I had been wanting to adopt again, actually begging, ever since we adopted Bret, but for four years Mike told me we didn't have the money. When we first decided to adopt Bret, Mike told me that would be the last one. Of course I had a plan. I literally prayed, and prayed that Bret would bond with Mike over me. I knew if she did, emotionally he wouldn't be able to resist another cute, tiny, perfect little orphan. God must have not of minded, because I did nothing any different than I did with my other three kids, but Bret was the first to STRONGLY prefer him over me. I could hold her, but she would much rather him be the one carrying her and if she was scared or tired she would have nothing to do with me. The first night we switched hotels after leaving her city in China I made the mistake of taking her up to the next hotel room without Mike. She thought she had lost Mike and she ran down the hall screaming so loud people came out in the hall to see what was going on. When he came up to the room, with big sobs she fell asleep in his lap. I felt awful, because it really did mess her up for awhile. Then, on the long flight home, Mike looked down at Bret sleeping on his arm and said, "I think we might do this again." Mike had no idea I had been praying like that and I didn't think I should be tellling him it quite yet.
So, fast forward more than 4 years after adopting Bret. Mike was in the process of changing jobs. He kept telling me how much money they were going to offer him. I kept telling him if he gets offered $15,000 more than that, it was for my adoption. He kept saying we were not going to adopt, because they were not going to offer him that. He said "This is how many years I've been out of law school and this is how much they pay." I kept right on praying for $15,000 over what he was suppose to get offered.
Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. Matthew 21:21
I knew about every 3 to 4 months our agency got around 30 new kids' pictures and I was at the top of the list to look at them. Back then that is how China was doing their adoptions.
Bret was 4 1/2 y.o. when we got her and I loved adopting that age. Plus, I was 46 y.o. and too old for a baby. Imagine my horror when I looked at the list of kids and didn't see any ages 3 to 6 or even 7 y.o. I wanted.
We did see 2 babies. They were at the same orphanage, same age, same special need (VSD heart) and both VERY, VERY cute.
Mike was very adamant he wanted Lyric and not the other baby. He also gave her the name Lyric. For 3 nights I couldn't sleep, because I was too old for a baby.
We did all our paperwork and she turned 2 y.o. on her adoption day.
The best way to describe Lyric is fun,
extremely smart,
easy, but not quiet! Her first 6 months home she woke us up through out the night talking in Chinese, in her sleep. Mike said, "She is killing us!"
As her kindergarten teacher put it "It is hard to get mad at her, because she is always talking about whatever pertains to the subject."
Lyric with her cousin Gabrielle when they were about 3 y.o. This year in school they are in the same 4th grade class.
Gabrielle now.
This is the referral picture that made Mike say "I want this one." She is the only one he had ever named and we are getting #12. When Mike and I went to the Civil Affairs to meet Lyric I knew, as our guide put it, "She not typical Chinese orphan." Most are quiet, scared or even crying. Lyric was running all over the place. Her outfit was too small and she had on no underwear. Her tiny butt cheeks were sticking out. I was kidding, but I asked our guide if she was OK. She said "She OK, just spoiled. She go home with different nannies at night." The other baby, we didn't pick, was also getting adopted with Lyric. To this day I have no idea why that baby did not get the same attention as Lyric. Lyric's nanny cried and cried and when we visited the orphanage a few days later as we drove up the big orphanage kids were chanting "Ya Ni, Ya Ni." The orphanage director and her nanny ran out and grabbed Lyric. Lyric was tickled pink to see them and lunged for her nanny. That too is very unusual for an orphan. Lyric has a way to make lemons into lemonade and is happy where ever she goes to this day.
Lyric's nanny.
And this was Lyric last week.
