Chen Chronicles

I have wanted to write this entry for a few days, but it has truly bothered me how much money President Putin spent on the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Just the cost of the opening ceremony alone was $750,000 .  Yes, 3/4 of a million dollars.  But yet, he cannot address the orphan problem in his own country and take care of his own people . The Olympics are known for showcasing extreme talent in young athletes, some even as young at 15 years old.  But it makes me SICK to think of all the suffering that is going on over there to these innocent babies in "baby homes," which they so-named them.  Why not call them what they are? They are mini-prisons where, even when an orphan ages out of them, they are destined to a life of crime, prostitution and replicating the current trend of orphans.   My life was forever changed the day I set foot inside the orphanage in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2010 when we adopted our daughter in 2011.  Tomorrow will be the three-...

An observation of a friend prompted today's blog post.  I usually do not go overboard when it comes to political correctness, or PC as my husband and I like to call it. This is a sensitive enough topic, alone, without having to throw in the PC issue.  This friend observed some signs at our church which advertised for our Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) group.  The fliers had a who, what, when, where, kind of format and under the who, they stated, "In utero through eighth grade."   As many of you know, I am an adoptive mother and this bothered me as well as a friend of mine who understands that not all mothers come in the form of biology. I normally would not take offense to something like this, except that the audience the group wishes to attract is ALL mothers-to-be.   I know many might argue that a "prospective adoptive parent," isn't an "expectant mother," but many of us travel this journey of miles of paperwork and red tape because we h...

Normally, I can watch a television movie and not be so emotionally affected by it that it changes my day, but this is not the case with the film, Like Dandelion Dust.   I held Katie a little closer when she woke up from her rest time/nap because it just further reinforced how much I love her and want nothing but the best for her.  The movie came on at some point in the last few days on Lifetime Movie Network and I DVR movies sometimes for later use.  It was a cold, snowy, movie kind of day.  So when Katie took a small nap today, I was able to watch this...and I cried....no, I bawled like a baby!!! The film is about two adoptive parents and a son, living an idyllic lifestyle in a nice home with their son.  The birth mother in this, fictional story, based off several REAL events, had an abusive relationship with the child's birth father.  He went to prison for beating her and breaking her arm.  He had issues with alcoholism.  This isn't...

Handwriting Horrors & God's Majesty Lately, we have been working with Katie on her handwriting.  I just have to make the statement that I have a whole new respect for teachers who teach these littles proper handwriting.  There is probably nothing more frustrating (at least that I have seen so far), than teaching my daughter to write her letters.  So, let me show you what she does with the lowercase "i." So we have been explaining to her that a lowercase "i" isn't a line with a circle above it or even a line with a dot touching it.  Aaron has had to even work with her on it.  We downloaded an App for the 1st generation iPad that she uses to "write" her letters with a stylus.  So far, this is the letter she has had the most trouble with...and seemingly, it should be an easy one.  At school, they are doing "Handwriting without Tears."  I am glad at the moment we only have ONE child to teach how to write.  I have to say tha...

One day, I shall turn all of this into a book, beginning of when Aaron & I met and going forward.  There are not many couples who can say they met on e-harmony, have traveled extensively and that are now adopting a beautiful baby girl from literally the other side of the world!  This blog has been very therapeutic for me.  I know it has for many other families who have and are adopting as well.  I hope we can keep it up once our little girl is home so that other families have the kind of encouragement I have.   Aaron spoke to Oksana, our Russian coordinator/translator and she seems very nice!  We are thoroughly impressed with the service and the hospitality extended to us through Beacon House and Building Blocks.  I've said it before on this, but we would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone wishing to adopt internationally.  They are SO very personable and always available to talk when you need them!!!! We are SOOOO excited because ...

So, I haven't been to sleep at all tonight and it's 3:40am here. I've tried my normal sleep medication so I thought writing and getting some of my feelings out there might be a great way to get some sleep. You know, that unburdening feeling...that might make me feel better. I read a quote today about adoption and wanted to share it: Pray, hope and don't worry. Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer. --- Saint Padre Pio I sure do hope this saint is correct because we are ALL praying for our little Katie and trying our best NOT to worry about the outcome, or specifically, when we are going to get a referral. I think it is all-consuming these days.  Some days it is easier and others harder.  Though when I consider where Aaron and I both are in life at this moment, it almost seems better that we get our little one next year because he'll be closer to being done with graduate school (graduates in June) and he can come hom...

So, we've all heard the saying that, "God is never late...he is always on time.."  This doesn't, however, mean he is on OUR time and this is becoming more evident as we wait for news on our adoption.  Friday, we were pretty upset because that morning our agency called and said it would be 2-3 months before the rep in Russia expected to get ANY referrals.  That time period was okay, because we knew with diligence and hard work on our end that we may be able to complete our adoption of our Katie Allison by Christmas this year.  That STILL MIGHT happen, but then that afternoon we got another call and our coordinator told us that because we are requesting a baby girl under age 2 (whom we will name Katie Allison Chen), that this could take 6-9 months before we receive a referral.  Taking what she said to heart was very difficult and sad as we had been dreaming of a Christmas as a family of three.  This isn't to say that won't happen, but it isn't as likely as i...

I found an article online while researching adjustment periods post-adoption and thought it quite interesting because it makes a very pivotal point in saying that adoptive parents are not the only ones who are abusive to their children....or to the extreme even kill their children.  I was researching this because I did not understand WHY someone who go to such great lengths to adopt a child (emotionally, financially, etc) and then allow these things to happen.  This article explains a lot.  It also interested me because in college (yes, I studied a particular area of Sociology) and that was Sociology of Childhood.   I guess it saddens me to think that other prospective adoptive parents may never get the chance to love a Russian baby because of a handful of people's actions.  Should Russia close adoptions to the U.S., Aaron and I will choose another country.  We don't plan on waiting for them to iron everything out because that could take a long time....