Our China Adoption Journey

Referrals

2008-11-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

Congratulation's to my blogger friends who received their referrals. I am so happy for them and it gives me hope that we too will one day get our referral. As you know if you read are blog we adopted a baby boy domestically, Riley. We have started a family blog as to not take away from our China adoption blog. Our new family blog is www.fauvelfamilyfun.blogspot.com. Check it out and leave us a comment.

Boston Riley Fauvel

2008-09-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you know Darrell and I decided to pursue a domestic adoption while we wait on China. We want more than one child and with China taking so long we decided to go ahead with a concurrent adoption. Well, Thursday morning we received our approval to adopt from Christian Homes. As I was driving to meet Darrell for lunch that same day I got a call from our social worker saying that a birth mom had selected us. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that it happened so soon. We were told that he had already been born and we could pick him up on Monday morning. Today is the day that we get to bring home our sweet baby boy. We have named him Boston "Riley" Fauvel. We are so excited to be parents and we are overjoyed. We are still anticipating with great excitement our referral from China and can't wait for Riley to have a baby sister.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well today I turn 34. I'm looking forward to what this year might bring. I'm hoping I will become a mom. It's been a good day so far. I went to lunch with my co-workers and Darrell is taking me out tonight. He won't tell me what we're doing but I know it will be great.

Alaska

2008-07-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my trip to Alaska. My mom and I flew up there to visit my brother and his wife Ashley and my nephew Benjamin. My mom stayed up there to visit with them awhile. I had a great time. Alaska is so beautiful. I highly recommend that you go to Alaska a least once in your lifetime. We went dog sledding and got to hold cute Huskie puppies. I saw moose and eagles. It was a great visit. I really enjoyed spending time with my family. My nephew is so adorable as you can see from the picture above.

Summer

2008-06-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted. I guess I haven't really had much to say. Things are going so slow with China that there is nothing new to report on. With the wait increasing we have decided to pursue other options while we continue to wait for China. We will keep you posted on these other options when we have more information.
It's hard to believe that summer is here already. We just got back from Florida last week. We met up with some of Darrell's family and we had a great time. Later this month we have some very dear friends coming to visit and Darrell's twin brother Darrick is coming to see us as well. Also, in July I'm taking my mom to visit my brother and his wife Ashley and their son Benjamin in Alaska. We are very excited and looking forward to seeing them. Well, that's all I have for now!

2008-04-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

These shoes are made by my very good friend Ruth. She has several styles to choose from and they are very well made and machine washable. Check her out at BabyBugShoeDesigns.etsy.com. They make great baby gifts and are sure to be a hit at any baby shower!!

Jane Austen

2008-04-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I love her books and the movies that have been done about her books. I'm not sure I can say which one is my all time favorite. But my top three are Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. I found this quiz and thought it would be fun to see what Heroine I am. Take it to see which one you are.

Take the Quiz here!

My Heart is Aching

2008-04-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Next month will be our two year anniversary of being logged in to the China Adoption system. Every month they seem to match less days than the month before. This month they only matched 5 days. They have only made it through Jan. 9th of 2006. If China continues at this rate we will not receive a referral until Oct. of 2010. We started this process in August of 2005. So by the time we get a referral the entire process will have taken 5 years. When we started it was only suppose to take 12 months. Needless to say Darrell and I are so frustrated and sad. We so badly want to be parents. We want more than one child but with this taking so long we are not sure if we should wait to start another adoption until after we get our baby from China or go ahead and consider starting a second adoption now. We have so many questions. Our prayer is that God will show us what we are suppose to do. Maybe there is a reason we are having to wait so long. I don't know. I just know that my heart aches to be a mother and I so badly want to hold our precious daughter or daughters from China in my arms. I pray that God will keep them safe while we wait for them. I also pray that God will make a way for us to be parents as soon as possible. If you read this blog I ask that you would also pray for all the children in China who are waiting for a family and all the families that are waiting for a child.

Hurray!

2008-03-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it took them long enough but China is finally matching people with Log-in-dates of 06'. It took them forever to get through 05'. They have matched people with LID's through Jan 4th, 2006. Are LID is May, 30, 2006. We are still hoping for a referral in summer of 09'. Slow and steady it goes but one day we will be parents. Just maybe they will speed up enough that we could get a referral in early 09'. It doesn't hurt to hope. Congratulations to all those who just received their referrals.

What a year so far!!

2008-02-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Darrell and I have had a rough start to the new year. I lost my dad on Jan. 2nd and then we had to rush to Boston to see Darrell's mom who was very ill and passed away on Feb. 3rd. Darrell's mom was a great lady who had a strong faith in the Lord and loved life. She loved to travel, especially to Florida, she loved color and the view the lake from her house. She raised six wonderful children. I am so blessed to have known her. She is now in heaven with Jesus and is reunited with her husband Paul who passed away several years ago. Darrell and I are emotionally and physically exhausted but we have made it through and will continue to because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for our friends and family who have prayed for us and loved on us. We hope that the rest of the year will be better and just maybe it will end with us getting a referral from China. If I have learned anything from all of this it is that life here on earth is fleeting. Take every moment you have to let the people in your life know how much you love them.

My Dad

2008-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone's Christmas was great. Our family had a rough holiday. My dad was in the hospital Thanksgiving and Christmas. He was sick for quite awhile and on Jan. 2, 2008 he went home to be with the Lord. I know he is in heaven and is in no more pain but it's still hard to give him up. My dad was a great dad. Growing up he went to every basketball game I played in, every football game I danced at and every choir concert I sang in. He took me to school every morning because I hated to ride the bus. He led me to Jesus and baptized me. I am so thankful that I had such a great dad for as long as I did. He was a man of God who loved people and who loved to laugh. I am sad that he will not get to meet our babies and watch them grow up. He would have been a great grandpa to them. I will love and cherish him always.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time. This is my favorite time of year. I love the holidays, the winter weather, and being with friends and family. This is a time when we can remember and be truly grateful for the greatest gift ever given, Jesus. I pray that during the hustle and bustle of the season you will not forget the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Darrell and I want to give you an update on the adoption process. Our hearts are truly saddened by news we received from our agency yesterday. We were told that we would not get a referral until sometime in 2009. Mostly likely not until July or August of 2009. That means we have to wait 20 more months for a referral. We have already waited 18 months. We get so many questions about why it's taking so long. Well, no one could be more frustrated and sad than Darrell and I. When we started the process it was suppose to only take 9-12 months and the wait has just kept increasing. The explanation of why it's taking so long is that there are so many people adopting from China that there is a back log. Our agency has been wonderful and they are great about answering our questions. China is the one who holds our future. Once you are logged in to there system it's in there hands,not our agency's. People ask us all the time why we don't just go another route. Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, we have money invested in our adoption and we can not get it back. Two, we truly believe that we are suppose to adopt from China. When we started the adoption process, we both felt like God was calling us to China. We know God has a special baby or babies for us from China. We don't understand why it is taking so long and trust me it has not been easy. I have had several days when all I could do was cry but we have faith that one day we will be parents of amazing little girls. I ask each of you who read this blog to pray for our sweet babies, and that the process will speed up and that we will get them sooner than later.

May God bless you and your family this Christmas!!

Much Love,
Krista and Darrell

It's Almost November Already!!

2007-10-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

My how time flies. I can't believe it's already the end of October. Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it. Sorry it's been so long since we've posted anything. Life has been busy. Darrell is loving his new job. He's working hard and learning alot. I am changing jobs within the College of Business at ACU. I start my new position on Nov. 5th. Molly is doing well. She just got her teeth cleaned at the vet and has nice clean breath.

Another exciting thing that has happened is that our church has started an Adoption and Foster Care Ministry. We are very excited to be a part of this ministry. We are having are first Waiting Family Support group in a few weeks. We believe this ministry can be a vital part of our church and community.

We continue to wait and have no further updates on our status. It is still looking like we could receive a referral around Nov. 2008. In the meantime we are saving money, decorating the nursery, and spending quality time together. We look forward to seeing our family and friends during the holiday season. Until next time...

August was an exciting month!

2007-09-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well this month my brother, Corey, his wife Ashley, and my adorable nephew, Ben came to visit us from Alaska. We had a great time with them visiting our family in Lubbock. Ben is so cute as you can see for yourself, that's him in the picture. It was great to see them and we miss them already. The other big thing that has happened this month is that Darrell got a new job. He will be a Server Administrator for First Financial Bank of Abilene. He is so excited. He will miss ACU but after 13yrs. it was time for a change. He will start Sept. 12th. The wait for the adoption continues and we have now been on the waiting list 15 months. It has been two years since we started the process. We decided to adopt on my birthday, August 26th, 2005 and sent our application in the next week. It's hard to believe it's been two years already and still know sign of our baby. We anxiously await the day we can say we have a referral. We believe it will be sometime next fall. We hope. Well, that's all for now.

What City do you belong in?

2007-07-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this on someone else's blog and I thought it would be fun. If you want to know what city you belong in go to www.blogthings.com. I've always wanted to go to Rome!

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heartWhich is why you're attracted to the romance of RomeStrolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in handAnd gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

Our Dossier is out of Review!!

2007-07-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

We have great news! We are out of the review room! Once our documents were sent to China we were given a log in date but our dossier still had to be reviewed by the China Government. This meant that once they reviewed our dossier they could turn us down or ask for more documentation. Well they have reviewed our dossier and we are good to go! Now all we have to do is wait for our sweet babies! This is a huge relief and the best news we have heard in a long time. Keep praying that China will speed up and we will get our babies sooner than later!

Our 5yr. Anniversary

2007-06-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Darrell and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We took a little trip to New Braunfels and stayed at a great resort called T Bar M. We had a great time. It's hard to believe we have been married for 5 years already. These past 5 years have been wonderful and we both feel so blessed to have each other to walk through life with. We look forward to the next 5 years and all that it has to offer.

Nursery

2007-06-24T20:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our nursery. It's a work in progress but it's coming along. We bought the rug at Pottery Barn Outlet and got a great deal. We bought the bed online through eBay and also got a great deal on it. We will post more pictures as the nursery comes along.

Update on adoption

2007-06-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Darrell and I wanted to create a place where family and friends could keep up with our adoption. We started our adoption process August 26, 2005. Our paper work was received in China on May 30, 2006. We have been on the waiting list for one year and are expected to have to wait at one more year to bring home our baby from China. We hope to get twins and are praying that we will be doubly blessed. We have picked out names already; Emma Mae and Ella Grace. The wait is long and hard but we know it will be worth it in the end. We cannot wait to be parents. Molly (our dog) is also very excited about becoming a big sister. We appreciate all your prayers and thoughts as we continue to wait for our precious babies. Please leave posts. We would love to hear from you! God Bless!