Booboosbabe

Merry Christmas from Christian!

2011-12-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

5 Years ago today in Guatemala City

2011-09-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

A family was born

We love you so much our precious Jacob

Back to School and stuff

2011-09-07T18:52:00.001-07:00

School started about a month ago and we are all happly in our Fall routine. Jacob is so happy to be back at school (even gets excited about homework) and Christian is growing slowly but surely.

This past weekend was wet and windy as Tropical Storm Lee made it's way through our area. It was pretty rainy, but not that windy, so the boys enjoyed playing in the rain.

We are looking forward to some College Football this fall and maybe a little camping.

Enjoy our pictures

First day of Kindergarden
Hello

After hours upon hours of playing in the rain and mud, this is what the boys looked like

muddy and cold

Christian-3 Years Old

2011-07-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

Handsome Boy

Gotcha Day

2011-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

April 12th 2010 was when we met our precious son, Christian. He was such a scared anxious little one. You've come such a long way our sweet little boy. We look forward to many more Gotcha Day celebrations.

This is the office were we waited so anxiously for you

You were a little late, so we were looking out of the window. We spotted you, the orphanage director was bringing you into the building.

We already loved you so much, but you had not idea what was going on and you were scared.

The man in this picture loved you before we did. He had tears in his eyes when he thanked mommy and daddy for bringing you home to your family.

Look at you now! Such a sweet, smart, confident boy.

We are so happy to have you home with your family!

Where Have We Been?!

2011-04-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, no posts since January. I am not ready to give up this blog yet! I figure the best way to catch up is through pictures. So here goes....

We've begun potty training Christian. Daddy rescued him from this little mishap

The boys have been doing lots of learning and studying on their new desk

Brothers

Sleeping on an LSU tiger :)

Christian enjoyed his first Mardi Gras

He loved catching beads from his Daddy's shoulders

We weren't sure how Christian would feel about Mardi Gras. There are lots of people and noise.

He LOVED it! The weather wasn't the best this year, so we only went to this one night parade.

It was lots of fun!

Mamma, Jacob and his class went on a field trip to the zoo.

Christian's daycare hosted a fun Easter egg hunt

Happy 3rd Birthday Christian

April 1st 2011

Abby Johnson - Unplanned

2011-01-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Abby Johnson was the director of a Planned Parenthood facility in College Station Texas. In this interview she talks about how God opened her eyes and healed her.

Please listen to Abby's story here

http://feeds.feedburner.com/FocusOnTheFamilyDailyBroadcast

May God be with those who fight for the unborn and heal those involved in the atrosity of abortion.

Please pray for Teresa

2011-01-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Her story is here
http://ourplacecalledhome.blogspot.com/2011/01/teresas-miracle.html

Her mom is asking for your prayers to Pope John Paul II to save Teresa's life.

We are praying

This boy loves Cajun music!

2010-12-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T05:55:00.001-08:00

This was supposed to be our first picture of the two boys together with Santa.

Christian wouldn't let daddy put him down so we ended up with the whole family with Santa

Christian's first sit on Santa

Merry Christmas and blessings from our family to yours.

May God bless all who read these words abundantly

during the new year.

Fun at Nonnie's

2010-11-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

Nonnie lets us play with her stuff
There are lots of animals in the moutains by Nonnie's house

It's a really long and boring ride to Nonnie's

Getting some homework done, even on vacation

Trick or Treat

2010-11-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's already been six months!

2010-10-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

We meet our baby boy on April 13th. So six months ago we were in China. At a tea shop in this picture. There weren't many smiles back then. He was unsure, scared and easily over stimulated.

He is now 5 pounds heavier

Over an inch taller

Loves his big brother

And is thriving in his new family

Thank you God for trusting us with this precious little soul

Learning lots of new stuff

2010-10-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Christian is doing great! He is learning so many new words. He loves to "mow" the grass and sing with his abc's lawn mower. He loves to swing, play with trains and ride his bike. He is also, along with his brother, taking dancing lessons from Daddy. You will be impressed with how much he and Jacob have already learned. See below ;)

My Precious Boys

2010-08-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

First Day of School

2010-08-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Jacob's first day of school. He was pretty nervous (the first time mom has ever seen this emotion) every time we talked about big boy school. Today though, he was completely relaxed and excited about his new adventure.

Christian is adjusting very well. He still has his moments, but they are getting more rare, thank goodness. He is beginning to say more words too. Today he told Jacob, "wuv u". He is so cute.

Enjoy these pictures of our special day.

Sit n Spin

2010-07-26T16:51:00.001-07:00

Three months ago today.....

2010-07-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

We returned home from China with our precious little boy. So much has changed since then, it is amazing what love and trust can do for a child. We no longer have that little boy with such fear in his eyes (his whole body, really). He no longer has muscle definition in his abdomen from crying so violently many hours during the day. You can no longer see his little ribs from the front and back of his body. His skin is no longer dry itchy and more like an alligator than a baby.

Christian is now sweet, loving and full of joy. He is such a blessing to our family. Jacob tells me every day how much he loves his baby brother. It's hard to remember the time without our sweet little Christian.

Our first moments together

First week home

Last weekend with his Nannie, Parrain and baby Aydin

Where has the time gone?

2010-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

We have been a very busy family..below are some highlights

Mom got a new job (thank God)
Dad passed his big test and is now a certified electrician
Jacob is getting ready for "big boy" school (Pre-K)
Christian took his first road trip and met his Nonnie over the 4th of July holiday
Christian is finally sleeping all night (whew, mom is too old to not get a good night's sleep)
Christian is saying a new word almost every day. Today's word was cookie!
Some other words he has learned are brother, yeah, no no, Christian, ba ba, mamma, daddy and Jacob
Christian walked on grass today....in his bare feet!

We are having so much fun that we forget to post. Enjoy some pictures from the last month.

Multi Tasking

Brothers

(We couldn't get the plastic knife away from Christian)

The boys and their Nonnie

No time for words...but.....

2010-06-09T00:16:00.000-07:00

hopefully these pictures will hold you over until I have time to put together a decent post. There is lots of stuff happening here.

Christian Andrew, Child of God

2010-06-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Christian was baptized on Saturday. It was absolutely beautiful. Thank you Father Keith for your service to God's people and for making the baptism of our precious boy so touching. We will teach Christian the beautiful prayer to St Andrew you read.

Enjoy the pictures of our special day.

Fun in the sun :)

2010-05-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

Update

2010-05-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

Christian and Jacob are really bonding and falling in love with each other. Christian is no longer only looking to me for affection. He gets so excited to see his big brother. They are playing very well together and Jacob is very protective of his little brother. Just yesterday he told me that he loves his baby brother so much.

Christian has begun trying to repeat everything we say. I believe that he understands most of what is said to him. He follows most commands given to him. I am amazed by how much he has learned in such a short amount of time. Christian was having some digestive issues, but that seems to be settling down a bit. I guess his little body has to acclumate itself to so many new things. I am trying to keep his diet simple and add new foods slowly.

This past week I got a new camera and I am just learning how to use it. Hopefully, I'll master it soon and there will be many beautiful pictures on my blog. For now, enjoy my practice pictures :)

Update

2010-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

Christian has been with his family for 5 weeks now and in his forever home for 3 weeks. So, how are we doing? We are doing just fine!

Progress:
Christian doesn't have panic tantrums anymore :). He just gets upset for usual 2 year old stuff.....like when he's tired, hungry, wet...etc and is easily comforted.

Christian feeds himself with a spoon/fork! One day he just took the spoon from me and he has been feeding himself ever since. Last night he mixed his noodles with his bluberry yogurt and had blue noodles.

Christian LOVES his mamma! I've been venturing away from home for a couple of hours a day. When I get home he giggles, kicks his feet and gives me the sweetest baby kisses.

Christian LOVES his daddy! Daddy is the funest...they play "monsters" and "hide n go seek".

Christian LOVES his big brother! Their relationship took a big leap forward when they started taking baths together! So cute! Christian greets big brother with a big hug when he gets home from school.

Christian sings! He was singing the theme to Bob the Builder yesterday. It took Jacob and I a little time to recognize it (sorta sounded like Chinese), but we did.

These things are so important and we are so blessed that our bonding is progressing. We are so madly in love with this precious little boy. He talks to us constantly in Chinese. Some of the things he tells us seem pretty important to him and they are said with such urgency.

There is a Chinese lady here in town who is teaching Chinese at a middle school. We will be in contact with her and hope that she will come and spend some time with us so we can know what our boy is so urgently trying to tell us.

Cousins

2010-05-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Two Weeks Home

2010-05-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Turning the corner....

2010-05-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

We've had 3 good days in a row. I think the tantrums are done! Praise God!

We have a happy,playful baby. Christian is interacting with Daddy again and discovering how much fun he is. They both giggled for the longest time last night. He is also much less clingy and prefers to play on his own rather than have me hold him all the time.

On Monday and Tuesday we had some medical testing done and Christian tolerated it quite well. His ultrasound revealed that all of his internal organs are normal. We are waiting for the final results on the blood work, but he seems to be a healthy boy. He is even less and less itchy, which is making bedtime better. He was scratching himself to sleep. I think it was a combination of his rash and self-soothing behavior. We are hoping that his skin condition is due to poor nutrition/water in China and it will clear up in time.

Jacob is also enjoying playing with his little brother.

Cuteness

2010-05-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

Got a hug!

2010-04-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

That's huge in attachment parenting! I think we are really making progress...thank God!

Play Ball!

2010-04-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

I wasn't able to be there for Jacob's t-ball game yesterday, so daddy brought the video camera. Enjoy these clips of our little star :)

Slowly, but surely

2010-04-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

Christian is really having a difficult time. He is grieving pretty intensly, but it seems like he is crying less and less every day. Last night he went to bed without having a tantrum.

I am really getting to know him and it's getting easier for me to determine when he's getting overstimulated. We are trying to stay home, but there are things that we have to go out for. Yesterday we brought Jacob to school. He said he was ready and he missed his friends. I had to go into school with Jacob to pay his tuition and explain to his teacher that he may be overly tired or act out a little. While I was talking I noticed Christian was "zoning out". I left as soon as I could, but when we got home he had a tantrum that lasted 40 minutes. He fell asleep and slept for 3 hours. I had to wake him up because we had an appointment with the peditrician.

He woke up happy and I fed him lunch and whisked him off to the doctor's office. He was terrified at the doctor's office, so the exam wasn't as thourough as it should have been. He has gained 10 ounces since last week which is really good considering the calories he's been using for tantrums. The great news is that Dr Jude has confirmed that his heart sounds great and he does not have a heart murmur as was listed on his medical. Also, he doen't think that his dry skin condition is serious. He told me to continue treating him with Eucarin and it will probably go away. In China he was diagnosed with a skin condition called Ichydosis.

Even though the doctor's visit was stressful for him when we got home he was happy and we were even able to enjoy the beautiful weather on our front porch swing. Last night he really didn't cry very much at all at bedtime. He was up at 3am this morning though. He has a little belly ache. I really think we are making a some progress everyday.

The pictures are of Christian and his Godparents and Christian and I with our friend Mindy and her daughter, Paige. We met up with them on Sunday to return their truck.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

We're Home

2010-04-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

After a very difficult 27 hour journey....we are home!

The train ride on Wednesday to Hong Kong was lots of fun! Our hotel was very nice and the view of Hong Kong was breathtaking. On Thursday morning we began our journey from Hong Kong to Newark, NJ. Christian wasn't very happy on the plane and cried for a few hours off and on. He was pretty much inconsolable, which was hard on mamma.

Immigration and Customs took a long time in Newark and we missed our flight to Houston. They re-scheduled us for the next flight which was about an hour and a half later. That flight was late getting off the ground in Newark and caused us to miss our flight from Houston to home. The next (and last for the day) flight to Lafayette was booked. I just about cried when I heard that news.

Thankfully, Christian's Godparents live in Houston and they came to pick us up at the airport. They even gave us their brand new truck so that we could drive home. We got home at 1:30 am on Friday. The trip home was long and difficult, but so worth the journey.

We are all still dead tired and the boys and I still have our days and nights mixed up. Daddy is doing much better than we are. That's probably good considering he'll be back at work Monday.

On our last day in Guangzhou we did the traditional red couch picture. We already miss the awesome families that shared this experience with us. Enjoy the pictures :)

Starting our journey home

2010-04-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we leave on a train to Hong Kong. We will spend the night there and our flight leaves at 10:30 tomorrow morning for Newark. We have had such a wonderful time here in China, we are a little sad about leaving. We have met some great families and shared many laughs. We will always treasure this experience and we are so grateful that we all were able to be together for these past two weeks. I think Jacob has learned so much.

For the past two days we've been walking all around the island. We went to a jade and pearl market (which was very crowded and not much fun). We found a store full of squeeky shoes! We are bringing some home for a friend that has a baby girl. They also make them for boys, but we weren't going to get some for Christian. When we got back to the room I put the pink ones on him and he LOVES them. They squeek every time he takes a step. He was jumping and giggling. So....we're off this morning to get him a pair.

The food here is absolutely delicious. We had a traditional Chinese meal on Monday night and it was awesome. Jacob's meal came with Sprite, so now everytime we sit down to eat he tells me, "I'm a big boy now, I drink Sprite". Ummmm.....don't think so :). Jacob has 4 new "girlfriends", I've attached a picture of him with a couple of them :).

I've attached a few pictures of the last few days. The waterfall is in the lobby of our beautfiul hotel.

Please keep us in your prayers as we begin our long journey home. I'll send another post from Hong Kong if I can. If not, we'll see ya'll soon. Thank you for your prayers.

2010-04-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

We're in Guangzhou

2010-04-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

We're in Guangzhou.

The fast train was really nice. We enjoyed our ride very much. The only problem was that we only had 2 minutes to get onto the train with all of our luggage. A kind gentlemen helped us with one of our biggest bags and we made it onto the train in the nick of time.

Today Christian had his medical exam in preparation for receiving his visa to travel to the United States. Part of the process is insuring that he is fully vaccinated. Well, he had to get 5 shots and a TB test (which is another needle poke) this morning. He did much better then I expected. Actually, I've heard him cry much louder and with more force when we take something out of his hand. After his shots he was the happy boy that we've come to know.

There are so many adoptive families here. So far we've met families from Detroit, Colorado & California. We met a nice family who is adopting their 4th daughter through our agency. They have a set of twins from Korea. They are so cute. Jacob's preference was for blonds, but i think he is starting to have an eye for girls with black hair :)

This afternoon we are going to do some walking around and maybe a little shopping. I would like to get the boys some traditional Chinese outfits.

We took a couple of pictures today. Jacob really enjoys the yogurt here as you can see from the picture. The other picture is from Christians medical exam.

2010-04-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

Fun Day and We're Moving On

Sorry I wasn't able to send an update yesterday. It was a very tiring and difficult day. We visited Christian's orphanage and finding place in HengYang. We left early in the morning and traveled for almost 4 hours on bad roads to get there. We are very grateful that we were able to see what his life was like before he came to us. His nannies were very happy to meet his family, but it was hard for them to let him go. He was obviously very loved there.

Today we went to a local park which was more like a little amusement park. The grounds were beautiful with many trees and shrubs we have at home. We saw Magnolia trees, azaleas, camillia bushes. The climate here is very similar to ours, so apparently we share the same type of trees and flowers. The school children here get a recreation day once a month and they visit this park. I've attached a picture of some beautiful Chinese children enjoying their day as well as our beautiful boys having fun.

This afternoon we board a train for the next half of our China adventure. We are going to a city called Guangzhou and we will be staying at a hotel called the White Swan.

Enjoy the pictures, I will update from Guangzhou tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers, we are having a very good start to our bonding as a family.

earthquake in China

2010-04-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

We havent received a new post from Alicia and Charles yet this morning, but she did update on her facebook!

she said:
We are in Southeastern China and all the earthquakes were in Western China.. Very far away. We are doing fine and having a wonderful time with our two sons :)

Just wanted to post that so everyone knows they ARE OK!!!!!!!!
Praise God!!!!

danielle

2010-04-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

Day 3

Today we went to Wal-Mart, yep in China...it's everywhere! Christian is getting more and more comfortable with us. He didn't cry at all today and is putting his arms out for us to pick him up. He also began walking again today. I think his little body was so stressed out, he couldn't walk. I tried to upload a video, but it took too long.

Today's pictures are all of the pictures every good parent that adopts from China has on their blog. The Wal-Mart pictures and the squatty potty (yep, that's a public toilet) pic. Despite the appearance the bathroom was very clean and there was no odor. Jacob was scared at first, but when he figured out he could aim for the middle, he thought it was cool!

Tomorrow we visit Christian's orphanage and meet the ladies that have cared for him so lovingly for the past two years. Good night for now and thank you for your prayers.

It's Official...1st Family Picture

2010-04-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

2010-04-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

It's Official

Today we went back to the Civil Affairs Office to finalize the adoption of Christian Andrew McDuffie. Here in China there is a "happiness period" which is 24 hours. Well, we've been very happy for the last 24 hours :).

After we signed all of the documents promising to never abandon or mistreat our boy, we were granted the "first family photo". I think we're a fine looking familly :).

In the next few days we will be shopping (Christian came with a pair of PINK high tops!) and enjoying the sites of Changsha. On Thursday we will travel for a couple of hours to visit his orphanage. Although, I'm sure it will be difficult, we feel it's important for us to see how our baby boy has spent the first two years of his life.

Jacob is doing well, although this is very difficult for him. Today he asked me, "when are you going to start being my mommy again?". Talk about break your heart. It gave us a good opportunity to reassure him though. He seems much better since that conversation.

We are receiving so many graces from your prayers. We are truly blessed to have you all in our lives. Enjoy the pictures of our first full day together.

Alicia

We have Baby Christian!!!

2010-04-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

He is beautiful and looks just like his pictures. He came to us without crying, but was sad once we got to the hotel room. We did get a couple of smiles and some giggles, but then he got sad. Jacob is heartbroken when he cries and tries to hug him and pat his back. It's so sweet.

They were a little late bringing him to the Civil Affairs Office, so we were looking out the window. We caught a glimpse of a man coming into the building holding him. We knew it was him becuse he is dressed in the same blue coat he had on in his birthday pictures.

Enjoy the pictures of our first meeting and we will write again soon. Thank you for your prayers for our family,

Hotel View

2010-04-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is the night view from our hotel in Changsha. We had a delicious meal last night...on our own. 5 hours to baby Christian!! Jacob is very excited to meet his baby brother.

We're in Changsha!!!

2010-04-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

After a short flight this afternoon, we have arrived in Changsha. Our guide met us at the airport and brought us to our hotel. The weather here is much cooler than it was in Hong Kong. It's about 58 degrees and rainy. Helen, our guide, brought us to the grocery store to get us some supplies. We got many stares! Most people stared at us, but smiled at Jacob. I took a few pictures there.

The best part of today was finding out that we will meet our baby boy at 10:00 tomorrow morning! That's 10:00 Sunday night for ya'll. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of all of us together tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your prayers!

We're in Hong Kong!

2010-04-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

All bright eyed and bushy tailed at the airport in Lafayette at 4:30 AM

24 Hours later we are in Hong Kong. The trip was long and at some times difficult, but we are so happy to be here. Two more sleeps to Baby Christian..and it's already 8:00 tonight :).

God Bless and thank you for your prayers.

One more sleep!

2010-04-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's been the craziest week of our lives, but it's almost over!

We leave tomorrow morning

Thank you for your precious prayers and good wishes. We are so truly grateful.

Stay tuned, we will do our best (along with some friends here) to post from China.

TA!!!!

2010-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

We should be leaving on Friday....YEP....IN 4 DAYS!

We should have our baby boy in one short week!!!

Ask and you shall receive

2010-04-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I asked for TA today..didn't get it

Instead I got BIRTHDAY PICTURES!

Wow, they do birthday cakes right in China!

New Pictures

2010-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Of our beautiful son on his 2nd birthday!

Can't wait to hug him!

Happy Birthday

2010-04-01T04:17:00.001-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday precious baby boy. Mamma, Baba and GiGi will be there soon to bring you home.

We heard a rumor that our TA may have been issued this week and our adoption agency will have it on Monday.

It's been a long wait for TA, I hope it's almost over.

He's so tiny...

2010-03-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to receive an update on our baby boy today.

He is only 22 pounds, but looks so healthy and happy

He is described as having a "strong character"

and he likes to play with toy cars.

He'll fit in just fine :)

A Little Bit of China...In Louisiana

2010-03-14T07:30:00.001-07:00

As we wait for our travel approval (I am guessing we will be in China in early May) I was browsing through some pictures. A couple of years ago we spent our anniversary at Avery Island. This is the private island purchased by the McIllhenny family. The McIllhenny company produces Tabasco hot sauce.

Mr McIllhenny had a great admiration for China and built a beautiful Chinese garden around his home. The climate in Southwestern Louisiana is very similar to the climate in the Hunan province of China. So, everything in baby Christian's world will be changing, except the humidity :).

I've uploaded a few of the images from that beautiful October day a couple of years ago.

Above is the plant where the Tabasco products are made

This is a gift shop on the grounds

Ash Wednesday Conversation

2010-02-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

I went to mass at noon and Boo Boo went after work at 6. Upon returning from getting his ashes this was the conversation between the two:

Jacob: Dad what's wrong with your head?
Dad: Those are my ashes.
Jacob: Where did you get them?
Dad: At church, look mommy has some too.

Jacob: Ok guys, what's going on?

The boy is so silly! :)

Happy Valentines/Mardi Gras

2010-02-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras!

We have been enjoying lots of parades!

I have forgotten my camera each time. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some pics to post.

For now, enjoy this cute model wearing our fundraiser t-shirt.

SNOW!

This is a picture of our snowstorm on Friday morning. This is the second time we get snow this winter. Global warming????NOT! :)

Reminder

2010-02-12T03:50:00.000-08:00

There is a beautiful version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet performed by children at the very bottom of my blog. You have to scroll all the way to the bottom, but it's worth it. It brings tears to my eyes everytime I play it.

One step closer

2010-02-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

We received our I800 approval yesterday. Much quicker than I thought we'd receive it.

Now we wait for a letter from the National Visa Center. When we receive that (should be a week) we fax it to our adoption agency and they forward it to their representative in China.

Their rep then takes it to the Chinese Authorities and requests our Travel Authorization.

Pretty soon we'll know when we'll see our son for the first time!

Getting very excited!

WOW!

2010-02-06T04:39:00.000-08:00

588 Mardi Gras T-Shirts Sold!

We are so totally blown away! For Jacob's adoption we sold just under 200 t-shirts. At the time I was working someplace with many employees and everyone supported us in our adoption. I currently work in an office with about 20 employees, so I didn't expect to sell as many shirts this time.

When our friends and family found out about our fundraiser many of them asked for their own order forms to sell to their friends and co-workers. Last night I compiled our master order and was in shock when the grand total was reaching over 400. When I was done, I totalled the column and saw the 588 number!! Through the generosity of a local businessman (Lenni Lipari, Action Specialties) we made over $2600 on our fundraiser!

That's HALF of our orphanage donation!!

The t-shirts are so beautiful and we can't wait to go to the parades this year. We hope to meet some of the people that supported our adoption.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER

(Let the good times roll)

GEAUX SAINTS!

Happy...errr...Groundhog Day....NOT......

2010-02-02T18:48:00.001-08:00

Here in Southwest Louisiana we don't see any groundhogs (what's a groundhog anyway?). Punxsutawney Phil...gimme a break! We've got Pierre C Shadeaux....the Nutra Rat!

And....he didn't see his shadow...that means a long spring and a shorter summer! YIPEE

Read all about it and see a picture of Pierre by clicking the link below :)

News : NO SHADOW, CHER (New Iberia, LA)

Posted using ShareThis

LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE!

2010-01-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

WE WERE APPROVED TODAY!!! WE'RE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!

Finally, we received an approval ahead of schedule! Today was day 52 of our wait for LOA (Letter of Acceptance) and the average wait is 80 days! So, you can imagine how excited and surprised we are!

Hopefully, we will travel sometime in April. We'll miss his 2nd birthday, but we won't miss it by much!

We're coming precious baby boy!!

Adoption Fundraiser

2010-01-21T10:01:00.001-08:00

I know I probably only have a few readers, but I thought I'd offer you the opportunity to own
a beautiful Mardi Gras T-Shirt and help out with our adoption.

The shirts are short sleeved, purple, 100% preshrunk cotton and are available in YS-5XXL.

YS-XL are $10, XXL-5XL are $12. IF I need to ship them to you, I'll charge you exactly what it costs to ship them.

If you'd like a t-shirt, please leave me a comment that includes your email address and we'll work out the details.

Thanks!

For those of us who are counting......

2010-01-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Just in case you are color blind that number is

45!

We are 45 days into our wait for LOA

The average is currenly 80 days...over halfway there!

Pray for America

2010-01-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

A Pro-Life Prayer For Our President And Public Officials
Lord God, Author of Life and Source of Eternal Life,

Move the hearts of all our public officials and especially our President, to fulfill their responsibilities worthily and well to all those entrusted to their care.

Help them in their special leadership roles, to extend the mantle of protection to the most vulnerable, especially the defenseless unborn, whose lives are threatened with extermination by an indifferent society.

Guide all public officials by your wisdom and grace to cease supporting any law that fails to protect the fundamental good that is human life itself, which is a gift from God and parents.

You are the Protector and Defender of the lives of the innocent unborn. Change the hearts of those who compromise the call to protect and defend life. Bring our nation to the values that have made us a great nation, a society that upholds the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Mary, the Mother of the living, help us to bear witness to the Gospel of Life with our lives and our laws, through Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

Imprimatur:
January 22, 2009
Most Reverend Robert J. Baker
Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama

Fun Pictures

2009-12-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

Cheeezzzzyyy.....

On our way to mass

"Sword" Fight

Whew....Christmas is tiring

Our Precious Angel

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure

Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold.

Got or LID (Log In Date)

2009-12-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

December 4th is the day our dossier was logged into the system in China. Now, we can make projections. The next step is our LOA (Letter of Acceptance). We will receive a letter from the Chinese adoption officials asking if we accept this precious little boy as our son. We sign it an send it back to China and await the next step.

The average wait time for LOA is 80 days. 19 days done and about 61 to go.

Please keep praying

My "baby" boy is 4 today!

2009-12-20T08:41:00.001-08:00

Jacob, 8 days old

Jacob, 1 year old

Jacob, 2 years old

Jacob, 3

Happy Birthday Sweet Jacob

It's there...but no date yet...

2009-12-19T04:43:00.000-08:00

Our dossier is in China, but we haven't been notified of our "official" Log In Date....waiting is the name of the game with this adoption. A true test of patience.

In the meantime, my boys have been having lots of fun.

2009-12-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Nice, Quiet, Relaxing Weekend

2009-11-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

Did a little Christmas shopping

(He sleeps with this sales flyer)

Spent some time with my cousins

Jacob and I had a very nice weekend. Dad was in New Orleans for his "weekend a month" for the Navy. We had a nice time with our cousins (their twins) and Jacob loves them so much. Next year they will be at the same school. The boys say that they will watch out for Jacob in "big boy" school.

Our dossier is either DTC (Dossier to China), or very close. Had our INS approval authenticated by both the state and the Chinese Consulate in Houston. That was the last step before DTC.

Please keep praying for our family.

This kind of courage comes from God

2009-11-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

ONE STEP CLOSER.....

2009-10-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

USCIS (INS) APPROVAL!

87 DAYS AFTER FINGERPRINTS

NOTARIZED & AUTHENTICATED ON MONDAY

OFF TO CHINESE CONSULATE IN HOUSTON ON MONDAY AFTERNOON

ALMOST DTC!

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!

Boo!

2009-10-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Just Cute!

2009-10-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Our soccer star is on the top row 4th from the left and barely visible

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Waiting, Wondering, Worrying .....

2009-10-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, still waiting on our INS approval. It seems to be taking forever to get this last state clearance.

Wondering what this precious little boy's life is like.

Worrying about his well being

Faith that his little heart is being protected by my constant prayers.

What happens at soccer, you ask?

2009-09-26T11:33:00.001-07:00

Gotta sleep in your soccer shirt to prepare

Meet your coach

Do some streching

Cheer on your new friends

Finally, play some soccer

Celebrate your accomplishments as a team!

When it's all done, you relax with an old friend

Soccer

2009-09-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Starts tomorrow! We got his uniform Monday and every morning are greeted with the question..."Is today the day I meet my soccer friends?".

Only one more sleep baby boy!

Three years ago.....

2009-09-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

God gave us this precious little gift
God made sure that our precious little gift was well cared for by someone very special and loving

Our baby boy, we love you so very much

CORRECTIONS....URRRRR!!!

2009-08-22T06:48:00.001-07:00

We thought we were getting our approval from Immigration, instead, we got a request for more information...URRRR!!

Apparently some items in our homestudy were not worded exactly as required. Our social worker isn't in her office on Friday afternoon, so we wait until Monday.

Our adoption agency said it should be an easy fix and our dossier should be in China in the next couple of weeks. They also said we should expect to be approved and in China for pickup before his second birthday!

We have been concerned about a TB test that is required (for all children over the age of two) in order to issue their visa to enter the United States. If the adopted child tests positive there is a regimin of treatment that takes from 3-6 months to complete before the visa can be issued. That means that your adoption is final, but your child is not permitted to enter the United States. Therefore, you have to either stay in China with your child for treatment or arrange for care and leave your child in China and return for pickup when they are deemed clear. There is much concern about this because there is a required vaccination that causes the TB skin test to appear positive. If the test is positive a chest x-ray is done to determine if the child has TB.

We would like our son home ASAP and it sure would be nice to avoid the stress of having to comply with this requirement.

Thanks for following our story and, as always, your prayers mean the world to us.

Done

2009-08-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

As soon as we get our approval everything is off to China!! Yipee!

Happy Birthday...to me!!

2009-08-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Jacob insisted we make these Ming Ming cupcakes. When the lady on Noggin demonstrated how to make them, it looked so easy!

Thoughts

2009-08-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

This week we were given the Vocation Chalice and asked to fill it with our prayers for all vocations. This includes those called to married life, single life, the consecrated life, etc. It was such an honor to pray for all to hear the call of our Lord for the plan He has for their lives.

Have you ever felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit working in your life? I'm not sure I always knew it at the time, but certainly in retrospect I can clearly see His work in my life. I was born to a wonderful mother and father. They, however, weren't so wonderful to each other and were divorced when I was 6 years old. Therefore, I didn't live in an environment of life-giving love. Sure, my mom and dad loved me, but I wasn't able to witness the daily sacrafices of married love. I believe that this fact gave me distorted expectations of what married love required. I was married in a civil ceremony at a very early age.

The Holy Spirit was calling me to married life, but I wasn't fully listening. My first marriage lasted 14 very difficult years, in which I had suffered 3 miscarriages, much verbal abuse and financial ruin. I lived the single life for a while, but the desire to have a family was overwhelming. I began to realize that I COULD NOT be the author of my life, I had to let Him do it and I began seeing the world and relationships in a whole new way..through Him.

Today I am the wife of a precious man who loves me in a way I have never been loved in my life. I am also loving in a whole new way. Our lives are so richly blessed. Our son is the center of our universe and we are so blessed to be able to live our vocation of married life as He intended.

I hope that after I am gone that my sons have beautiful lives. I hope that they remember what brought their mother and father strength. In other words, my prayer is that the way we answer the Holy Spirit in our lives gives them the courage to hear the call of the Spirit in their lives.

It's been a lonnnnngggggg time.....

2009-07-24T04:08:00.001-07:00

I just realized it's been a very long time since I've posted.

I am having the vacation blues right now. EVERYONE is going somewhere :(...we have decided to forgo vacation this year as we need to conserve our $$ and our time off for baby boy). We just have to keep focused..they are going to places near and far, but we get to go to CHINA and we will receive the best gift of all!!

Baby boy's adoption....homestudy done, all dossier documents/pictures, etc submitted, fingerprinting appointment requested and granted!! We will travel to New Orleans on August 7th. Once we get our UCSIS approval our dossier will be sent to China (DTC) and then all we'll have to do is wait (the hardest part).

We've also sent our precious son a couple of care packages and received some updated pictures of him. I think I'm ready to share them...I happen to think he is the cutest little thing! So does his big brother!

Enjoy

Referral Picture...yep, he's a boy....love the pink shirt! Beautiful soulful eyes!

His eyes alot like Jacob's

We weren't sure this was the same baby, he's grown up so much. But, there they are, those precious eyes. He looks so big in here, but actually he is a tiny boy.
Here he is at about 15 months old. We can't wait to get him home!

We're coming baby boy!!

We hope you've enjoyed the pictures of our son. Please keep praying for our family!

Fun

2009-06-07T19:04:00.001-07:00

On to a better place

2009-05-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we decided that Jacob needed a dog. Well, actually, DH decided that Jacob needed a puppy. He had done his research and decided that a female, yellow lab was the best puppy for a little boy.

Jolie Blonde came to live with us at the end of February as a sweet little puppy. Well, 3 weeks later she was a dog....a big dog...that is very happy and content. She loved to play with Jacob. The only problem was that she weighed more than Jacob and when she liked to jump. After much consideration and Jacob being hurt, we decided Jolie wasn't right for our family.

We posted a message among our friends that Jolie was available to a good home. We didn't want to give her away to someone we didn't know. After a few weeks Jolie has moved on to her new family. She now lives with an awesome family that has a large yard (like ours) and two older kids. They love her so much and have promised to keep us updated on her.

We'll miss you Jolie, you are a good dog!

Imagine

2009-05-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Moving right along.....

2009-05-07T03:09:00.000-07:00

Monday we had our physicals and our last home visit from our social worker. Now she has everything to start drafting the homestudy report. We're trying to get our dossier to China before July 31st. We humbly ask for your prayers for a smooth process and especially that our son is loved and well cared for in China.

Bedtime is very special for Jacob and his daddy. Daddy has been working out of town for the past two weeks, so mommy has been putting Jacob to bed. HE SAYS HIS OWN PRAYERS! It's so cute! He blesses himself first, then mommy, then birthmommy....etc, etc, etc. When I ask about blessing daddy he says, "oh, yeah, I forgot cause daddy's not here mommy".

This weekend was all about picnics! On Saturday was our company picnic and crawfish boil. The crawfish were big and very YUMMY! On Sunday was our "good old fashioned" church picnic. There were sack races, simon says, volleyball and many other "non-electronic" forms of fun! :)

Devon company picnic and crawfish boil

Jacob and his new friend Oscar

Oops, is it ok for Oscar to have ice cream?

Doing God's Will

2009-05-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

An amazing story of a family following His call http://wwwourchinagirl.blogspot.com/

Can you help them?

Enjoying Spring

2009-04-30T19:15:00.001-07:00

In Southwest Louisiana Spring is short and beautiful. Soon the swealtering, humid 90 degree days will be here. Enjoy our picutres

Contest

2009-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Jacob's trying to win $500 for his baby brother's adoption and needs your help.
Would you please go here : http://www.thecutekid.com/ckgallery/votemypic/email/23782
and vote for his Easter picture.

Thanks!

A Blessed Easter indeed

2009-04-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

After enjoying a beautiful Easter Mass this morning we spent the rest of this Easter with our family. Enjoy the pictures of our day...

Maw Maw and her grandsons

INITIAL APPROVAL FROM CCAA

2009-04-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

WOHOO!!!!!!! We've received our Initial Approval...that means that we have to get our booties moving on our Dossier!

So far we've:

Met with our social worker to update our homestudy
Applied for Jacob's Passport (harder than you think, for most of the day yesterday we were in a panic because we couldn't find his Guatemalan birth certificate-probably the only document we could NEVER replace)
Got a medical statement on Jacob from his peditrician
Updated our autobiographies for the homestudy
Sent off our State Police Clearances (1 of three we need)
Began the process of refinancing our home to pay for all of this!

Left to do:

TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION :o

It's overwhelming, but we've got to stay focused :)

Precious baby brother is so worth it!

You may be a redneck if.....

2009-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

You play outside in your "drawers"

In the same shirt you had on the day before :O

My new shirt!

2009-04-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

That's right...Jacob is going to be a big brother!!

Baby brother is living in an orpanage in China.

He is a precious 1 year old boy.

Please pray that baby brother is safe and loved until we can all be together!

Stay tuned....BIG news coming soon!

2009-03-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

What are we up to????

2009-03-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

Confirmation Retreat

Shopping for flowers

Helping Daddy

Playing with Jolie

Almost done

Eating breakfast with baby Jenna

Growing like crazy!!

Feeling better! Praise God!

www.riggsfamilyblog.com

Exactly WHAT do they put in Puppy Chow???

2009-03-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken two short weeks apart!

I think Jolie Blonde is going to be a big doggie!
She is very sweet and lovable.

Check out these awesome pictures on Abby's blog.
http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/03/purple-tongues-of-love-for-abby.html
We'll be painting our tongues purple for Abby this weekend.

Raise Your Hand

2009-03-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

All Better

2009-03-11T07:34:00.001-07:00

We're Sick

2009-03-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

My baby boy has a very ugly stomach virus. He spent much of the night last night at the hospital receiving IV fluids. We were released this morning. He finally started feeling a little better this evening.

My office sent him this teddy bear and some "Get Well Soon" balloons. Can you tell how pale he is in this picture?