings to not only help little ones discover the joy of reading, but to discover it myself. I so look forward to the day when I can hold Salem and read to her. If I can help it, our house will be bursting with books and a place where adventure begins. Already, we have the original copies of mommy and daddy's favorite books stashed away waiting for her. While I patiently pass up the cute clothes (we don't know what size she will wear and in what seasons yet), I am already making a steady collection of reading material.

Lord, above all, we pray that You will begin to give Salem a love for Your Word. As you care for her and draw her near, will You speak Your Word over her and develop inside her heart a longing for You. We love You, our Lord and Sustainer. Thank you for the gift of Truth!!!

Shame indeed

Two things bring shame on a home. One is dressing pets up in costumes. It's simply inexcusable. Look how sad this dog is. Cody goes limp when you put a hat on him. Why? He doesn't want our neighbor dogs to see. And they shouldn't have to. It's just wrong.

The other great shame is a blog that goes over a month without an update. But it is a shared shame. We started this blog to keep people up to date on the progress of our adoption. The problem is: no progress, no update. Yes, the big wait is just that. And it just got longer. Today's Bethany update said the wait from log in date (LID) to referral is now 14-15 months. The travel date to China after referral is received is averaging at 7-10 weeks. So for the last three months, people have asked when we anticipate seeing progress in our adoption. Amy and I have been saying "about a year" for three months, and we will likely repeat that answer until we see any evidence of the wheels turning across the Pacific.

Anyway, we are reading and learning a lot and will likely begin posting some things we are hearing in trainings. We realize our adoption process, like our daughter, isn't just ours - it belongs to our whole family and to our community. So maybe we can give everyone a heads up about some of the issues we are likely to face as a cross cultural family. Or maybe we can pass on what we are reading about creating a Gospel-centered home. Anyway, we will set shame aside and press on. We are encouraged as we see the Lord filling our days with blessings and responsibilities. Keep praying for Salem and for all her parents. Check back in a month. Maybe we'll squeeze out another post or two!

Logged In! the Big Wait begins...

Well, we got our last official word of progress until we get our referral letter. Bethany called to tell us our dossier was LOGGED IN on July 14, 2006. This means our dossier is officially "in line" to be reviewed and then (and most importantly) matched. This news should be tempered by the fact that this line is very long, and has been moving slowly. We anticipate at least a year-long wait until we get a referral. So, the Big Wait begins!

This really gets me thinking a lot. I mean, if Salem isn't born yet, her mom is very pregnant. This is a great time to join us in prayer. Amy's already posted about how you can pray with us.

Don't think this is discouraging for us! We are very excited, and this is just one more part of the process. In fact, we are more than halfway through the process. That's a great feeling!

Overseas :)

We are excited to inform you all that TODAY we received the document in the mail stating that our dossier was sent to China (DTC) on June 29!!! For the past few weeks, it has been in between leaving our fingertips and being sealed up to leave on its Salem-bound journey to the orient. Grand Rapids has been successful in processing our paperwork and now its finally on its way:) Now we wait to hear from China. In a few weeks (we hope), we will hear from the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) with word that our dossier has been "logged in". Once we have a LID (Log In Date), then the official waiting begins. It looks like it may be next summer or fall before we receive a referral.

What an excitement it was today to open that envelope and see those words!!! I must admit, it has been difficult over the past few weeks. The referral wait time continues to increase and has us wondering if it will continue as steadily or if the processing rate will decrease. Of course, that is what we are praying for. Please pray that the CCAA will hire more workers to help with the back log. And pray for those workers, that the Lord will bless them in their work.

We look on in faith with you. Thank you for praying for our little girl :)

How to Pray for Salem

Our friends, Stephen and Suzanna Nichols (who are about 6 months ahead of us in the adoption process), had a section of their blog dedicated to helping those reading the updates know how to pray for their daughter. We thought it was a great idea!!!

The following is a weekly prayer guide. Drew and I invite you to pray with us for Salem and her journey home. I'm going to cut and paste it onto a word document and plaster it to my bathroom mirror. Feel free to do the same:)

Sunday - the birth family of our little girl
Pray for the protection and health of the birth mother during pregnancy, delivery, and recovery; comfort and peace for the birth father and the birth mother as they struggle with and finally relinquish their daughter

Monday - the birth of our baby
Pray that all goes well with her delivery and there are no complications.

Tuesday - the abandonment process
Pray that she will be found quickly and out of harms way; comfort and peace for the birth family.

Wednesday - the orphanage
Pray that it will be a clean, adequately staffed facility with good care for the all the babies and children who live there.

Thursday - physical health of our little girl
Pray that all of her physical needs are being met; pray for her physical development and stimulation.

Friday - emotional health of our little girl
Pray that someone will pick her up when she cries and that she is nurtured and loved until we can get there to nurture and love her; pray that her transition from the orphanage to our family will go smoothly, that she will learn to recognize us and trust us as her parents.

Saturday - spiritual health of our little girl
Pray that our baby will always feel love, comfort and peace from her heavenly Father, but especially until we can get there to comfort her ourselves; pray that the Lord would give her a tender heart and make her into a woman after His own heart.

And if you ever want to pray for us as well, pray that He would prepare us fully, continuing to mold us into godly parents, for the calling ahead.

On It's Way:)

God is good!!! If you read the previous update, then you know that just yesterday we were anticipating another week of waiting on test results for the final preparations of our dossier. However, when I came home from church last night, there was a message on our answering machine from Laura, one of Dr. Duff's nurses, to inform us that our test results were ready for pick-up!!! So, it turns out that the initial information we recived from the lab tech was correct---only one day's wait.

This morning, I went to the Dr's office first thing (well, after our early morning workout), secured the results in hand and personally delivered them to Bethany. I just received an email from Mary that GR called and they are sending it off for authentication...which means everything is in order:) Yeah!!!