Inspiring Quote

"When everything comes against you, oftentimes it's because God has something great in store." - Joel Osteen

Praying for a loan or grant!

I filled out a adoption grant and/or loan application! I got an email from a friend this afternoon, and she told me to fill it out right away. It took me hours to complete. Normally it takes 6-8 weeks to process it, so I need prayers that I can make this happen in a matter of days? I have some Angels in my corner and I have Faith. Will you pray for us? We need a miracle.

We originally planned on me traveling in March or April, which would have afforded us time to get the funds, but it's happening fast, and with respect to her heart condition and its unknown severity, I am not going to pass up an opportunity to bring her home sooner.

Because it has been 4 years of recertification and updating; with inflation of donations and fees; and changing programs, we are spent - literally. We are in need of the funds for travel to and from China for me, and her plane ticket home. There is intercountry travel, as I will be taking care of adoption business in Beijing, Guangzhou, Gaoyou, and possibly some other provinces. Unfortunately, they are not in close proximity. I will be paying for adoption fees in China, and for her Visa and medical exam. There is also a portion of the orphanage fee that is still needed. Whew!! There are so many things to be done, but I am taking them one step at a time. I am overjoyed about her joining our family soon, but so caught up in the scramble that it's hard to stop and truly appreciate the journey. This is a huge leap of faith for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a risk-taker. C'mon, it takes me 5 minutes to make my way into a cool swimming pool. :)

It's been a long, exciting day. T.J. was feeling sick last night and then we woke up to no heat in the house at 5 a.m. He is better now, and I am warm and cozy this evening. All is well in the Koeppe household and I am ready to hit the pillows. Have a wonderful evening.

Good night everyone, and God Bless!
Jill :)

DONATE YOUR PRAYERS!!

I believe that the Power of Prayer is strong and can do great things. I need prayers that we can come up with the funds needed to bring Jiliang home. We need to raise $9000. I know it is meant to be! God has graciously given me many signs that Jiliang is the right path for us. I believe in the power of prayer, and I feel that this might be a TEST for me to depend on HIM a little, no, a LOT more than I have in the past. In the hardest times of my life, I realized that I didn't ask HIM for help. As soon as I asked, things got better. This was a pattern with me over and over. I have always been a person of faith, but 2006 was a tumultuous year for me healthwise, and I lost a lot of my faith...well, it shook my faith completely. (This was the year that Jiliang was born, coincidentally.)
In 2007, I asked God to bless me and heal me and promised that if He did I would spread HIS word. I prayed a LOT, not knowing what was to come. I was having a third surgery, with two prior botched surgeries. I also had chronic pain. This was all due to birthing complications in 2004. I prayed about it, and decided that trusting God was my only option and that if HE healed me, HE must truly be watching over me. I don't think that our bodies are ever the same after trauma and surgery, but in my opinion, HE healed me, which was a Miracle!
The last year has truly tested me! That is all I am going to say. :)
I prayed and prayed, but felt that God was nowhere to be found. Then, wow, recently everything started to fall into place and I finally had an opportunity to switch to the Special Needs program (I wanted to in 2007, but our previous agency eliminated theirs after our dossier was on its way to China). Roads that I ended up on that didn't make sense at the time - hence unanswered prayers - start to really make sense. A job that I had inadvertently taken has currently blessed me with the skills that will help me better parent and communicate with my daughter-to-be.
In the back of my head, I have that voice saying that it is selfish to ask for help for me. My heart tells me to do whatever I need to bring her home. She has a complicated heart defect that requires surgery. I really do think that this is God's way of telling me to PRAY my way through it! He wants to show me what HE can do. It's easy to look back and say that it could have just been a coincidence. I think HE knows that I need a lesson in faith, but I also promised HIM some things, and I need to keep my end of the bargain.
Will YOU all say a prayer?
I apologize for the length, or if this seems too forward. I decided to take a leap of faith and I hope that I didn't overstep.
Faithfully,
Jill

Online Tax-Deductible Donations Now Easier!

Thank you for the all of the wonderful donations, prayers and support you have bestowed upon us. Often, we only see the negative things in the news, but trust me when I say that this world is truly blessed with many good people. God is working in our lives.
I just received an email from Sheila Hunter at West Sands Adoptions, and they have made the tax-deductible donations option very easy now, with just a click of a mouse. To make a tax-deductible donation, go to:
www.asacredmission.com
In the left column, click on Donations. It will ask "purpose" and "amount". Indicate Koeppe Adoption for the purpose, and Sheila will link it to our account.
God Bless you on this day!
Jill Koeppe :)

Care Package to Jiliang Received via Ladybugs 'N Love

God bless Angela and Kelly Rumbaugh at Ladybugs 'N Love From Above. They have given me so much joy in knowing that Jiliang has received a letter from us, photos of T.J. and our family, digital cameras, and goodies. Her care package arrived on January 15th, 2010. Angela in Beijing also spoke with the director of Jiliang's orphanage in Gaoyou, and he agreed that they would order her cake and send pictures of her celebration. Her cake will read in Chinese: "Bright Blessings Await You Gao Ji Liang! Love, Baba, Mama, and T.J.". I expect that we might receive her pictures just before we travel.
I highly recommend Ladybugs 'N Love From Above (LNL) and would like to also share that both Angela and Kelly have both gone above and beyond their call of duty for our little girl. Please do not hesitate to use their services: http://www.ladybugsnlove.com/
If you have any questions about LNL, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Jill :)

Thank You!!!!!!

God Bless all of you who have contributed towards Jiliang's adoption expenses and offered prayers for her safe journey home from China. We originally started this journey on our own, and never planned to ask for help, except for a few loans along the way. The initial adoption expenses were paid by us in advance, back in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. As our journey took a different path, we came face-to-face we a little girl we now know as Jiliang -a name bearing much resemblence to my own name: Jill.

Things happened faster than we had expected, and it didn't take long for us to realize that we needed help to get her home. Switching programs was an additional $2500, and we just happened to be in the process of updating our home study and Immigration paperwork from CIS, which was another $1000. Getting Scott's POA letter, my Visa, and the Michigan Citizenship paperwork was another $550. Whew! This all happened in a month's time in November/December of 2009.

We had a fundraiser in January 2010, and raised nearly $3000, which went towards her orphanage donation. As much as we didn't like asking for help, it was a huge blessing to us and put a huge dent in our adoption expenses. Ultimately, we found out how many wonderful people were willing to help us make Jiliang's journey home a reality. Family, friends, community members and complete strangers stepped forward out of generosity and compassion for a little orphan halfway across the world.

We began the adoption process as a family seeking a healthy baby girl, although we felt a pull from the start towards a special needs child, and more of a pull towards an older child. Many waiting children had captured our hearts, but we were unable to switch to the waiting child program until recently.

I asked God for a sign that we would know our daughter when we found her, and He answered. One thing that I liked about the Non-Special Needs lists was that China picked a child for you. If you know me, you know that I can never make up my mind. It takes me 3 minutes to pick out with brand of noodles I want to buy, or anything for that matter. I liked the idea of someone making the decision for me, because it felt like fate.

Jiliang was the first official referral we were sent, but it was sent because another child that I requested (by description only) had been locked in already. Amy Coray at West Sands had sent Jiliang's file herself. As soon as we saw her, we knew that she was meant to be our daughter. Scott always joked that I would finally get my long-awaited daughter and she would be like him: an introvert. Well, guess what? She was referred to as introverted and quiet. That was my sign. Then, I looked at her name again, and remembered that Chinese names have the last name first. Therefore, her name was JiLiang. It sounds like a combination of my name and my sister Leah's name, whom I fondly call Le. I had hoped that our daughter's middle name would be Li, so I could name her after my sister. I also hoped that her province would be similar to Jiangxi, and it was Jiangsu. The real "coincidence", not that I believe in coincidences, is that we reviewed her file on November 6th. 1106 is my lucky number and has been since 1990. I grew up on 1106 Murray Drive and decided it was to be my lucky number in honor of my childhood home. I have been waiting for something special to commence on that date, but November 6th had been uneventful until 2009.

With all of these signs, I knew that Jiliang coming before us was NO coincidence. As every day passed, I urged Scott to do a fundraiser, and every time he said no. Finally, my dad offered and I accepted, telling Scott that it was going to happen whether he liked it or not. I wouldn't normally do this, but I knew that it was the ONLY way to get our little girl home to us.

Please know that I intend to Pay It Forward and help other children and adoptive families as soon as I am able. I have recently received blessings from a wonderful adoptive group called Loving China's Children. They continue to bless me in more ways than one. My first goal will be to support and bless other families who are adopting children with special needs.

Every day I am one step closer to holding my little girl. I hope to travel around February 21st, and meet her in the end of February or the first week of March. Hopefully I will have a travel date within a week or two.

Thank you all sincerely. May God Bless you all.
Jill Koeppe

Online Tax-Deductible Adoption Donations Instructions Here

If you would like to donate to Jiliang's Adoption, you can do it two ways now: online through PayPal ~or~ by mailing a check to our agency, West Sands Adoptions

Online Option:

Go to www.asacredmission.com
Click on Donations in the left column.
It will ask you for Purpose and Amount. Put The Koeppe Family for the "Purpose".


Check by Mail:


West Sands has set up an escrow account for tax-deductible donations. This is the best way to donate to guarantee that all monies go to the Koeppe's, West Sands does NOT take any fees for this. To donate by way of West Sands, you may mail a check with "Koeppe Family" written in the memo line to:

West Sands Adoptions
2265 Calanus Circle
St. George, UT 84790
Attention: Koeppe Adoption

Or call at 866-677-3077 (toll-free) 435-313-6323 (in Utah), contact person is Amy Coray or Sheila Hunter

Children's Multicultural Book Fundraiser for Jiliang's Adoption

If you are looking for children's books or culturally relevent books representing children from around the globe, check out Teresa Tidwell's site at:

http://www.barefootbooks.com/marketplace/6427

Teresa has offered to donate 20% of all of the book sales to our adoption expenses for Jiliang. Barefoot Books offers a variety of books from birth to age 12 and up.
Just scroll to the bottom of the page and find Koeppe Family Adoption Fundraiser and click on the orange button stating Support This Event. Make sure it says Koeppe Family Fundraiser at the bottom of your shopping cart, and we will earn 20% of your sale to use for Jiliang's Adoption.

I can highly recommend these preschool books with companion cds, which we use in our preschool classroom:

Creepy Crawly Calypso
We All Go Travelling By
Walking Through the Jungle
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
A Dragon on the Doorstep
The Journey Home From Grandpa's
The Farmyard Jamboree
Magic Train Ride


Thanks,
Jill :)

I have my Chinese Visa!!!

How exciting. My Chinese Visa arrived today. It is so cool. :) China is the first entry in my Passport.
Jill :)

God Is Good!

This has been a really challenging week, or couple of months for that matter. Another adoptive mom told me that things tend to be challenging towards the end of the adoption process. Boy, was she right! Today, however, brought many joys and blessings!

My Visa was picked up by the Courier in Chicago and is on its way back to me today. Of course, last night I received an important document needed from the Center for Immigration Services (CIS), known as the I-171H. That's a huge relief. My FMLA is underway and was tentatively confirmed today. I will be taking 8 weeks off. I also talked to the principal at my elementary school where I do the Title One Tutoring, and she is going to hold my part-time job for me. I love working there, and it is such a good teaching opportunity. On top of the that, my Union President, hunted me down at my second job to tell me that my job pay classification was corrected, which means a pay increase and retroactive pay. Hopefully it will take effect before I go on FMLA next month.

That wasn't even the beginning of the blessings today. I was contacted by the owner of a China prayer group that I belong to. She put out an alert to raise funds for our adoption. We need to come up with $9,000 for the final adoption expenses and travel expenses. Hopefully it will help to defray the costs these last-minute expenses, as we didn't expect to be matched so soon.

I have faith that everything will work out, and I hope to be holding my beautiful little girl very soon. I am shooting for a reunion with her by Feb. 27th, 2010. Wouldn't it be nice to celebrate Chinese New Year with her the first time we meet in her homeland?

Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers. They are helping!!!
Jill :)

Another Special Hamster

T.J. has another "special hamster". For all of you who shared in the sadness about Jerry Mouse's passing right after Christmas, you probably heard the many stories of how Jerry Mouse (actually a hamster) was SOOOOO special. She was a super-tame, super-friendly hamster that loved to hang out with the family. We always joked, because she was the only pet in the house who didn't cause mischief. :) She was also special because she had 3 legs, but my son T.J. would tell everyone that she could do anything that a four-legged mouse could do. My son took extra special care of Jerry and was quick to tell everyone all about Jerry and how she was an amputee. She taught T.J. many life lessons, and many adults for that matter - she was known lovingly as "the wise mouse".
Jerry could never be replaced in our hearts, but Scott did get T.J. two new hamsters. T.J. named the two new girls Felix and Sunny. T.J. spoils them beyond belief with fresh lettuce, carrots, apples, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. They are completely different that Jerry, but they provide much comic relief. They don't like to leave the comfort of their cage and are easily spooked, but they come visit at their door and beg like dogs for treats. Today, I was looking at Felix and realized that she had only 4 digits on her right hand. Therefore, we have another unique little hamster. T.J. and I thought that was so special.

Received our Updated I-171H in the mail today!!

Whew! That's a relief! CIS accidently sent us a letter stating that we didn't pay for our fingerprints and that Jiliang's immigration paperwork would not be valid if we didn't pay for them. However, we had already paid for our fingerprints last June and had them taken in August. We are still waiting on other important documents, but this is one that we can check off of our list. I am hoping to report some other good news this week. I am checking things off of a very long list, but it's getting shorter. Thank God.

WACAP has some CUTE Waiting Children

The one I can't seem to forget is the 6 year old boy with the Congenital Heart Defect. He is too sweet. There is also a 6 month old boy, and he only has a small hemangioma on his right cheek. He is so tiny, born 7/1/09! His hair sticks straight up. I think that is the cutest thing ever. Of course, there are many beautiful children on that list - too many to list. I pray they find homes soon.
Jill

Doctor's Appointments Scheduled

Today, I called the Travel Clinic in Ann Arbor about an appointment. I had an appointment with my doctor today, but the receptionist didn't realize that I actually needed to go to a clinic especially for international travel. Of course, that is not covered by the insurance. At least I will have all my necessary vaccines, antibiotics, and prescriptions to treat food poisoning (Hopefully NOT). That is a relief for traveling worries.
I also made an appointment for Jiliang to see a Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Goldberg. She was recommended by Dr. Ohye, the surgeon at U of M who looked at Jiliang's medical file. The Cardiology appointment was set up tentatively for St. Patrick's Day.
I also called T.J.'s pediatrician's office to give them a heads up about needing to schedule a visit a day or two after we return to the States. While I am at it, I want to thank Nurse Michelle Ellsworth, at the Briarwood Peds Office for hand-delivering a form that we needed for our home study update in December. She went out of her way to drop off the form at the Hands Across The Water office for us. That was so sweet of her. We have encountered some really amazing people during this adoption process.

Now I finally GET IT!

I realized something today. I had a day today that made me just want to give up. I think that many adoptive parents have hit that point at some time or another: Can I make this all come together in time? I reached out to people, and they reached out back. Thanks everyone. I am not normally a person who lets people in like that, but then this is no ordinary journey for me.
I was on my way to a Memorial this afternoon to celebrate the life of Connie Knott Toigo, who passed away on December 30th, 2009, from her battle with advanced cancer. She was the fourth person I knew that passed away from cancer in the year 2009 - two of those people being close family members. Driving there, I started to cry. I realized that I haven't had a real cry in almost three years. That is not to say that I haven't shed a tear, but that I haven't had a good cry in that long.
A lot of things sort of came together for me today.
In 2004, I had severe birthing complications and almost lost my son, T.J. He was born with colic that lasted for 7 months, and I was left in need of what would be three major corrective surgeries to be whole again. For the longest time, I grieved the loss of my first motherhood experience, and I felt like I got jipped. I had planned months in advanced. I wanted to give my child the best life and be the best mom that I could be, and it was anything BUT ideal. I turned out being very sick after having T.J., and when he was colicky, we basically threw all of the baby books out of the window. The surgeries I had required long recoveries and left me unable to do everything that I had hoped to do with my son in his early years. In the end, I was able to be thankful for my son and for my renewed health, and we came out of the situation much stronger as a family.
We decided to adopt from China in 2005, when my son was only one year old, which had been a dream of mine for many years. Finishing college between surgeries was something I did as well, and seemed logical, but our lives were a whirlwind for years.
Last spring, I had a conversation with my principal, Connie, about feeling guilty about not spending enough time with T.J. (We were doing an activity on setting personal goals.) I felt bad, because I was working and going to school and wanted to make quality time with him a priority. I felt like I had to make up the loss to him somehow. She told me that I should not feel bad about taking time for myself, and that I needed to let go of the loss and move on, or else it would eat away at me. She pointed out all of the things that I was doing with him and also pointed out that I needed to get past the guilt. That was a total shocker, since I was trying to pick an easy goal to talk about, but it backfired on me. :)
Today, I realized that I have been trying to plan the perfect homecoming for Jiliang, because I had so many things go wrong when I had T.J. I know that if I just let go and have faith, it is going to work out. Jiliang will not care if things aren't perfect. She is only going to know they we are her family and that we will love and support her no matter what.
Connie's Memorial reminded me of her advice to me that day, and I consider it a gift. I decided to do what I can each day, and pray that everything falls into place as it should. Instead of wishing February to be here, I have decided to live each day meaningfully and have faith that it will all work out. It is hard to be patient when you see your child's face and they are halfway around the world, but I know that I have move forward and "live" and take time to be thankful, or the wait will gnaw at me.
In the meantime, I want to thank Connie for the memories and insight that she shared with me that day. The highlights of her inspiring life reminded me to grasp life, pick myself up off the ground, and prepare for the adventure of my life.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support, prayers, and positive thoughts. It means to so much to me.
Sincerely,
Jill

The Stress Has Officially Hit Me!

I always pictured that my month prior to getting our daughter would be filled with joy and happiness, where I get her room ready, organize for my trip, study up on my Mandarin language, the Chinese culture and plan my sight-seeing; but instead it is a race against time. We still need to come up with the money for part of her orphanage donation and the trip for me to get there. Our tax return should pay for a lot of that, but I hate to bank on it being here in time. My biggest fears are not being able to pull things off in time. I am a huge planner and I like to have everything ready. I am not a spontaneous, live-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of person, but that is what I am doing right now. Today, I really thought, "I can't do this. This is never going to work." Yet, I know that I need to get into a positive mindset.
My free time is spent working two jobs and barely seeing my son before he goes to bed. On the weekends, all I want to do is catch up on sleep. Her room is not done yet, and that is huge for me. I remember when I was pregnant with T.J. I was on bedrest for swelling, and I felt so helpless. I had that "nesting" syndrome, where you get the urge to clean and prep and purge your home of unwanted items. We didn't have T.J.'s room done in time and it drove me mad, and Scott didn't understand. Scott is a little more insistent on getting Jiliang's room ready.
I have been trying to figure out how long I can take off of work. I work at the Preschool until 3:00 and the Elementary School until 6:00, and usually get home at 7:00 p.m. Luckily for me, my mom just retired and I plan to have her watch Jiliang. I am just so tired with everything going on.
There are so many unknown variables in this scenario. For instance, I will not know her health status until she gets to the States and has been evaluated by a pediatrician. We will get a referral immediately to see a cardiologist. The surgeon I spoke to at U of M recommended that she get into a Pediatric Cardiologist within a week of being home. Of course, I will need a referral first. I planned on all of that. Human Resources, at my work, mentioned only giving me 2 weeks off. I had to prove that I could qualify for FMLA, but only because I have worked two jobs for my district and summer school. Otherwise, I wouldn't qualify. Of course, I am waiting to hear back on that.
I think what threw me over the edge is the difficulty trying to find a flight home from China that is non-stop. I am having such a hard time finding a flight to and from China.
I have had some very supportive family and friends throughout this process! I knew that this was going to be hard, but I think that I finally hit my melting point. I know that the only way to make this work is to have faith and prayers and positive thoughts from family and friends.
Thanks for listening!
Jill :)

Crib for sale (Tax-Deductible) & More Baby Items

We are selling our baby crib. We paid over $400 for it in 2004 and it was used less than a year. I will attach a picture of it later. Scott can assemble and deliver it as well (within 40 miles give or take). We are asking for $100, delivered and assembled; and you can donate the money to our adoption agency for a tax-deductible donation. We are also selling the mattress and bedding separately.
I will also have a Pack 'N Play, MANY nicely used toys, a high-chair and more.
We need to raise money quick for our adoption expenses, and we need to make room for our newcomer.
If you know of anyone interested in a baby crib and/or baby items, please contact me at jillkoeppe@verizon.net
Thanks!
Jill :)

Traveling During Chinese New Year!!!

It looks like I will be traveling during Chinese New Year! I will possibly be flying into Beijing around February 20th. I will know more details within the next few weeks. I have had so much good news today I think I am going to burst with excitement.

Chinese New Year begins on February 14th in China (Feb. 15th in The States). I believe that it lasts for 15 days. If I left on Sat., February 20th from Detroit, I would arrive Monday, February 22nd in Beijing, because they are a day ahead of us.

For years, I have wanted to attend a big city event for Chinese New Year. I have always been fascinated by the Chinese New Year parades and festivities. When I found out the true meaning, I was even more enamored by the occasion. I may not do justice explaining it, but from what I understand, it is similar to our new year in leiu of: new beginnings, clean slates, settling debts, forgiveness and generosity. It is much more than that, of course, and on a much larger scale.

Now, my first Chinese New Year celebration may set the bar too high for future events. I wouldn't mind, considering the occasion: Jiliang. I hope it comes true. That would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Care Package to Jiliang's Orphanage

I ordered this care package for Jiliang on Sunday. Ladybugs and Love from Above is a great place to send care packages to China's Orphanages. Check out their website at: http://www.ladybugsnlove.com/

Jiliang will receive 3 labeled pictures of our family. The photo in the picture is of all three of us. I also sent two pictures of her big brother, T.J. The envelope contains a letter from us that was translated into Chinese. And look, the cameras have her picture on them and her name in Chinese like I requested! Hopefully, that will help so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Angela in Beijing, you are wonderful!

She will also get a cake to share with her orphanage. In Chinese, the cake will read, "Bright Blessings Await You Gao Ji Liang! Love, Baba, Mama, and T.J." Ji means Bright, and Liang means Blessings, which is what she will mean to us. We should get pictures of the cake event soon! T.J. got a Big Brother party for her, and now she will have a celebration of getting a Big Brother, a Mom and a Dad. Such exciting news! She should get the care package this week!!!! I am so excited!

Jill

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful evening!

We would like to thank everyone for your support, prayers, and donations. Our party was a huge success and we had a wonderful time and a great turnout. We would especially like to thank Local 3008 for your generous contribution. You have no idea how much that means to us. We have received so much love and support in unexpected places. It makes me feel extremely blessed for the friends and family that we have, and for the community that we live in. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We also want to thank everyone who was unable to come, yet found it in their hearts to donate. Thank you to Cathy McAtee-Luick for designing the Jiliang earring, baking and supporting Jiliang's cause; thanks to Muk's Pub, Jim and Ginny Engle at Tecumseh Place, and Barry Purse of Purse Funeral Home for your generous donations; thanks to Basil Boys restaurant for surprising us with the delicious breadsticks; and Angela, Laura, Corrine, John, and the T-Club for everything you did to make our evening run smoothly. Thank you to Kristy, Phil, Gracie, Evan, and Alec. Your kids entertained my son for the evening and lavished my dog with attention-they raised the bar too high-I can't compare. :) Jill would like to thank Tessie, Lavonne, and my LCC girls for your continued prayers for a safe and successful evening- it helped!

Most importantly, we want to thank my dad, Jim Harvey, for everything that he did for us to make this evening happen. I know that it wasn't easy Dad, but we could not have done it without you. You're the best and we love you!

God Bless you all!

~Sincerely, Jill & Goose Koeppe :)

Our Acceptance Letters are Enroute to Beijing, China

FedEx has our Official Acceptance Letters to Adopt Jiliang. They should arrive in a few days! I may have a travel date in a few weeks. I am so excited, I haven't been able to get any sleep lately.

Meanwhile, T.J. had an "I'm A Big Brother Party" at school today. He shared Chinese fortune cookies and party favors with his class, and brought in Jiliang's picture to show everyone. He said, "Everyone loved Jiliang's picture Mom. They call her Jillian."

Chinese Party Favors Have Arrived!

I am sending some Chinese Party favors to school with T.J. tomorrow. He gets to take a picture of Jiliang and talk about becoming a big brother to her. His friends will all get a fortune cookie, a chocolate Chinese coin, and a Chinese Yo-Yo. T.J. cannot wait to show everyone how the Chinese yo-yo works. :) He is also excited about the Chinese picture stamps I bought. They can use them for painting or stamping near the upcoming Chinese New Year.

T.J. is Excited About Jiliang

"I want her to come to live with us today. Can we get her today?" T.J. asked. It makes me so happy to hear that, because he was a little worried about how she was going to impact his life back in November.
In November, our adoption caseworker, Theresa Light, came over to update our homestudy. She asked him if he was excited about getting a little sister, and he responded, "No, I want a little brother." They he walked by and said, "I don't want a little sister. I don't want a little sister. I don't want a little sister." Luckily, we know her well, and she has a good sense of humor.

Each Day is a Gift

You've probably heard the phrase, "Don't sweat the small stuff"? It is so true. I remind myself constantly. Today was an emotional day returning to work. The principal of our school passed away on December 30th, after a short battle with cancer. She was an inspiration to myself and many people in our school community. She was very supportive of my decision to adopt and would have liked to have met Jiliang.
I have had so many losses this year that it is hard to ascertain how to deal with the losses. I feel like I can only tuck their memory away, be thankful for their role in my life, and appreciate how precious that life really is. I believe that is what they would want.
When I told my friend Lori that we had been matched with a child, I mentioned how scared I was that things were happening so fast. We were taking a huge leap of faith in switching programs and I feared that we would end up empty-handed. I knew I couldn't handle that kind of disappointment. I was so afraid that we couldn't make it work it that amount of time. Lori told me profoundly, "Life is too short Jill." She told me that I just needed to get her home as soon as possible, and not to hesitate. Those are words that I will never forget.
When we suffer a loss of a friend or loved one, we need to take an opportunity to be thankful and to truly embrace life and those who love and support us. Part of the Chinese New Year tradition is righting wrongs and for creating new beginnings. Life is too short, so don't hesitate in doing what is right in your heart. Spend time with the ones you hold dear to your heart and live without regrets.

God's Perfect Timing

It's funny how life works out. When we had the opportunity to switch to the Waiting Child program in November, we had been waiting for 4 years with no end in sight - no glimmer of hope in view. We had assumed that her homecoming would be years away, if at all, with the way that the Non-special needs list was moving. When we made the switch, we found her immediately! It's not usually that quick. In fact, Jiliang's file was the first file we looked at; and it was actually sent in place of another child we had requested that was no longer available for adoption - NOT a coincidence in my opinion.
After locking in her file, Amy at West Sands Adoptions in Utah, told us that the process would be approximately 3-6 months until she could come home to us. All I could think was that I needed more time to plan, more time to come up with funds to get her home, let alone get her room ready and prepare my son T.J. for a little sister that he probably thought was never going to be a reality. We were just not in prepared at that time, and I was hoping for the latter side of the timeframe to provide her with the best homecoming possible. I even recall telling Amy that if it happened right before my summer break, that would be perfect timing. I just thought that time will afford us the homecoming that we had always dreamed of having with our Chinese daughter.
Thus, everything has been moving faster than we had anticipated and I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that it is all part of God's Plan, and apparently HE had other plans for Jiliang AND us. Now, all I can think about is how much I just want her home with us, and that is pretty much the concensus for our entire household and extended family, for that matter.
She will need to see a cardiologist to recommend corrective heart surgery, and we managed to get her medical records reviewed by Dr. Ohye at U of M in record time. Her room is coming along. The upcoming fundraiser will help us attain the funds we need to give the required orphanage donation - one that has doubled since last summer. All in all, things are a little rushed, but details are falling into place. As far as my travel expenses, we should be fortunate enough to cover them with this year's tax return.
Blessings to all of you who have supported us along this journey! Please keep our little girl in your prayers, so she may enjoy comfort, joy, laughter, good health and find her way home to us soon.
Sincerely,
Jill :)

Fundraiser Poster

The T-Club is located over Basil Boys in Downtown Tecumseh.

Getting Jiliang's Room Ready and Prepping for the Fundraiser

Last night, I went through the bins of things that I have collected for Jiliang over these last four years. Today, I had a terrible time hunting down children's hangers. I finally found them at Family Dollar in Tecumseh. I was able to wash and hang up all of her clothes. That was a huge accomplishment. I have had bins and bins of things for her for years with the name "Kaitlyn" on them. Now, they are finally being hung in a closet. T.J. helped me fold, sort and hang everything. That makes her homecoming seem real.

I have been working on details for Jiliang's fundraiser on Saturday, and sending out some reminder emails. I wanted to thank Dave Dorian and Jeff Foulke for the wonderful email they sent out to their email contacts. That was very thoughtful. Thanks to my dad who also sent out mass invites. I am really looking forward to Saturday's fundraiser. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive to us. We really appreciate it. I will be uploading a copy of the Fundraiser Poster in the next blog entry.

Koeppe Fortunes

Just for fun, here are our Fortune Cookie reads for New Year's Eve. It's a positive way to start the New Year:

T.J.'s: "Stop searching forever. Happiness is just next to you." I jokingly said, "Hey, well I'm sitting next to you. It must be me." My five-year-old chimes in, "Well, no, Dad's on the other side of me. I think it's him." Then, he teasingly laughs.

T.J.'s: "Luck is coming your way."

Scott's: "Your present plans are going to succeed."

Jill's: "A cheerful letter or message is on it's way to you."

May all of our good fortunes come true. Have a good night everyone. Happy New Year! May you all be blessed with good fortune this New Year.
Jill :)

New Year's Eve

I enjoyed a relaxing evening at home tonight. I have attended my fair share of great New Year's parties in the past and will again in the future. However, tonight, I just wanted to relax at home, sip some Russian Tea, hang out with Scott and T.J. and watch the Ball drop at midnight. Some of my favorite memories as a child were ringing in the New Year with Leah. Mom was usually in bed way before midnight. Dad was usually doing a show, on his Birthday, nonetheless. :)

Scott, T.J. and I spent the entire day doing "spring" cleaning to make room for Jiliang. We are working on getting her room ready. Honestly, it doesn't seem real. It's all happening so fast. T.J. had a fun day of sledding on the hill in our back yard. Exciting day. Anyhow, we were all exhausted from the day and decided on Chinese take-out. Sort of befitting to end our year that way. :) We got some awesome fortunes.


I picked up some horns and hats and told T.J. that I would tape New Year's Eve and we would watch it in the morning and blow our horns after the ball dropped. I volunteered Scott to make breakfast. Scott and T.J. were both asleep by 9:00 p.m. Seriously, that is not how our pictured our first New Year's as a family. Ha ha.

Here's to a safe and Happy New Year!