October 1, 2004

Caring for and serving families in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama,  Mississippi,
Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana 

Just wanted to send a few pictures of Julia.  She is 2 and feisty.  Can't wait to bring her home.

Thanks again

Ian is doing great.  He is: 

Almost 17 months old. 
A "good boy", "good eater", "good sleeper" as they said at the orphanage 
Quite large, both in height and in weight.   
Easygoing with a sunny disposition - but is starting to exert his independence and will.
Active: Running, climbing, chasing 
Curious: Can open things you don't expect him to be able to open 
Saying all kinds of things like mamma, dadda, and "tractor". 
 

Here’s our little Sergei.  He has grown 2 inches since last Summer.  We are one very happy little family!  (Editor’s Note:  Sergie was adopted last year at the age of 13, and enjoys golfing with his dad!)

We are so blessed to have Meisi Li (Lei Qing Yue) as part of our forever family. She is such a beautiful and happy baby.  She has already made such great progress in just one week: from starting to crawl, eat from a spoon, and becoming acquainted with our dog and cat. From the moment we saw her precious eyes and heard her little laugh, we knew that this little girl would make a dramatic impact on our lives and the lives of our family and friends. We would like to thank God, CHI, and the coordinators in China who made the trip most memorable and enjoyable. Our hearts go out to those children left behind who may never have a forever family, especially those in China.  Our one prayer is that other loving families consider international adoption to complete their forever families. We are more than willing to answer any questions of those families who are considering international adoption, in the process of adoption, or would like to hear more about our journey to China to adopt our daughter.
 

 Nicolette (Yi Wen Luo), is great, she's 18 months old, and very healthy.  So far all her medical stuff is turning out perfect, and she is adjusting well.  It couldn't be going any better.

She sleeps all night, takes a nap, eats solid foods, says a few English words, and is potty trained.  She does have her moments, but seems mostly related to just being a toddler.

 

We are doing great. Hannah is an angel baby. She is so good natured and just have adjusted beautifully. We are SO happy to have her home!

We are doing really well. The trip was great and everything went off without a hitch. Our group in Nanchang was large (20 families!) but we made some good friends. Our CHI guides were great and we felt they sincerely cared for all of us and our new daughters. Settling in to life in Nashville has been an adjustment but compared to others in our travel group, I think we are lucky. It only took Sarah about a week to adjust to this time zone and she has been sleeping (most of the time) through the night. She eats really well, in fact, I am absolutely amazed at how much she eats in a day. She gained 3/4 pound in 10 days, bringing her up to a whopping 15 pounds (she's 10 months old, it's not on the growth chart yet).  

We really are enjoying parenthood and are so thankful for everything you all did to get us here.
 

Our little Megan Grace is a true blessing.  She is so sweet and so good!!  We are so thankful for her.  She was definitely worth the wait!!

Of course the pictures don't do her justice.  She is absolutely beautiful!! 

Here are a picture of our Joshua in Sunday School. 

 
He loves to be around other children!  Thanks so much for all of your help in this journey.  We are so happy and love him so much. 

(Editor’s Note:  This is an exert from their long diary.  Please let us know if you want to read the rest, and we can send to you!)

 We have met Olga & she is a beauty. She is very sweet & she & Ian are getting along well. She loves her Papi a lot, but Mami is definitely the favorite. They are very similar to each other in looks, disposition, & quirks. She is so sweet, and you can tell she thinks she has died and gone to heaven

We brought with us a stuffed rabbit, which is her conichita and several things with butterflies, both only on a whim. She loves rabbits in fact one of the few mementos she has gotten to retain is a rabbit placard that we haven’t slowed down enough to try & translate. She also loves butterflies. She eats well & swims like a fish. In fact her favorite entrance into the pool is a front flip. We are considering nicknaming her flipper. Today we bought her a Barbie, so Ian is grossed out & she is in heaven.
 
Dale & I are doing well, if not exhausted. Taxing physically & emotionally but much easier than anticipated so far. Both of these kids have the sweetest hearts & each have hugged the other when they saw the other hurting. The world down here is different, Bogota is huge. We´re now in Bucamaranga, a city of roughly 1 million or so. The people hear are muy genial & the food is super bueno.

Just a quick update to let you know that we are back from our first trip.  It was great getting to hold that beautiful little boy in my arms.  We are going back at the end of this month.  We are very excited.

 The Walk For Hope 2004 is a fun way to raise money to benefit the medical needs of orphans around the world.  Every year, we hear about orphans in many places who need special medical care – care that is typically out of the ordinary ability of the orphanages to provide.  CHI Foundation helps many of these children to receive medicine and medical care including surgeries such as those to correct cleft lips and palates, severe heart disease and orthopedic needs.

What can you do to help?  Register for the Walk!  If you are able to participate and attend our annual Walk For Hope, your participation will demonstrate your support and love for the children.  With your registration fee, you will enjoy a beautiful walk around Granny White Park in Brentwood, a satisfying lunch, a free T-shirt, children’s games and a balloon artist.  In addition to this we will be having a silent auction!  Please come and enjoy a fun day of visiting with old friends and supporting Children’s Hope International Foundation.   

Date: October 2, 2004

Time:  9:30 A.M.

How To Register:  If you do not receive a registration form in the mail, please just call or come to the walk!

Please bring your trick-or-treater by our office on Friday, October 29 for a special treat!

Grace from China

Walled up by grief after her father's death, Jess doesn’t want to hear what her best friend has to say, but within a matter of weeks she’s traveling to China accompanied by her mother, seven other families, and one energetic adoption facilitator. China holds many surprises. A country with a long, complex history and an uncertain future, this strange land is the birthplace of her new sister, Xiao Ting. Until she gets there, how can Jess possibly begin to imagine that she, too, will come to feel connected to a country thousands of miles from home? How can she predict what the trip and her new sister hold in store for her? How can she understand why the Chinese birth family could not keep their daughter?

For more information on this book, visit http://adoptionshop.com/cgi-bin/products/ADP02917.html.

Find 1,000+ other adoption products at AdoptionShop.com.

To share your favorite adoption book with others, join the Adoption Book Club on AdoptionLists.com at http://lists.adoption.com/index.php?action=lists&listname=adoptionbookclub&listnumber=6.

Please join us for free information meetings:

For more information, please go to http://www.childrenshope.com/southeast/index.htm 

Information Meeting, October 12, 2004

Children’s Hope Office, 7003 Chadwick Dr, Suite 350, Brentwood, TN

6:30-8:30 PM 
 

Information Meeting, October 14, 2004

Christ United Methodist Church

6101 Grelot Rd, Mobile, Al 6:30-8:30pm 
 

Adoption Fair, November 6, 2004, Sat. 10:00-3:00pm

Living Hope Baptist Church

1805 Western Ave, Bowling Green, KY 
 

Adoption Fair, November 6, 2004, Sat. 10:00 – 2:00pm

Trace Creek Baptist Church Family Life Center

Mayfield, KY
 

Adoption Fair, Grapevine Convention Center, Sunday, November 7, 2004

1209 S. Main Street

Grapevine, TX

11:00 – 5:00pm
 

Information Meeting, November 9, 2004

Children’s Hope Office, 7003 Chadwick Dr, Suite 350, Brentwood, TN

6:30-8:30 PM
 

Information Meeting

Stonebriar Community Church, Thursday, November 11, 2004

4801 Legendary Drive, Room 244

Frisco, TX 75034, 6:30-8:30pm

Information Meeting, Friday, November 12, 2004

Bethesda Community Church

4700 N Beach Street, Room 33

Fort Worth, TX 76137, 6:30-8:30pm
 

Austin International adoption Fair, Sunday, November 14, 2004

Norris Conference Center, Red Oak Ballroom

2525 W Anderson Lane

Austin, TX, 1:00-5:00pm
 

Adoption Fair, Sunday, November 14, 2004

Univ of KY, E.S. Goodbarn Bldg

Lexington, KY 1:00-4:30pm
 

Information Meeting, Monday, November 15, 2004, Monday

South Regional Library, 6:30-8:30 pm

2101 Lake Robbins Drive

The Woodlands, TX 77380, Children’s Story Room
 

Information Meeting, November 15, 2004, Monday

Tates Creek Library, 3628 Walden Drive

Lexington, KY 6:30-8:30pm
 

Information meeting

First United Methodist Church, Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Main Street and Illinois Use Bell Tower entrance

The Parlor Midland, TX

6:30-8:30 pm

October 2                Walk for Hope                                  9:30  AM                                       Granny White Park

October 8                Parent Education Class                6:30 PM                                         Woodmont HIlls

October 9                Dossier Class                                8:30 AM                                          Woodmont Hills

                                Travel Class                                    10:00 -12:00 Noon                        Woodmont Hills

                               Pre- Adoption Class #2                  12:30-6 PM                                    Woodmont Hills

October 18           Home Study Group                       6:30-8:30 PM                                 Children’s Hope

October 23            Fall Festival                                   10-Noon                                         Gentry Farms, Franklin
 

 
We are looking forward to the WALK this year and hope many of you can join us!!  I hope that you have had a wonderful start to the Fall!  It is such a beautiful time of year, and a great time to start on your adoption plans! 

We don't want to burden you with a lot of information, but we do want to help you if you are looking for a way to adopt. If not, please let us know and we will regretfully remove your name from our newsletter.   E-mail me at my address below with any question you have.  I would love to hear from you.   

Brenda

 Southeastern U.S.
 Brenda Barker, Director
 7003 Chadwick Dr. Suite 350
 Brentwood, TN  37027
 615-309-8109   Fax: 615-309-8483

 Brenda@ChildrensHope.com
 Also serving the following states: TN, KY, GA, AL, AR, MS, FL, TX and LA