Happy Referral Day, AnnaClaire!

Three years ago today, our lives were forever changed by a phone call. Let me back track a little and say that it was just a week before that we had filled out a SN application. Then, on Friday the 21st (the day before our LID), we had seen the following posted on the AWAA website:
"America World was surprised to receive four Special Needs referrals this week and anticipates the receipt of the remainder of the set in the upcoming weeks. The Special Needs Coordinators are unable to predict precisely when they will arrive. The four Special Needs referrals are being translated and eligible families will be contacted once the translations are received. The Special Needs Coordinators are unable to give out any information on these four referrals until the complete medicals translations are received. When the remainder of the referrals do arrive, the Special Needs Coordinators need time to translate these referrals to process them accordingly. All applications received on or before Friday, July 21st, will be considered in the matching of this Special Needs referral group. Please understand that there are many families on the Interested Families list that have requested female, 0-2 years, with minor special needs. Due to the increase, not all families on the Interested Families list will receive a call with this upcoming Special Needs referral group."
I had asked Mom if she had seen, but obviously, we thought nothing of it. Afterall, we were looking for a baby girl and we had JUST been added to the list.

Our "surprise referral girls"... Lucy, Shaoey, and AnnaClaire (the 4th one was a little boy who was adopted a few months after our girls)

And then on Tuesday, July 25, 2006, our lives were changed... with that phone call I just mentioned. It was just after 1 when that call came... The day before, our family coordinator had called, but we were out (getting a carseat... which we thought we'd have for years! ha!) so she had left a message. Mom called back, but she had already left. They called and missed eachother a few more times, but this time we were home. We had just gotten accepted into the waiting child program and my Mom had called the Friday before, because she had some questions about the program. So we thought this call was just a response to Mom's call. What we didn't know, is that we were about to learn firsthand how the waiting child program worked.



I was reading The Waiting Child when the call came... I had run to see who it was and knew it was our agency. I knew that a surprise list of 4 referrals had just come out, but I also knew that my mom had just called to ask questions, and as I mentioned, that is why we thought Tabitha was calling. I listened and heard my mom, who was close to tears, say, "Of course! We would love further information!" They talked for a few more minutes and I just knew that we had received a referral... I ran downstairs and Mom told me she was not even 9 months old, from the Chenzhou SWI, and her name was Chen Xun Hui. We called Dad and waited an agonizing 15 minutes for an email to come with our sweet girl's pictures and file. When it finally came and we saw that precious, chubby, baby face looking back at us, there was no doubt in our minds that this was our sweet girl... our precious AnnaClaire Chenhui.


I love looking at the pictures of AnnaClaire holding her referral picture... how different she looks... a big puffy red jacket to sweet, girly clothes... an orphanage wall in the background to a door to her house in the background. Yet, at the same time, SHE looks so the same... that sweet little round face, those gorgeous brown, almond eyes...

July 25, 2008

July 25, 2007

Happy Referral Day, precious girl!

and Praise HIM who perfectly brought us together and made you a part of our forever family.