Introducing...

It is with joy filled hearts that we introduce our daughter.

Name: Lin Ke Xuan
Soon to be: Hope KeXuan Charlotte Heutmaker
Birthdate: June 13, 2006

I'll save other info for another post. For now...HERE SHE IS!!!

NEWS!

I don't want to get too excited, because after doing so last week, I was pretty let down...BUT - Some west coast agencies received referrals today for their families. I'm going to speculate a little and hope I'm not setting myself up for another disappointment. Because our agency was closed today and will be through the weekend, Monday SHOULD be our day. Everybody pray hard and have a beautiful Easter.

P.S. Don't forget about helping us out with the quilt too. Thanks everyone. :)

Beth (who is having some serious labor pains!)

100 GWQ Progress

I thought I'd post a bit about what Mom and I worked on yesterday. I have discovered that there are some people/friends/family, that may not yet know about our "100 Good Wishes Quilt" project. I'd love to fill everyone in, and ask for contributions please. Here is what I've learned:

There is a tradition in northern China to welcome new babies with a Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes Quilt." Those who are waiting for the new arrival submit fabric and sentiment to the new parents and then all of the material is brought together to create a beautiful quilt. The baby is then said to be wrapped with all the "good wishes" and love of the people who contributed.

My cousin Laura caught wind of this tradition and offered to create a quilt for our baby. We are so excited and have started to receive fabric already. We have everything from Sponge Bob to beautiful floral patterns. Please join our efforts. Here is what you can do:

1 - Send us a piece of cotton fabric (12"- 16" square). It can be fabric you go out and buy, or it can be cut from something you already have. You can send one from your whole family, or something special from each person. It is totally up to you.

2 - Write a "wish" for the baby on a seperate piece of paper. People suggest writing a letter to the baby, advice for parents, a Bible verse, poem, memory, prayer, etc. It can be anything.

We will then take a part of the fabric and place it with your wish in a special scrapbook for the baby. Laura will piece together and quilt the remaining fabric. As our little one grows, she can read the messages in her book, look at the fabric, and know just how many people were waiting to welcome her home.

Please let us know if you have any questions or need clarification. So far, we have received about half of the 100 wishes we'd like to complete the quilt. Please consider giving us a hand with this special project. We know there are many, many people out there waiting and praying with us. Thank you for everything.

Here are some photos from yesterday. Mom and I got a head start on sorting the fabric pieces and began the memory book.

Notice the adorable ladybugs (good luck in the adoption community) on the fabric from Grandma & Grandpa Perry.

I'm not exactly happy about these next photos since I didn't really plan in being in any pictures yesterday, but Grandpa insited. :) Here we are - working hard. (P.S. - any other 916'ers recognize the basket?)



Here is how some of the pages have turned out so far:

A Little Bit about Ron

1. What is your occupation? Master Electrician IBEW Local #110
2. What color are your socks right now? White with gray feet (made that way)
3. What are you listening to right now? left alone with my thoughts (pretty quiet)
4. What was the last thing that you ate? had Chinese food for dinner
5. Can you drive a stick shift? OH YEAH!!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue
7. Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone? Brian Hooty
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes for sure
9. How old are you today? 34
10. Favorite drink? Brandy Slush
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Geocaching
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? NO
13. Pets? Ella
14. Favorite food? Prime Rib w/shrooms
15. What was the last movie you watched? Big Bird Goes to China
16. What do you do to vent anger? Go to my man cave, then I yell when no one is around, then I go to my music therapist.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Lego's
18. Fall or Spring? FALL for sure
19. Hugs or Kisses? HUGS!!!
20. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries (Rainier are the Best)
21. Do you want your friends to give this a try? It might be fun
22. Living arrangements? Home with Beth, Ella, & ready for Baby Hoot
23. When was the last time you cried? Monday morning on my way to work listening to Your My Little Girl by Go Fish.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? a shirt that fell off the hanger
25. What did you do last night? Found Our 200th Geo cache
26. Favorite smells? Beth, with her perfume on
27. What inspires you? The gift of Grace and knowing that nothing I can do will make God love me less.
28. What are you afraid of? Letting my family down.
29. Favorite dog breed? It's more about the personality than the breed.  I've seen a lot of mutts with hearts of gold.
30. Number or keys on your key ring? five
31. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
32. In how many states have you lived? 2
33. Favorite Holiday? Christmas
34. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? Yes/Yes
35. Ever left the country? YES - Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Soviet Union, Planing on adding one more soon.
36. Favorite kind of music? Contemporary Christian

Fun from Laura

My cousin sent this to us this afternoon - light and happy way to pass some time. Please copy and send me an e-mail if you answer the questions, or to the bloggers out there, post a comment and LMK that I should check your blog to see some answers. Sometimes I think these are fun ways to learn a little trivia about each other.

1. What is your occupation? Sign Language Interpreter
2. What color are your socks right now? No socks today - home and barefoot
3. What are you listening to right now? Trading Spaces on TV
4. What was the last think that you ate? Salad, Cheese & Crackers for lunch
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No problem
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Same answer as the lovely Laura...yellow, of course
7. Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone? Ron
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I love her very much.
9. How old are you today? 32
10. Favorite drink? Amaretto Sour
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football all the way
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Just highlights
13. Pets? little Ella ;)
14. Favorite food? Lately - homemade pizzas
15. What was the last movie you watched? Wedding Date (It was OK.)
16. What do you do to vent anger? For a short while, steam can usually be seen coming from my ears, then I tend to cry.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? not sure - I think I read a lot (Mom or Dad...maybe you can help with this one)
18. Fall or Spring? FALL for sure
19. Hugs or Kisses? HUGS!!!
20. Cherries or Blueberries? No thank you...what about strawberries?
21. Do you want your friends to give this a try? Sure
22. Living arrangements? Home with Ron, Ella, & ready for Baby Hoot
23. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday when rumors didn't pan out
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, and a hat apparently (I just checked)
25. What did you do last night? Went geocaching and found #200
26. Favorite smells? Babies after baths
27. What inspires you? Our family
28. What are you afraid of? Our adoption plans falling apart - I'm a fretter.
29. Favorite dog breed? It is hard to find a dog I don't love. ;)
30. Number or keys on your key ring? Just my car key
31. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
32. In how many states have you lived? 2
33. Favorite Holiday? Christmas
34. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? Nothing too exciting
35. Ever left the country? YES - Canada, Mexico, and SOON to China
36. Favorite kind of music? Contemporary Christian

testing slide show

I almost forgot...

We do have a new family member today. Please welcome Stella home. This is Mark and Andria's new little cutie. They have a new home and are quickly filling all the rooms with pets, felines Marley and Wilson, and now canine little Stella (LMK if I spelled any names wrong guys). Here is the funny part...We have a family that started their adoption journey as part of our group and then found their daughter on a waiting child list. They have already traveled and are home with their new daughter, Ella (the name of our dog). And, we have some other friends who are also members of Group 91 and are planning on naming their new daughter Stella. How crazy! Well, I'd say that both Ella and Stella are wonderful names. :) Without further ado, here she is...

The new Mama & Papa



Stella and her new friend, Duke (I think)


The little darling in all her glory...We can't wait to meet her.