Journey to Sophia

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

We're leaving TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

Well things have been a little hectic around here! We got a phone call on monday morning asking if we could leave for China on thursday as in THREE days away?!?!?! OF COURSE!!!!!!!!! We have been packed since we received our referral in November!!! However, I went into a tailspin and have been frantic ever since! I just wanted to update you all! We are off to bring Olivia and Chloe to my parents's who are taking care of them for the next 2 weeks. They will celebrate Christmas with them. Steve and I will be in CHINA!!!!!!!!! Here is our itinerary:

Thursday, 12/14/06: Fly from LA to Beijing!!!
12/15-12/16: Tour Beijing
12/17: Fly to Nanchang, Jiangix
12/18/06: "GOTCHA DAY!!!!" We'll me Sophia early this morning and complete the adoption!
12/18-12/23: Tour Nanchang and complete paperwork
12/24 (Christmas Eve): Fly to Guangzhou at the White Swan
12/25/06: Consualte appointment!
12/27: Fly home
12/18: Arrive at HOME at 10:18 a.m.!!!

We're sad that we wont be able to spend Christmas with Olivia and Chloe, but we're going to get their baby sister!!! We will celebrate Christmas all together when we are home with Sophia.

Off to finish packing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Julie Klein

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Happy 4 year "Gotcha Day" Olivia!!!

I guess it has been a while since I have posted. Sorry about that! Things have been a little crazy in the Klein household since the referral of our newest Klein. We are still waiting. No news on TA yet, but hopefully we will be hearing something very soon. We are hoping to travel over Christmas! If not, then it will probably be the beginning of 2007. We are so anxious to go get Sophia.

Yesterday was a very special day. We celebrated Olivia Wu Han Klein's 4 year "Gotcha Day." Olivia was placed in my arms on November 18, 2002, in Nanchang, Jiangxi. Olivia was 8 months old and my first daughter. I can't believe that she is now a very busy 4 1/2 year old and one of the joys of my life (of course along with her sister, Chloe and soon to be sister, Sophia). It was also special becuase her newest sister, Sophia, is also from Jiangxi province and in a few weeks Steve and I will be meeting Sophia in the same hotel as I met Olivia (before Steve and I were married). The third reason is that yesterday was National Adoption Awareness Day. Very special.

Will post info when we get it. Have a very blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

Steve & Julie
Olivia (4) - Jiangxi
Chloe (3) - Hubei
Sophia (7 months) - Jiangxi

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Meet Sophia Xiu Li Klein!!!!

Meet the newest Klein family member!!!! Isn't she adorable?!?! Look at all her hair!!! We are still on cloud 9 and can't believe that we have a 3rd daughter. We received our referral packet on friday, November 3rd. Sorry it has taken me so long to post her picture. This past weekend has been crazy with getting copies and telling everyone about our little girl. Olivia is very excited about her baby sister, however I don't think that Chloe quite understands yet.

We are still trying to locate information about Jizhou SWI. If anyone has any info, that would be greatly appreciated!!! CCAI says that we will most likely travel early January but it could be late December and maybe even around Christmas!!!! So..... this could definately be an interesting Christmas season. Olivia and Chloe are staying with my parents so they will have a Christmas celebration even if Alec and I are in China getting Sophia.

That's all I know! Enjoy!


Thursday, November 02, 2006

~*~*~*~*~REFERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~*~*~*~*~

We received "THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!" I'm still shaking over it and it was almost half an hour ago!!! Oh my gosh, I know who Sophia is!!!! Praise the Lord!!!!!!! We want to thank God above all else, CCAA for matching us with our precious daughter, CCAI for their excellent help for all 3 of our girls adoptins, Sophia's birth mother, and her orphanage for taking caring of her until we can get there to bring her home!!!! Without anymore procrastinating, I introduce SOPHIA!!!!!!!!!!


Chinese Name: Ji Xiu Li

Soon to be: Sophia Xiu Li (we think!)

DOB: April 11, 2006 (almost 7 months old, she's so young!)

Residing: Jizhou SWI (city of JiAn)

Province: Jiangxi (this is the province Olivia is from!!!)

She was found on April 14, 2006 at 3 days old. She was left with a note stating her birthdate. We don't believe she is in foster care, but is at the orphanage. We receive "THE CALL" at 3:34 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2006. We are going back to Nanchang to get her! We will travel most likely in late December or early January. We could be gone over Christmas!!! We will get pictures tomorrow.

I have not been able to find out much about JiAn. I don't know how close it is to Jingdezhen (where Olivia is from). I can't believe I have ANOTHER Jiangxi girl! Praise the Lord, we know who Sophia is!!!!!!!!!!!!


Julie Klein
DH: Alec
DD: Olivia Wu Han (4) b. 3/9/02 a. 11/18/02 from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi
DD: Chloe Li Quan (3) b. 8/27/03 a. 8/1/04 from Huangmei, Hubei
DD: Sophia Xiu Li (7 mon.) b. 4/11/06 a. ????? from Jizhou, Jiangxi
CCAI for all 3!!!!!

The STORK is flying!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are on their way!!! RERERRALS ARE ON THE WAY!!!!! CCAA finally upated their website and this is what it says:

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before August 25, 2005.

YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!!!! I think today is the day!!! I may be posting about sweet Sophia later TODAY!!! I can't take this anymore!!! I'm going CRAZY!!!!!!!! My baby is on her way to me! (well her picture at least!).

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

On their way!!!!

According to RQ, it is believed that referrals are on their way and expected TOMORROW!!! I'm going crazy right now!!! They also said that they believe 8/24/05 LID's will be included. However this doesn't affect us much since we have an 8/11/05 LID and KNOW that we'll be included in this batch after just missing the last cut-off of 8/9/05. So...... we may know who Sophia is tomorrow!!! Our agency hasn't said for sure as they are conservative and don't want to give our false hopes. I'm in such a better mood now!!! I love November!!! : ) So will 11/2/06 be the special day?!?! We're almost there!!!! I also know who my sweet Sophia is!!!!

On a side note, we had a lot of fun trick-or-treating with the girls. However I kept catching myself thinking about how next year will have Sophia trick-0r-treating with us. This was Olivia's 4th Halloween and Chloe's 3rd. I can't wait to have Sophia with us next year. I keep wondering how old she is and where she is from. Is she from Jiangxi like Olivia or Hubei like Chloe? Or myabe Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, or another province? I'm guessing that she is 8 months old which means she was born in February. Will she be close to Olivia's birthday? Alec says she's about 12 months which would be October and closer to Chloe's birthday. I'm SO anxious!!!!!

Hopefully I'll have some VERY exciting news to post about tomorrow!!!! I got my questions all set by the phone (of course they have been there for months) and the camera is all set!!! Sophia, mommy's ready for you!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Don't know how much more I can take!!!

Well again, NO NEWS. I don't know how much more of this I can take! I thought for sure that we would get THE CALL yesterday. But no, and there is no sign of referrals right now. I checked RQ site and it is said that referrals may have been mailed and should be expected thursday, and other agencies have said that referrals have NOT been mailed yet. It is just so frustrating when you don't know anything!!! So the wait continues...

I am trying my best to put my disappointment behind me and to have a fun Halloween with the girls. I don't want to damper their fun. So instead of showing off my pictures of Sophia, I will be showing off my two adorable girls. Olivia is going to be Cinderella this year and Chloe is going to be a ladybug (original, I know!). So I will be going around the neighborhood with my princess and my ladybug. : ) We are then going to my parents house to hang out with them and relax before the fire and eat candy corn, popcorn, caramel apples, pumpkin bread and all sorts of other good stuff.

I'm doing my best to put on a "happy face." I know that Alec is just as frustrated during this wait as I am but he just puts on a better "act" than me. You'd think I'd be good at it the 3rd time through. After all I did wait over 14 months for Olivia's referral and only 7 months for Chloe's. I guess I was hoping for a "Chloe referral wait" this time around rather than an "Olivia referral wait."

Happy Halloween everyone and I'll post information as soon as I know something.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

No referrals..... : (

No Referrals Today - : - (

Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:03 am (PST)

Hi August 2005 LIDers,

I have not read my emails yet, so this may be old news. We did not receive anything from the CCAA today. I went into a meeting with a family at 9:30 this morning and I just came out at 11:55. Take a deep breath, accept a cyber hug, and rest up for next week. We know that the matches have been made, so it is just a matter of time and your referrals will arrive.


This was posted on the CHI yahoo group yesterday afternoon. I was REALLY hoping to receive "THE CALL" sometime yesterday. I really thought that it was the day. Well, here I am. Sitting at my computer on saturday evening without my referral. It is SO hard waiting! The girls are over visiting Grandma today and Alec is running some errands. I'm not in the mood to really do anything. So.... here is hoping to monday. Will October 30th be the big day?! I only pray that it is so. We just MUST receive our referral before the Halloween festivities on tuesday. I will really be a party pooper trick-or-treating if I dont have Sophie's referral by then and that just isn't fare to Olivia and Chloe. So I REALLY am praying for a referral monday. Where is my Sophia?! I just want to know where she is and WHO she is!!! After almost 15 months of waiting, I'M READY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep me in your prayers this weekend and that I stay sane. Actually, it may be better to pray for Alec, Olivia and Chloe who have to put up with me.....