Happy Birthday to my Mentor...

Today is Sue Ackerman's Birthday. What a huge influence she has been in my life. How interesting that is was in her class back at Morgan Park High School that I first learned about China's abandoned daughters. It was a lesson that impacted me even then. How sad that innocent children could be so easily discarded by their own society. Times have changed and then again, they haven't. Often circumstances force parents (or grandparents) to make decisions that they wouldn't normally make. How interesting that after all of this time, there is an unbalance between the male and female genders in China.

I want to continue my effort to play catch up from the last month. Here goes.

1 October 2008

This had to be one of the longest days of my life! I was on pins and needles all day waiting for Amy Eldridge to call me. The e-mail that I sent her included all of my contact numbers, but, no phone call! As the day wore on, I got more anxious. I checked our home answering machine several times throughout the day just to make sure she didn’t leave a message there, but there was nothing. Ugh!

I talked to Juli on the drive home and she asked if I had heard anything. I told her, “No! It’s so frustrating! I just want to talk to this woman!”

When I got home, I couldn’t even eat dinner. I checked e-mail and kept praying that the phone would ring. Finally, I decided to be proactive. I thought perhaps the first e-mail sent may have gotten filtered into Amy’s SPAM or JUNK Mail folders because I sent it from my CPS e-mail, so I decided to send another e-mail from my MSN account. Within three minutes of sending the new e-mail Amy responded!!

"Hi Kristine!

I would love to talk to you by phone. Can we talk next week? Right now we have a cleft surgery mission going on in China, and all of our staff that has ties to their orphanage is there and quite busy. I can get more information for you as soon as that ends.

Are you the family that is with FTIA? I just love them!

Amy"

Awesome!! This really put my mind at ease (and my stomach!). This would at least allow me to rest easy until next week. (Whew!) Thank heavens!!

30 September 2008

Oh boy, what a weekend! All I thought about was twin boys from China! I was imagining what I would do with the bedroom and I was thinking about 100 Good Wishes Quilt that is already in progress (Gosh…what am I going to tell Betsie? Most of the people sent “girlie” fabric and wishes! She’s almost finished with the quilt! Yikes! I’m not going to worry about that now!!).

I’m just so excited about the thought of completing our family. Michael and I have been doing a lot of talking about it and he’s really ready for this, too!

Paul Duggan finally contacted me today via text message and provided me with Amy Eldridge’s e-mail address. He wrote:

“Kr...
please email amy eldridge at email below. she has seen the twins and wants to speak to you. Go get 'em. I am anxious and excited for you. I hope it all sorts out soon.
Paul”

Wow!! Needless to say, I contacted Amy within NANOSECONDS of getting Paul’s text message to introduce myself and Michael and explain our connection to Paul and Debbie! My heart was beating SO FAST! I wondered how long it would take before she would call! I literally have butterflies in my stomach!