This is the 1st glimpse we had of HaiYang, actually it was a tiny black and white of just her face from this photo. I am guessing this picture was taken about 2 years ago. We were pretty secretive about our plans to adopt again, we didn't want to get everyone excited if it never happened. We started watching the SN lists in January of '08. Well, that isn't completely true, I had been watching them off and on since we returned home with Tessie, we just became more serious about it at that time. I think we were both feeling sort of "now or never", after all we aren't getting any younger.
I have to be honest we were not immediately sure, I know that sounds terrible, but we already had 2 children and we were not sure about her SN - she was listed as multiple SN. Turned out all her needs are is a corrected VSD (tiny hole in her heart) and corrected cleft lip/cleft palate.
I would go back to her little photo every day or so for about a week, Lucie knew we were thinking about adopting and she was very much for it, so I would let her view the lists with me. Lucie knew I had a soft spot for this little one and as it turned out so did she. I caught her looking at her photo on-line several times. One evening Lucie and I went out to dinner (I think Tessie was with Grandma) and out of the blue she said, "Mommy I think we should bring that little girl home", she blew me away, there was something in her that just knew we were supposed to make HaiYang part of our family. The next day I requested her complete file, a day or so later asked to be matched and shortly after we were matched..... and the process began.
That all seems like such long time ago. As the months passed we were given updates and a few newer pictures and finally, late last year we found out she was at New Hope, what a gift, once we had that information we were given many updates and photo from families that had already traveled. It was wonderful to know that she was taken to such a fantastic place and was given the love and care she needed to survive and thrive. New Hope is truly amazing and we are so looking forward to visiting while in Country. My hope is to return again when the girls are a little older so we can spend a few weeks volunteering. It is hard to say what will happen in the next 7 or 8 years but it is something to work toward.
