FINALLY SOME NEWS!

We finally got our TA today this is our Travel Authorization from China to travel as well today we received our Visa to Travel to China. I am so excited I can barely stand it!! Finally sweet baby girl we will be on our way soon. In fact our tentative travel date is June 26 so we are hoping that will be it! Stay Tuned...

Dear Sweet Daughter,

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.

My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.

But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head.

Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round.

Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.

And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas.

They reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,

you're also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.

And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,

I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike; we're different as can be.

But still I know the Father has created you for me.

And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands,

and though we're half a world apart in very different lands.

I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows.

But til He says the time is right I give to you this vow.

I'll pray for your protection every night on bended knee.

For God will hold you in His arms, until you're here with me.

More goodies...

Our Social Worker who did our Homestudy was just delightful and I will always remember her. She sent us these goodies last week in the mail. I will charish them -- they are so sweet!!

WAITING UPDATE

Okay, I am sooo far behind on this blogging thing that I have a lot of catching up to do. So, I will start by saying that we have a tentative travel date of June 26. Now this is if everything falls into place as it should. And, we all know how that goes.

This lovely Piggy Bank that Aunt Betty gave us quite a while back. It already has her first money in it. It is adorable.

Now, right after we got our Referral I got a little gift in the mail from Dear Dear Donna. Here it is. It is so precious and I love it so much!!

Then the first gift for Izabella I got after we got our referral was this and I just says soo much...

Update

We have been told by our agency that everything is okay in the area of Chongqing that Izabella is. Just keep praying for the whole area. It has had horrible devastation and I feel so sad for the people of China.

Worried...

CHONGQING, China - One of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China on Monday, killing nearly 9,000 people, trapping about 900 students under the rubble of their school and causing a toxic chemical leak, state media reported.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated a hilly region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan alone and dozens of other deaths were reported in surrounding areas.
Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.
State media said a chemical plant in Shifang city had cratered, burying hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia from the site.
The earthquake sent thousands of people rushing out of buildings and into the streets hundreds of miles away in Beijing and Shanghai. The temblor was felt as far away as Vietnam and Thailand.

I'm so worried about Izabella today!! I am just praying that God will watch over her and keep her safe until we can get to her!!

MOTHERS DAY!

This was given to me by my mother on my first Mothers Day. And mom gave this this adorable little set for Izabella... Scott's mom and dad gave us this video monitor that I hope will ease my fears of having Izabella's room upstairs. I hope...

This came from one of my Precious Panda friends and I felt like I would share it today in honor of Mothers Day!! It made me smile since I don't have my sweet Izabella today!!

Today we had our family over and after dinner me, mom, mom-in-law and brothers girl friend went up stairs where he had ALL the clothes that Izabella has been given over the last 3 years and got them sorted and her room more organized. Still have a lot to do but I feel less stressed today and feel like that has been a big weight lifted!! Take a gander at the finished closet.

It was a very nice day - only wishing Izabella's was in our arms!!

FINALLY SHE IS HERE!!!

Izabella FuLing Simpson

Isn't she beautiful!

We are sooooo blessed to FINALLY have our little girl!! Here is what happened and sorry it has taken so long but we have been on the road since this am at 8:30 and had NO IDEA this was going to happen! I talked to Ebbie (atour agency) Wednesday and he said, we have no word and with the holiday they won't probably arrive until next week. So I have been so bummed all week since then. We ALMOST cut our trip short by one day but we were with another couple and my friend convinced me to stay and shop with her all day!! We shopped until I thought I would die! Major retail therapy! So, we left Pigeon Forge, TN this morning at 8:15 just ready to come home have had a headache for two days -- must have been that pre-labor stuff! Anyhow we are driving home and it was a 4 hour trip and we got to Versailles, Ky which is right past Lexington where our agency is and Susan R. called and said they heard word about Sophia, so I started freaking -- soooo happy and thrilled for them. I thought maybe I need to call Ebbie - our family advocate at our agency, A Helping Hand (HAA). So I called and they transferred and it went directly to voicemail and then my call waiting kicked in from AHH and at that point I was FREAKING OUT!! So I immediately called back and he was actually calling me when I was calling him. At the same time all this was happening, I was driving, trying to call and get it on speaker phone and it was finally getting there and I whipped the car into the Versailles Exit and pulled over literally on the exit ramp edge and brought the car to a screeching halt and Scott was like, you cannot park here and I said Watch Me!! So Ebbie left a message saying that he had our referral to call him and we turned around and was in his office 15 minutes later in Lexington. It could not have happened any more perfect.



So......



Her Chinese name is Fu Ling Yang



She is almost 7 months old and weighs 13 pounds & 24 inches long



Her birthday is October 9, 2007



She is from Yunyang SWI



She is so sweet and we are so in love. We neither one know how to act right now. We are in shock and excited and scared and tired and all emotional. So, tonight we suprised our parents and told them at dinner tonight! I cannot believe this is finally happening!!

You all mean so much to us and we are so glad to share this with you and cannot wait to see her sweet face in China. We will probably travel sometime in July so now we have a lot of work to do!!



SUSAN AND RIZ Can you believe it!!!!



And everyone else that is to come!! It does happen and will happen -- all in time. Hang in there my Precious Pandas!!~!



This is so surreal~~