travel, travel, travel!!!

WOW - Things move FAST. We have been approved to travel mid-september. God bless Aunt Heather and her connections in processing RJ's passport so quickly! We would have been stuck if it wasn't for her. We just can't wait to ge there and hold our darling boy. The packing list gets longer and longer and the suitcase smaller and smaller. My office has been great dealing with my distractions. SO! now we are just waiting to see how far they get with this month's referrals so that all the other waiting families will see their children's faces. Now that I know what it's like to get that call, I wish that I could call them all personally!

More to come...

Info on our Zachary

We have finally received our translated report on little Zachary. We found it hilarious that he has so many similarities to RJ - he MUST be meant for us! Here is what we have been told(this is the direct translation):

• He was found abandoned before the gate of Changchun Motel, Huang Cao Bam Manhao Town, Gejiu on 1-23-2007 and identified as an orphan by Jinhu police station.
• Development: his limbs are agile. He can raise head while lying on chest, turn over while lying on back, grasp toy near him, locate sounds, and fix eyes on moving toys or people. When he hears someone say his name, he would turn his head. He would laugh out.
• He lives in institute with other children. He has good eating and sleeping habits.
  Main Foods: milk
  Snacks: rice, meat, egg, vegetable and fruit
• He is active, clever and busy. He gets along well with others and reflects quickly. He likes to listen to the music and play toys. He is energetic, out-going and sometimes fussy and stubborn. He likes to stay with other kids. He has good social skills.

Introducing...

We have finally decided on a name for our son. The name he was given, was given to him by the Orphanage and holds no family meaning. We have found in our research (Qs) that for each calendar year, the babies at the Gejiu SWI are given the same last name, i.e., all the babies in 2006 have the name Zhang, or so we have heard. Regardless, we would like to make sure he has a connection to China, so we are keeping his initials, Z. H. To connect him to our family, he will have Q's middle name, Hallum, a family name. And so our son is named....

Zachary Hallum

Zachary = "God Remembered" and I think He did when He sent Zachary and RJ to us.

Where is Yunnan Province?!?!?

This is a map of China. Our son is in Yunnan Province. It is in southwest China near Laos and Vietnam

Here is a closeup map of Yunnan. Kunming is the capitol city. Gejiu is south of Kunming.

Here is a picture of the Gejiu Social Welfare Institute in Yunnan Province where our son is waiting

This is the view of the gate leading up to the Orphanage

This is the view from his front door

This is the view from his back door

What a day! REFERRAL DAY!!

There really aren't words to describe today. Since this is a blog, words are kind of important so I will give it a shot. We were SURE, absolutely sure, that referrals were not coming today. I even left my cell phone at my desk for a couple of hours - unattended!!! At around 1:45 the call came in. I was on another call but saw the area code where my agency is. Needless to say, my caller got dumped and my world changed forever. I conferenced in Q so we could be on the call together. "Congratulations, you have a little boy and he's adorable" I don't think we said anything. A boy!?! We couldn't believe it. We didn't request either gender, but we were so sure we would have a girl. It took HOURS to get those pictures, but as you can see, he is the most adorable child with a sweet smile and bright shining eyes. "Cloud Nine" doesn't quite describe the ride we are on right now. So, all my little girl clothes are packed in a bag off to my neice and I am ready, ready, ready to become the mother of TWO of the cutest boys in the world. RJ is going to love being a big brother (except for the sharing part). A new countdown begins....travel. More on that as we get information. Until then, please meet....

Zheng Huang

born 12.23.2006

Yunnan Province

Gejiu SWI

As of June 5.2007

13.5 pounds

25 inches long



He is a light sleeper, loves to laugh, sucks his fingers, is active and restless.

He can roll over, grasp a toy and has no teeth.
AND he's CUTE!