{WE GOT OUR TA}

There are two ways to live your life.

One is as if nothing is a miracle.

The other is as if everything is!

~Albert Einstein

FINALLY!!!! We got an email this morning from our agency that our TA came in!!! SO, we should be flying out January 14th!!!! My husband has to work in Beijing for a week, then we will continue with our group and tour for a day, then fly to our province. Our "GOTCHA Day" is on January 25th and we will find out Monday when our consulate appointment will be. I am jumping up and down with pure JOY...I seriously cannot wait until I have Makayla in my arms and give her TONS of smooches!!! The count down begins...26 days!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR too! Wishing you all a wonderful NEW year full of Love, Health and Happiness!!!

OFF to PACK...

{Article 5}

FINALLY, we got it...the Article 5!!!!!!!! It was dated December 16, 2009. I am so excited that wait is OVER. On to the next wait... The Travel Approval (TA)! We should hear next week! Keep us in your prayers PLEASE!

Also, I wanted to UPDATE you on the Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser. We didn't have the turnout we had hoped for, but we still made $150 the first night and $67 the second afternoon. For a total of $217. We also had a silent auction and that was really a BLESSING!!! I had put together and made 15 baskets and they are ALL GONE!!! Thank you LORD!!! We made $391 from the Silent Auction for a grand TOTAL of $608 for our weekend!!!

I want to thank so many people who were involved in making this happen for us...

DONATIONS:

• Troop 413 (my son's Boy Scout Troop) for a $25 donation
• Albertson's Grocery Store: Manager Debbie, for 12 jars of Prego pasta sauce and 14 pkgs of pasta
• Safeway: Manager Wendy-$25 worth of product
• Yokes: Manager John-salad fixin's
• Mark & Tamara Flippen: 5 loaves of bread, plates, cups, time and energy!!!

CHURCH:

• Pastor Mark & Tamara Flippen: for the use of their church & their open arms to our adoption!

SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS:

• Lisa Kelsey: Fifth Avenue Jewelry
• Cortney Dotson: Asian outfit
• Jan Simpson: Asian cards
• Karen Lyons: hand painted silk scarves

HELPERS:

• Charlotte Sweeney: ROCKED the kitchen!!!
• Allan Sweeney: Can really set up the place!!!
• Sandy Otis: FABULOUS server & cabinet cleaner!!!
• Chris Bowers: SPECTACULAR silent auction manager!!!
• Alex Sweeney: AWESOME Boy Scout, all around helper!!!
• Melissa Sweeney: BEAUTIFUL helper all around!!!
• Kassi Sweeney: STUNNING in red!
• Wil Simpson: Can run errands like a PRO!!! Always knew what to do and how to do it!
• Jan Simpson: SALAD Queen and anything else we needed!!!
• Pastor Mark: Keeping the power going and his food handlers permit

A special THANK YOU to everyone who came and supported us!!! We are so grateful for each and everyone of you and your hearts for our adoption.

I will post pictures soon!

{MADE MY DAY}

{LO is linked for credits}

Are we blessed or what?!? Last month we sent Makayla a package and along with it, 13 questions seeking more information about Makayla. The Orphanage director was to answer these and send them to us. However, she was away on business and it took a while to get the answers.

Not only did we get the 13 questions answered, we got NEW pictures!!! We have had a pretty rough week and yesterday morning we got an email that the answers and pictures of our daughter and they made me SMILE!!! I don't mean like "Oh, how cute", but I mean my heart smiled (which always makes me cry happy tears) and I can't wait to hear the giggle that goes along with that smile of hers!!!

ANSWERS...kind of, but the picture was worth waiting for!!!

• The orphanage staff chose Shi Lei as her name


• Shi Lei means "try to use his ability to do the best thing "


• Shi Lei likes to play games,drawing and play with balls


• She is not very picky with her food


• She can eat food by herself(use spoon)


• Until now the orphanage staff have not found that Shi lei is sensitive to anything yet


• Playing games or eating food make her very happy


• She likes her teachers and caretakers


• When she was found, there was a note said her birthday date.


• She still can not speak yet


• She can draw paintings, she can paint different colors and she also can take care of her toys too


• She is outgoing


• Everybody calls her Shi Lei there

This is my FAVORITE one!!!

I can do ALL thing through Christ who strengthens me. ~Philippians 4:13

We wish you all a happy healthy holiday season!

Love,
The Sweeney Family

{SPAGHETTI FEED}

We are having our LAST fundraiser before we leave for China to bring home our little Makayla. It will be THIS Saturday, December 19th from 1-5 p.m. Bring your friends & family and enjoy a yummy Spaghetti Dinner at Immanuel Baptist Church, 5109 N. Adams Street, Spokane WA 99205. The cost is by DONATION. There will also be a silent auction if there are still Christmas presents you need to purchase!!! THANK YOU all for your constant support in our adoption process. I am so ready to just be home with my little one being the Mom I know how to be.

Hope you can make it!
Blessings,
Fonnetta & Family

UPDATE:
I also wanted to let you know we were denied on yet another grant. So, out of the 7 we applied for we have been denied on 5. We did recieve a grant from IBSEN (Washington residence only) and are still in line to hear from "A Child Waits Foundation". Today's denial came from Show Hope. We were really thinking we might qualify for this one and it was taking so long for them to process everything...but we got a letter today and they cannot help us. We were so bummed, but I know God has a plan and we are really praying hard for that right now.

{VISA'S}

Peace

We got the news that our Visa's will be arriving TODAY at our home!!!! It seems to be a lot of little baby steps...but I am pretty sure we are moving forward! lol

Have a blessed day!

{Dream}

Forever

Family

Last night I had a wonderful dream about Makayla! I wanted to share my dream with you before I forgot or my memory wasn't as clear...

It was a very vivid dream and in color. I don't know anything about reading dreams, but I do know color doesn't happen very ofter, or so I am told?!? Anyway, it was a very short dream, but I remember it very well! Makayla had her cute pudgy little baby hands on my face, one on each of my cheeks and we were nose to nose. She looked so happy and I felt a sense of peace that I have not felt in a long time. We were gazing into each others eyes and she was feeling my face yet holding it very firm. She looked in to my eyes and said, "I love you MaMa, I love you Mama!".

Like I said it was very brief, but WOW was I one HAPPY MaMa!!! I remember her hands were so tiny and soft and we were both so HAPPY to finally be together! It was so incredible to get to see her, feel her touch and hear her little girl voice! The strange part about all of this is I don't even know if she can speak or hear!!! I just know that I love her very much and I haven't even met her. I am amazed how fast we can fall in love with a child we have never met, yet our hearts are so ready for each other!

Every time I thought about my dream today I cried! It was wonderful to spend those few minutes with her, but at the same time I miss her terribly right now. Thanks so much for letting me be "REAL" with all of you! I am trying so hard to be positive. I want to be with her NOW, yet we will be together in a matter of weeks and that doesn't seem to unbearable, YET!

Hugs,

Fonnetta

{Life for Wu Shilei}

Again...I realized I hadn't posted this information about our daughter. This was the information in her file that we read upon accepting her file in July of 2009.

Taken in October 23, 2007 (3 1/2 months)

Wu Shilei, female, DOB: July 6, 2007 (according to a note along with her when picking her up), was abandoned at the back of Laoren Pavilion of Wangjang Eastern Road of Wenzhou City, and she was sent to our SWI by the policemen from Zhongshan Police Station of Wenzhou City. On admission the physical examination showed weight: 6.9kg, height: 60 cm, head size: 41 cm, chest size: 41 cm, ruddy skin, normal body temperature, good nutrition, normal skull, soft neck, symmetric thorax, soft abdomen. PE diagnosis: Other condition is TBD. Under the excellent care of our institute, she has strengthened body. Now (March 19, 2009) she is 10kg in weight, 77 cm in height, 44.5cm in head circumference and 46cm in chest circumference, 16 teeth. The hearing in both ears has no response.

Motor development: being able to crawl, climb up, use thumbs and index fingers deftly, walk when one hand is held.

Adaptability: being able to look dropped toys, fetch toys, bang two blocks together, turn pages without purpose.

Language and social ability: being able to distinguish strangers and acquaintances, respond to others' asking for her objects, know the meaning of "NO", be timid and quiet, love watching TV, be fond of listening to music and have a ready smile.GROWTH REPORT UPDATE on WU SHILEI: September 29, 2009
Current physical development:
Height: 32.7 inches, Weight: 26.4 pounds, Chest size: 20.09 inches, Head size: 18.91 inches, Foot length: 5.12 inches, Teeth: 12.

She is suffering from hearing loss. Her physical development and intelligence are good. Now she is two years old and can play blocks and read books. She can run and walk smoothly. She understands the directions from her teachers and gets on well with other children. She is not a picky eater and has excellent appetite. She is up-to-date all immunization now.

Children's Welfare Institute
9-29-09
UNDATED PHOTOS





The meaning of her name WU SHILEI
WU: surname or a state in the Zhou Dynasty
SHI: carry out, exert, apply
LEI: bud (like before a flower)
MAKAYLA: Who is like God. The first three letters stand for Melissa, Alex, Kassandra. It is the female form of Michael (her Daddy's name) and ends in "A" just like her Mommy and sisters names do. Her name couldn't be more PERFECT!

Blessings,
The Sweeney's

{Update}

We had some exciting news the other day (12-2-09)...we received a letter that stated our daughter's visa had been cabled to Guangzhou on November 26th!!! It was so neat to see that they stated she is an "Immediate Relative". We then thought we would be hearing ANY-DAY about our Article 5 (usually takes 2 weeks)...but I talked with GWCA this morning and Nancy said the Article 5's are taking about 4 weeks now. She is not sure why, but they are. That puts us at Christmas before we get our Article 5 and then two weeks after that for Travel Approval (TA). I was so disappointed, but I know there is a greater plan and I just have to trust God in that! So, at this point we won't be traveling until January! Makayla (Wu Shilei) will officially be 2 1/2 years old then. I was kind of shocked that we chose her the month she turned two and it will have taken 6 months to bring her home!!!!

We also had applied for her "Findings Ad" and found out this morning that we will not get that until we are in China. I was bummed, I wanted to see her baby picture before we left. Right now any kind of news would be fantastic!!

AND...Our IBSEN grant made it to GWCA!!! Praise God on that!!! We have been denied on 4 other grants that we had applied for and IBSEN is the only one we have actually received!! Thanks so much IBSEN!!!! Every little bit helps at this point.

More news...we will be the only family in our group that will be traveling to the Hangzhou Province when our group goes to China. Which is perfectly fine, but still interesting that it will just be us! Since we have been following so many other blogs, it has kind of prepared us for the trip and I am thankful for that!!!

Even MORE news...We will be having a
Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser on
SATURDAY, December 19, 2009
from 1-5 pm.

The location is:
Immanuel Baptist Church
5109 N. Adams Street
Spokane, WA 99205

The cost is BY DONATION, so please mark your calendars and come and enjoy a spaghetti dinner with us!

Well, there is an update on all we know at this point!

I hope this finds you all well and thank you for your prayers!
The Sweeney's

{Baby Shower}

Since I seem to have time while I am waiting (im)patiently...I realized that I had not posted pictures of the wonderful shower that my friends threw for me and Makayla! We had a fabulous time..THANK YOU SANDY and CHRIS! My shower was so PRETTY! I loved every minute of it. The games were hysterical and so much thought and preparation went in to it all! I felt LOVED and Makayla is officially spoiled! I hope you all enjoy the slide show! Thank you also to my wonderful friends who could not make it to the shower, but sent gifts anyway! I love you ALL!!!

~Slide Show of my shower is at the bottom of the thread!~

Blessings,
Fonnetta