Phillis Family Full of Love

A Party for a Princess!

2014-01-26T19:18:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that our sweet baby girl, Meiya, will be THREE tomorrow!

We had a big birthday party for her at our church today. This was actually her very first birthday party!

She LOVES Sophia the First so that is the theme we used!

Her cake was gorgeous(And DELICIOUS)! Thank you Miss Linda!

SO many gifts!

She got the cutest cupcake hat(thanks Miss Ami) and Sophia's magical medallion. She loves ALL of her gifts!

She played pin the tail on the donkey for the first time! Silly mommy forgot about it but as we were cleaning up a few of the kids who were still there started playing it with her. She really enjoyed herself!

She had an amazing first birthday party! We want to thank everyone who came and shared her special day with us.

Hannah Got Braces!

2014-01-20T19:03:00.001-05:00

After many months of waiting Hannah finally got her braces today! We had to wait until she lost ALL of her baby teeth. :sniff sniff:

Mama's baby is growing up! She now has a mouth full of adult teeth at 12!

She was a little nervous at first. She really thought it was going to hurt.

The technician started with a quick cleaning of her teeth. Not bad! But still nervous!

She finally relaxed a bit. I think it was the blue light?

Almost done!

She did so well!

Our orthodontist does only the tops at first because the bottom teeth correct much quicker than the top. He said she will probably get the bottoms added on in 6 months or so.

The technician showed Hannah the proper way to brush & floss her braces. She was very thorough!

Then the Orthodontist came over to make her head gear! Yes, she gets to wear the super gorgeous headgear! Thankfully only at night while she is asleep.

OF COURSE when she heard the dreaded words HEAD GEAR she immediately thought of Sue Heck from the show,we LOVE, "The Middle". Thinking THIS is what she'd look like wearing head gear! HA-HA! Of course it did not help that her little sister, Hailee, kept calling her Sue after she heard the news.

Siblings are FUN!

The technician taught us how to install the head gear properly and remove it properly. Daddy got to go first.

I had to snap a picture of her with the head gear on. Our technician is hilarious! That is her and Jeff photo bombing in the background. Hannah wasn't impressed with my photo taking obsession. But even with it on she still looks beautiful!

After her appointment we went to Sweet Frog to celebrate her braces day! I am sure we will be visiting SF a good bit in the next few weeks while her teeth are adjusting to the braces. Soft frozen yogurt is just what the doctor ordered!

Gotcha Day 1 Year Today!

2014-01-14T02:51:00.000-05:00

One year ago today we were united with our daughter, Meiya. It is hard to believe an entire year has past since that blessed day!

We FINALLY did it we finally made our "Gotcha Day" video. None of this footage has been seen before. We hope you enjoy.

One Year Ago Today!

2014-01-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

One year ago today we anxiously boarded a plane headed for Hong Kong! It was finally Meiya time and boy were we ready!

Small commercial break: Cathay Pacific Airways ROCKS! We'd totally use them again!

Our lives were forever changed on that day! We left a family of four soon to become a family of five.

Today we are amazed that one year has passed since we embarked on that 20 hour flight to Hong Kong. How quickly time flies by!

Right now dear friends of ours are in China waiting to meet their precious little girl! Please click here to follow their journey! Keep them in your prayers! Pray for God to prepare their little girls heart for them and her new life.

A Time of Firsts and Lots of Fun!

2013-12-31T01:18:00.000-05:00

These last few months with Meiya have been LOTS of Fun!

Because we have had MANY firsts with our precious girl!

Swimming
The girl is a fish or a mermaid because she LOVES the water!

First Vacation Bible School
Meiya LOVED VBS! She made lots of new friends!

First time dressing up like the Princess She is!

First time photobombing!

We are SURE this won't be the last because she LOVES to have her picture taken.

First Independence Day Celebration!
The fireworks did not scare her one bit! No sir! She enjoyed them!

First time meeting Great Grandpa McDougal
She went right to him! They REALLY love each other! This warmed my heart that she got to meet my grandfather, her last great-grandparent.

First time dressing up as a Bumble Bee for the Fall Festival at our church!
She went around sticking her bottom out saying "I sting you!" Cuteness Overload!

FYI
her sisters were Belle and Leila(from Teen Beach Movie)

The first time she realized how nutty her family is!

Taken at a friends Birthday Party.

First Thanksgiving!

Ummm…...yeah we forgot to take a picture!

But she LOVED turkey & ham!

First time painting her own toenails.

So yeah this happened.

First time playing in the snow!

She is smiling here but this is BEFORE she went out into the Freezing snow. She hated it!

First Christmas…

What a magical time this was! Meiya was overwhelmed with all the pretty lights and decorations but she enjoyed all of it. She even helped decorate the tree!

First time meeting SANTA!

No she was NOT scared of him one bit!

She liked the jolly man in the red suit with the snow white beard! They were like old friends! I have a feeling he visited her in China! He gave her and her sisters each a reindeer bell!

First time putting out reindeer food!

Lots of fun but very cold outside that night.

First time waking up on Christmas morning together as a family.

She was excited. Here they are reading the letter Santa left them. He even ate the cookies they made him!

Seeing their expressions on Christmas morning always gives me the chills. Meiya was in Aww of all the presents. She at one point thought they were all for her but her sisters quickly reminded her that was not the case.

Now we will celebrate another first with Meiya today. Our first New Years EVE with her as a family.

I will take pictures!
Promise!

A Diagnosis and Some Walking!

2013-08-12T22:16:00.001-04:00

We finally got an official diagnosis for Meiya. She was born with "severe joint deformities" according to her medical records from China. Upon meeting Meiya for the first time our pediatrician immediately suspected that she had Arthrogryposis.

Arthrogryposis basically means curved joints. Children and adults with Arthrogryposis have limited range of motion. It is a rare, non-progressive muscle disorder that causes stiff joints. There are 4 types of Arthrogryposis. Meiya's Arthrogryposis mostly affects her knees.

Meiya's knees are stuck in this bent position

Her knee's have calluses on them from walking on them.

This is Meiya "walking" and jumping! Yes she jumps on her knees and she gets pretty high off of the ground!

Yes I know it looks very painful especially when she jumps but she does it all the time. We try not to let her jump on them but for the video I asked her to. Someday this will all just be a memory we hope!

Last week we traveled to Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia to get Meiya's KAFO's (leg braces).

The braces are not meant to straighten her legs but to help her get up off of her knees. We spent 5 days in Philadelphia so that Meiya could have intense Physical Therapy, at Shriners Hospital, each day.

Meiya with her big sisters Hannah and Hailee waiting for Dr. VB to come in and give the final okay for her KAFO's.

With the help of her braces Meiya can stand and walk with a walker!

Check her out at PT last week!!!

She was so proud of herself taking those first steps on her feet! She has some trouble moving her legs but with help, physical therapy and time she will master this! We are proud of our baby girl she has come a long way.

6 Months Ago Today!

2013-07-14T18:14:00.001-04:00

Six months ago today we were in Nanning, China anxiously awaiting the arrival of our precious Yong Jie (Meiya). We were nervous yet super excited to meet her. It felt like a dream. I remember the very moment I found out that she had arrived to our hotel. Hannah and Hailee and I were in our hotel room while Jeff was out in the hallway checking to see if they were coming. All of the sudden he burst into our room and said "Come on!" I immediately felt my heart leap from my chest as I bolted for the door. Jeff was trying so hard to video everything but we were moving much to fast for the camera. We went around the corner and there she was! The little girl that we stared at in pictures for an entire year was finally in our presence . It was surreal to finally see her in person.

She took my breath away! She was even more beautiful in person than I ever imagined.

Her Social Worker was holding her and telling her who each of us were. "Da jie" (older sister) as she pointed to Hannah "R jie"(second oldest sister) as she pointed to Hailee. Meiya repeated her and pointed along. She finally brought her over to me and said "Mama". Meiya looked at me and it took everything in me to keep myself from bawling like a baby as she handed her over to me.

We just stared at each other. I kept telling her "Wu Ai Ni" (I love you) hoping I was pronouncing it correctly. It warmed my heart to see that she was holding the panda bear and photo album we sent her.

Me, Meiya, Hailee, Hannah, Social Worker, Orphanage Director

Jeff was still videoing everything and I could tell he was dying to get his hands on this precious child. I was not ready to let go of her yet, I couldn't! She seemed content with me and I was over the moon that it was going so well. She was not showing fear she was smiling and relaxed. I had prepared myself for her to scream and cry out of sheer terror of us and the situation because she had been through a VERY traumatic day. Earlier that morning she was taken away from the only family she had ever known and loved, her foster family. I imagined that her little heart was shattered into pieces and she was in shock. But still I was amazed by her calmness given the circumstances of her world being flipped upside down. I felt bad for her. Her social worker explained to out guide, Glen, that they had just taken her to the hospital before bringing her to us because she had been sick. It turned out that she had bronchitis. Part of me wanted to cry for her loss she had just experienced and that she was sick on top of that. I kept it together and Meiya finally started to seem interested in playing with her big sisters. (PS I am so GLAD we brought them with us because they were a HUGE help) She thought it was fun to throw the album we sent her on the floor and have them get it. They played this over and over several times with lots of giggles and clapping.

I put her down and she went over to her sisters and laughed! She wanted them to chase her around. They got up and played "Im gonna get you", which she seemed to understand because she laughed and hurried herself away, looking back to see if they were still coming. Her social worker and the director of her orphanage both laughed and told us that she liked her sisters. Jeff got this all on video too and it is absolutely precious. We are still working on our "Gotcha Day Video" when it is complete we will post it to our blog.

I finally took the camera so Jeff could hold her. It wasn't as easy for Baba as it was for mama. He finally won her over when he laid down on the floor to play with her. She thought that was hilarious.

After the social worker and orphanage director left we changed Meiya's clothes. She was hot and sweating. The poor baby was wearing a heavy snow suite and it was 70 degree's outside. To the people of her province 70 degree's is considered very cold.

Our first family picture. We are a family of blinkers. haha!

Our first day with her was amazing, a dream come true.

We feel so blessed to have her in our family. It feels like we've always had her. I can not remember life without her. Thank you Lord for blessing us with our new daughter, Meiya Jie Lin Phillis.

Meiya today!

She has adjusted beautifully! She is so sweet and funny. Meiya LOVES to get her pictures taken. She is quite a ham. When we take her pictures she says "Uh me see". Her English vocabulary is pretty good and thankfully she has retained a good bit of her Cantonese. We have friends who speak Cantonese so we make an effort to take her to visit them quite often. We really do not want
her to lose her first language.
Meiya is a very good eater and she is growing like a weed. People often think she is older than 2 but we promise she is 2. She is just big for her age.
When Meiya meets someone for the first time she is leery, which is good. The best way to win her over is to give her a fisty bump, and a high five! She loves to give fisty bumps and high fives. So if you ever meet our sweet girl give her just give her a fisty bump and high five and she will be your friend.

Long Time No Blog!

2013-03-26T18:02:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while since I've blogged. We've been very busy since we came home in January!
We've also had a lot of sickness in our home from upper respiratory infections to strep throat to the stomach bug. It seemed like every week for the first 2 months someone was always sick. Thankfully we are all on the mend and healthy. We are just praying we stay that way!

Meiya is doing fabulous! She is adjusting beautifully and we are all head over heals in love with her. Her personality has really blossomed in the 2 months that we've had her. She is very smart and already knows her ABC's and she can count to 10. This girl JUST turned 2 folks! She is a genius in our opinion. Ha-Ha!

Gotcha Day! 2 months ago!

Now

Medical Exam

2013-01-21T05:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Meiya's medical exam at the clinic. Let's just say it was not a pleasant experience for her or us!

The nurse was trying to get her length and was pulling her legs. Meiya's legs do not straighten and she was hurting her. I tried to tell her that her legs do not straighten but she did not understand me. I got our guide and had him explain to her Meiya's SN. Once he did she stopped pulling on her legs.
Then we visited the doctor who also proceeded to do the SAME thing! (FACE PALM)

What a tough day at the clinic it was! Thankful that part is over!

Day 2 She is officially ours!

2013-01-19T02:33:00.002-05:00

I know this is a few days late but I am so off with Jet Lag and all of the running we've been doing. Tuesday, January 15th Meiya JieLin Phillis officially became our daughter! This is such an amazing feeling knowing she is legally our daughter and the adoption is final!

After our finalization at the Civil Affairs office we went back to the hotel to rest a bit. Meiya was grieving pretty hard that day. It was very obvious that she was missing her foster family. She cried most of the day and refused to eat and just wanted to lay in her crib and be left alone. We respected her wishes. We did try to feed her but she ate very little. It was hard seeing her grieve like that but we know it is a good thing too. No parent likes to see their child suffer in any way. Our instincts tell us to comfort them and do what ever we can to take the pain and sadness away but this is something a cuddle or kiss can fix. Time will heal her wounds this we know.

She loves her bed when she is feeling sad. She will hug her Panda Bear that we sent her for Christmas. She looks for it when she needs comforting. I think it reminds her of her foster mama since she gave it to her from us.

Meiya Day!!!!

2013-01-16T03:24:00.001-05:00

After nearly a year of paper chasing, waiting, praying and fundraising our time has come! We left for China on January 10th. Friends of ours were kind enough to drive us to the airport in DC.

At Reagan International Airport

This was my very first time flying and it was also the first time for my girls. Jeff has flown many times before and he loves it. We were nervous yet excited!

Hailee and I loved our flight!

Jeff and Hannah are enjoying themselves!

We spent two days in Hong Kong. We actually did not do much site seeing as we were exhausted from the time change and the plane ride. We did see the Asia World-Expo, which was closed but we did walk around inside to get to the airport. We took a nice walk one day.

In Hong Kong we had a nice ocean view and watched HUGE ships and yachts go by all the time.

We flew to Nanning, Guangxi on January 13. This is Meiya's province and where they bring children being adopted from Guangxi.

Lots of smog as you can see. It is a very big city! The lights of the buildings are very beautiful at night!

Our "Gotcha Day" or as we call it "Meiya Day" was on Monday, January 14. I awoke at 4 am that morning in a cold sweat, nervous and worried. My mind raced thinking about the events that were to take place that day. I thought of her foster parents and felt a deep sadness and a heaviness in my heart for them and for Meiya. I know that they REALLY love her and took amazing care of her. I know she loves them and I just imagined how it felt when they came to take her away from the only family she has ever known. I thought about the pain her foster mama must have felt as her Yong Jie was taken from her loving arms to be seen no more. That thought haunted me! I thought about the fear Meiya had when she left her foster mama. Wondering where she was going and why wasn't mama coming? I cried thinking about all of this! I cried out to God to comfort them and calm Meiya's fears! I asked Him to calm my nerves and asked Him to help Mieya's heart prepare for us!

At 1 pm Jeff walked out of our hotel room into the lobby to see if he could see anyone yet because they were to bring her to our room. All at once he ran in, grabbed the camera and said "She is here!!" He hurried us out the door and started to video! We walked out into the lobby and there she was! Our beautiful Meiya JieLin. The sweet face that we had only seen in pictures and in our dreams. She was there right in front of us!

I saw her and cried! She was even more beautiful and precious than I ever imagined!

The social worker carried her over to us and held the album we sent Meiya in February. She showed it to Meiya and asked her in their local dialect of Cantonese who we were and she pointed to Hannah and said "Jie Jie" she pointed to Hailee and said "Jie Jie". Oh her voice!!!! To finally here her SWEET voice was music to my ears. She pointed to me and Meiya said "Mama". She pointed to Jeff and Meiya said "Baba".

Then the social worker handed her to me. Meiya studied my face and smiled! I spoke softly to her and said "Wo Ai Ni". I could not believe I was finally holding my baby girl. After all this time and all the waiting the time was here and it was real! The waiting is now over and it all happened in God's PERFECT timing!

This is Mieya's social worker and Yulin SWI's Director. They were very nice and let us know that Meiya is very popular. They said she is sort of a celebrity amongst the Ayi's and foster families. She has a very outgoing and funny personality! We could tell that they both cared deeply for her.

What a great day it was and we are so very thankful to God for his provisions and blessings. Meiya is with us now and we could not ask for a better blessing!

First photo as a family of 5. No it is not the best we have blinkers as you can tell but it is still a picture we will treasure!

PS Gotcha Day video coming soon. Stay tuned!!!

One Year Ago Today!

2013-01-12T02:49:00.001-05:00

One year ago today our journey to Meiya began! Now we are in Hong Kong getting ready to meet our precious baby girl that we've prayed and waited for tirelessly! It is hard to believe in 48 hours she will be placed in our arms!

One year ago today THIS picture started it all!

We saw her and KNEW she was our daughter! Praise the Lord for showing her to us! Thank the Lord for getting us through this long journey! I honestly can not imagine going through this process without Him!

Locks of Love

2013-01-03T16:57:00.000-05:00

For over a year now my girls have been growing their hair out to donate it to Locks of Love. This was something they decided to after some girls in our church did it. They loved the idea of helping another little girl who had no hair get hair!

Today was the day! We needed haircuts for Ch*na anyway so we asked our stylist and she said it was plenty long enough. Whoo-hoo!

Hannah went first!

She was excited!

Look at that length!!!

Here is her adorable, grown up Hair cut..

Then it was Hailee's turn. She did not want hers cut as short as Hannah's. Thankfully her hair was long enough that she still had enough length to still send in and keep it the length she wanted.

She was excited too!

Lots of length...

Finished adorable hairstyle!

Jeff and I are so proud of our sweet little girls for doing such a kind act! God has blessed us with 2 really good girls who love and care about others!

A Christmas TA!

2012-12-24T23:49:00.001-05:00

Today has been a great day. First we were surprised to see it snowing this afternoon. We haven't had snow in almost 2 years. It actually stuck to the ground and accumulated about 1-2 inches!

The girls could not wait to get out there and play in it!

Making snowballs!

And snow angels!

We also got some great news from our adoption agency! Today we got TA (Travel Approval). This means we have permission to travel to Ch*na! We now must wait for our CA (Consulate Appointment). We are hoping for any day the week of January 21! Which means we'd leave around January 10th!

We got MORE great news today! We got an update on our sweet girl, no pictures, but we know her current measurements and height!

She weighs 23 pounds

She is 28 inches long

She is a tiny little peanut!

What a blessed Christmas Eve we've had! We are going to have a white Christmas, we got our TA, we got an update on Meiya! Thank you Lord for these blessings! Merry Christmas to everyone and God Bless you all!

WINNERS!!!!

2012-12-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

First of all we'd like to THANK YOU all who entered our giveaway and helped us raise $1270! We are overwhelmed and humbled by all of your support and love!

Winners!

Each name was entered onto RandomPicker.com and the winners were selected by their generator.

So Congratulations to:

Kennith Rogers winner of Kindle Fire HD

Kathy Wiehl winner of $100 Target Gift Card

Brenda Bennet winner of $100 Toys R Us Gift Card

God bless you all and Thank You for helping us with our final fundraiser to help us bring our precious baby girl home!

Adoption is HARD!

2012-12-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

While sitting in church Sunday morning it hit me that next month we will meet our daughter for the very first time. We will get to finally hold her in our arms and smell her hair and hear her sweet voice!

Upon realizing this my eyes welled up with tears and I fought them back. I thanked God for this blessing He has bestowed upon our family. We had always dreamed of adopting but we never really thought we could do it!

Why?

Because Adoption is Expensive! That was our reason, plain and simple. We believed we wouldn't be able to afford the costs involved in it. But God had it all planned out and worked out before we even started the adoption process. He knew when, where, how and who we'd adopt! It was all in His perfect timing. Looking back now on everything God has done for us to make this adoption possible, I feel ashamed of myself for my lack of faith. I am ashamed that we lacked faith in Him that He would provide the funds we needed to make this happen. Now I am stronger in my faith because I've seen what He can do! I fully trust in Him now.

Adoption is Redemption-

"My friends, Adoption is redemption. It is costly, exhausting, expensive and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him."-Derek Loux

It is not just the financial part that has helped my faith grow. Adoption is HARD! It is not for the meek and mild. The waiting is torturous and painful! I LONG for my child and I dream about her. I have felt helpless during the wait! Sometimes I have felt alone. I felt like nobody understood what I am going through. That is when it is nice to have friends in the adoption world. They have been a huge part of my emotional support and encouragement because they understand! They know how I feel because they felt it or feel it too. They offer advice and words of wisdom because they have been or are where I am.

Sometimes people can be cruel when they find out we are a fundraising our adoption. I've seen and heard terrible, cruel comments made by people who strongly believe that if you do not have the money to pay for your own adoption then you should not adopt. Those comments are not only rude but they are also unfounded. When a woman gives birth to a baby in the hospital the doctor does not stand there with his hand out demanding $30,000 before he will hand her her baby. Insurance pays for it and if the woman does not have insurance the hospital usually sets up payment plans for her. Why should fundraising our adoption be any different? Just because we do not have the money sitting in our bank account to pay for the adoption on our own doesn't mean we can not afford to raise our daughter once she is home. It does not mean we will not be able to provide food, shelter, clothing, a home, love and a family to her. We CAN afford that!

Sometimes family members aren't as supportive as we'd like them to be. Sometimes they are negative and doubtful that the adoption will in fact, happen. And FYI that HURTS, A LOT! But God has been right there beside us encouraging us to ignore the negativity and showing us that He is here for us and we are NOT alone because He understands fully what we are going through.

We've also had a lot of trials during this process. We have been tested time and time again. You see the devil doesn't want us to adopt. He doesn't want anyone to adopt so he tries his very best to make you give up! Jeff was involved in a serious school bus accident. His bus was hit head on by another driver who was going the wrong way. Thankfully, he and the children were not injured but sadly the other driver died. Even though the accident was not Jeff's fault he felt horrible. He mourned for the family of the man who lost his life. We all did.

Over the summer Hailee came down with a bad case of pneumonia and started having asthma attacks. Asthma? Where did that come from? She is now dependent on inhalers on a daily basis. She was also diagnosed with a heart condition, which was something that totally caught us all off guard. That stung a lot. It made us feel helpless and scared for our sweet little girl!

Other things happened, during our adoption, that terrified us but we know that God was with us. He was fighting the battle along side of us making sure we would not give up. And OH how easy it would have been to throw our hands in the air and say we surrender. But we did not! Because Meiya is OUR daughter and we are fighting for her! Just like we would do for Hannah and Hailee. She is no different than them!

One thing we've made a practice of doing during our adoption is praying for God's protection on ALL of us. We pray that He will protect our adoption too. We thank Him daily for everything and everyone He has provided us in our lives. Without Him I do not know how we would survive in this world to be honest.

We are still fundraising to the finish line so that we can afford to travel to Ch*na, which is required. The traveling part is more expensive than the adoption in an of itself. This is not a vacation that we are going on it is a mission to go and bring Meiya home! We look forward to traveling to her country of birth and learn about her heritage. We are more excited to finally meet her and know she is ours forever, and an orphan no more!

Yes, adoption is hard and it is expensive, paying for your child's ransom is costly, but it is worth it! Ask me if I'd do it again and I would say YES, in a heartbeat! I could not imagine going through it without God though. God has been our rock and He has given us the strength and courage to keep going because He loves adoption. He blesses adoption. The reward in the end, our daughter, is the biggest blessing of all.

Look at it this way!

2012-11-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

Since we've been working on our adoption we've been studying attachment issue's that adopted children face. It is very hard for us to imagine what it is like to be an orphan if we've NEVER been orphaned or abandoned as a child. If we've never been taken away from the only home and family we've ever known. Yes, orphanages are homes for orphans in some countries and the nannies who care for them and the other children are the only family the child really knows.

I stumbled across this analogy given from a different perspective that helps adults understand what an adopted child feels when they are adopted, especially from a different country. It is really eye opening and makes you think! It is scary and very sad! Put yourself in her place as you read it and try to understand that this is about ADOPTION.

A Different Perspective
Immense Loss; Walk a Mile in Baby’s Booties

Imagine for a moment…

You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes.

For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your hear beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, every sorrow.

The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life.

The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face.

But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved?

You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay.

But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him?

Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone.

You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact.

Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it.

More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you?

You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried.

The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you.

You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy.

The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation.

Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair.

Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before.

He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black.

You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to sleep.

People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness.

Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along.

Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait.

--Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller

We know that Meiya will feel the same way as the lady in the analogy felt when she got removed from her "beloved". After all Meiya will be taken away from her foster family whom she's been with since she was four months old and given to complete strangers,us. She will certainly feel very confused, scared, unsafe, anxious, and angry! She has every right to feel those feelings! It is our job, as her parents, to respect her feelings and reassure her that she is safe. Jeff and I MUST be the ones who she can trust and feel safe with. We, as her parents, must keep her comforted in knowing that NOBODY is going to take her away from us, not even for a second.
We realize it will be hard for a while and we expect it to be. After all of the research, reading and training we've done in the last 10 months we have come to understand this is NORMAL.
With time, patience and lots of prayer we will get through this part of the process when she comes home. We are thankful that God will be with us guiding us and helping us along the way. We know He will also be with Meiya helping her to adjust to us, her new family.

Not Much Longer!

2012-11-13T16:35:00.001-05:00

Wow today has been a BUSY, yet productive day for us!

We got Hannah and Hailee's passport applications sent in (finally) - We are still praying that they CAN come with us to bring their sister home.

Our I-800 approval came in the mail today! I was in shock because as of Friday it was still 'pending'. Praise the Lord for that surprise!

Upon receiving it I had to email a copy of it to our agency then I had to email the National Visa Center to see if they received a copy of our I-800 approval from our USCIS officer. I am praying for a quick response email from them saying they got it with the approval letter attached to it. Our agency needs that letter to continue with the adoption.

We have Meiya's room almost finished. I still need to get her bedding for her crib. We are going tonight to see if we can find something we like that is not expensive.

This picture hangs in Meiya's room. It was signed by our church family.

We also need to get her some clothes, a winter coat, a car seat, a carrier (recommended for infant/toddler adoptions in C and it helps with bonding) and other baby items so we are looking for some of those things tonight as well.

This is all so exciting! In just a few weeks we will have our baby girl finally in our arms! She will FINALLY be an orphan no more! I dream about that moment all the time. What will it be like when we first see her and she see's us? Will she be frightened of us? I am sure she will be, but we've been praying for God to prepare her for us since we began our journey to her. We sent her a photo album a few months ago. I pray that she has it and her foster mama shows her our pictures.

God has been so good to us during this adoption and even before. We are so thankful for everything He has done for us and for the people He has put into our lives. Please continue to pray for us that we raise the rest of the money needed to pay for our adoption and for our travel expenses. We have a new fundraiser going on now with BE A VOICE. They make and sell gorgeous jewelry and other very nice items.
To view their store click HERE.

We will make 75% of each purchase made in my name. When you check out please put Amy Phillis in the note section. Thank you for your support and prayers!

Birthday Girl!

2012-11-06T23:52:00.000-05:00

11 years ago today I gave birth to my first child, Hannah Olivia.

For nearly 5 years we tried to become pregnant. We went through many fertility tests and we did a lot of praying during our wait. God was with us the entire time always reminding us that He had a plan for us. Infertility is not an easy thing to go through especially when you are young and healthy. We put our faith in God that He would bless us with a child someday. We never lost that hope.

With the help of fertility medication we finally became pregnant and on November 6, 2001 at 2:01 pm, Hannah Olivia Phillis was born!

Weighing 8lbs 5 ounces and 20 inches long!

Me holding Hannah for the first time. I just had a C-section so yes, I look horrible.

We were very excited to have her!

It is so hard to believe how quickly time has passed since she was born. 11 years already? Where has time gone?

Hannah was ready to go to China at 1 year!

Walking Chelsea at 1

Easter Sunday 2002

Hannah meeting her baby sister, Hailee, for the first time in 2003.

Bathing her Build a Bear at age 4

Look at those eyes! Age 5

Riding her first bike, age 5

First day of Kindergarten!

Hannah enjoying a piece of "Birthday Cheesecake" at Olive Garden on her special day!

Now my sweet, sensitive, outgoing little princess is 11 years old today and we couldn't be more proud of her! She is a happy, smart, funny, sweet, loving, kind, compassionate, outgoing little girl who has a big future ahead of her. She loves Jesus and lives for him every day.

Happy 11th Birthday sweet Hannah Banana!

9 Months!

2012-10-12T23:15:00.002-04:00

Nine months ago today our world changed forever as we knew it. Nothing would ever be the same after that fateful day. We woke up that cold, January morning really not expecting anything. Jeff went to work that morning and drove his school bus route and did his ministry work. The girls and I did school and spent the day together enjoying a day in our pajama's. We love those days in the winter months. Later that day I did my usual routine of ~~stalking~~ checking the Ch*na advocate sites to see the children. Jeff and I had been praying about adopting for the last year and we felt that He was really pulling us in that direction. We prayed daily for the child we knew God had planned for us. This child was a mystery to us. Boy, girl, age? We had no clue nor did we care. We just knew God chose a child for us and this child would be revealed to us when He was ready to show us. Little did we know that He was going to show us our child that day! As I searched the Ch*na advocate sites I did not expect the surprise He had waiting for us. My heart was prepared but my brain was not. The moment I saw her my heart stopped, I felt like the world stopped. Looking at her I knew she was my daughter! "This is the child I have chosen for you!" I felt Him speaking those words in my heart. Tears immediately flowed from my eyes. I was overcome with emotion. I tried to hide it from my daughters because I was afraid they would get worried seeing me cry. I composed myself and waited for what seemed like days for Jeff to come home from his evening bus run. When he FINALLY came home I directed him to the computer and asked him to look. To be clear I had shown him other children in the past out of my own curiosity but this time it was different. This time I KNEW this child was our child. I tried not to react when he finally saw her face. As soon as he looked at her he said "There she is!" Tears filled his eyes and of course I started sobbing. He asked me how we could find out more information about her. I told him that we needed to contact the blog owner through email. We emailed her and within minutes, God bless her, she sent us her agency information. She told us that "Kalina"(this was her agency code name) was STILL available and she directed us to whom we should contact for further details. I emailed the Ch*na coordinator for "Kalina's" agency and she quickly emailed us back with her information.

This is the picture that started it all!

1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.

It is hard to believe that 9 months have already past since we first laid eyes on our sweet daughter. I honestly thought we'd have her in our arms by now but I know that God's timing is perfect. When He is ready for us to travel to bring her home we will. Until then we continue to pray for our sweet Meiya Lin and for our adoption process.

It is Fall Y'all!

2012-09-25T00:24:00.000-04:00

I've finally came to admit it as much as I really hate to....

It is Fall!

The weather is cooler and the sky is filled with large fall clouds. Leaves are starting to change and fall off of trees. I do not like it one bit.

For those of you who know me know I am 100% a summer girl. I LOVE summer! I love everything about it; swimming on hot summer days, going to water slide parks, watching the kids catch fireflies, the longer days and cookouts. It is my favorite time of the year.

If I had it my way it would be summer all year round. I always tell Jeff that I need to live someplace tropical but he quickly reminds me how much I dislike bugs and tells me how much bigger they are in tropical areas then I quickly change my mind.

BUT this year I am actually looking forward to Fall...Why you may be wondering? Well, because as time marches by and seasons change we are getting closer and closer to Meiya. Each passing day brings us a day closer to our precious little girl half way around this big beautiful world God created!

So I say Welcome Fall!!! Hurry up Winter! (Yes, I just said that) We are ready to get on that big plane and travel to our daughter and bring her home.

Officially waiting!

2012-09-11T13:31:00.000-04:00

Today we found out we have LID!

LID was on 9/5/12.

For those not familiar with adoption acronyms LID stands for Logged In Date! This means that Ch*na has our Dossier and they have logged it in their system. Now we are officially waiting for official approval from Ch*na to adopt Meiya! This approval is called LOA =Letter of Acceptance. This is the BIG wait! This is the BIG document from Ch*na that can take several weeks to months to get. Most people travel about 3 months AFTER they get LOA! So you can see why we are praying for a FAST LOA! We know it is all in God's perfect timing and we are trusting in Him during our wait to see us through. In the meantime we will continue to fund raise, nest and prepare for our new daughter!

Days waiting for LOA!

Goat Milk Soap Fundraiser!

2012-09-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

We are excited to get the opportunity to sell Goat Milk Soap from Goat Milk Stuff as our fundraiser! This is an amazing family owned and operated business in Indiana. This hard working family, the Jonas family, has been featured on the Today Show-

and

O magazine (p.66 January 2012)

The soaps are nice sizes at minimum weight of 4.5 oz.

To read the Benefits of Goat Milk Soap click here.

"These bars of goat milk soap are handmade by the Jonas Family. Every bar contains an ounce of raw goat milk fresh from their farm. This gives each and every bar a creamy goodness your skin will love. The goat milk soap bars are hand cut to weigh between 5 and 6 ounces and are cured for a minimum 6 weeks. Every piece is unique in appearance, size, and color. Your soap will come in a 4" x 6" cotton bag that is hand-stamped with the scent. This cotton bag is friendlier to the environment than plastic and lets your soap breathe.

You will love these sweet smelling, long lasting, bubbly bars of soap." - Jonas Family

These soaps rinse clean, leaving your skin clean, silky smooth and very soft! They have become quite popular lately and they make excellent gifts for anyone for any occasion.

Ingredients: Raw goat milk; Saponified natural fats, coconut oil, soy bean oil; Natural color, Fragrance.

There are 10 different soaps to choose from with our fundraiser -

Black Raspberry - sweet raspberry scent softened with a hint of vanilla.
Clean Cotton - smells like fresh laundered cotton. A very clean scent.
Honeysuckle - a truly beautiful honeysuckle scent with a hint of jasmine.
Lavender - a truly relaxing scent made with lavender essential oils. Lavender is my favorite scent! One of the best sellers!
Luv Spell - a lovely feminine scent that smells of citrus and florals.
Nautical - a masculine scent that women love.
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey - a very clean and warm fragrance that pulls you in with the sweetness of honey. Makes your skin feel soft and smooth. I LOVE this one!!!
Ocean - a beautiful bar of soap swirled with different shades of blue and white. This amazingly clean scent appeals to both men and women.
Pink Sugary - a wonderful sweetness, the hints of vanilla actually turn the bar a deep shade of brown. Very popular scent!
Purity - unscented, no added fragrance. Perfect for those with allergy prone, sensitive skin. Gentle enough for babies.

*For those of you who live nearby us we have sample's of the soaps available for you to smell.

ORDERING -

You will order your soap directly through me and when our fundraiser is over I will place the order. The orders will then be shipped to me then when they come in I will sort them and get them to you as soon as possible.
If you live near me I will deliver them to you (no shipping cost).
If you do not live in my area then we will ship your soap to you (with shipping cost)

*ALL Soaps are $6 we get $3 of that for each bar sold.

They will be shipped USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail to those who do not live in our area.

Shipping Charges - (for those who do not live in our area)

(1-6 Soaps) $5.35 includes delivery confirmation.
(7-12 Soaps) Shipping is $11.35 includes delivery confirmation.

*Shipping prices are based on the current USPS Flat Rate Box prices from the USPS.

Please include the cost of shipping with your order(ONLY IF you will need it shipped to you)as well as your complete home address.

When you place your order you will email it to me and pay with my Chip In Button Below or you may mail me a check. If you live nearby you may pay me with cash.
Please do not pay until you get a confirmation email from me with the total cost and shipping charges unless you live in our area (Martinsburg, Inwood, Hedgesville, Bunker Hill, Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Winchester, Front Royal, Hagerstown, Chambersburg) .

*Incentive If you live in our area (see above) and help us sell 10 bars of soap we will give you 1 FREE bar of your choice!!! I have order forms available for you. Just let me know if you'd like to help.

Our Goal is to sell 100 bars!Thank you for supporting us and helping us bring Meiya home. God Bless You!

FINALLY!

2012-08-31T23:59:00.000-04:00

The day that we've been working on for the last 7 months has finally come!

Today

are

That is correct! Our Dossier is NOW on its way to China!

Praise the Lord!

Be Still My Heart.....

2012-08-29T14:34:00.002-04:00

This morning we woke up and found the most precious gift. One that we have been anxiously waiting for.

We got our update on our beautiful, precious daughter, Meiya Lin.

She weighs 21 pounds and she is 31 inches tall. She is still considered on the small side even for Ch*na's standards. She now has 12 teeth! Our baby girl is growing up quickly!

She is too cute! Check her out dancing and that gorgeous smile! (heart melting here)

And her sense of humor! RAA!

She can stand with some help!

We are overjoyed with this update! She is absolutely gorgeous. She takes our breath away! I mean look at her! Don't you just want to pick her up and hug her?

Her Jie Jei's Hannah and Hailee keep kissing her pictures and asking us when can we go to China and bring her home. In God's timing we keep telling them! It is HARD to wait but we know who is in control of all of this. We pray that God is preparing her heart for us. Whispering in her ear about us. Telling her she has a mama, a baba and two jie jie's who love her and are coming for her soon.

It has been an emotional day for us. We know our dossier will go to China on Friday and we got our update today! Praise Him for all His blessings He has given us this week and throughout this adoption. Please pray for Meiya that she remains healthy and safe and for our adoption. Pray that God protects all of us and our adoption. We appreciate your prayers!