6 month Follow Up

From what we understand, Chinese authorities (don't know which ones) require our adoption agency to assure that we complete a 6 and 12 month post adoption homestudy follow up.

We just had our 6 month follow up with our home study agent Janie Cravens, from Austin. Janie has been involved with our journey of adoption since the start.

We had to supply her some information and meet with her personally, which we did this past Sunday.

I will copy and paste the information plus four photos required at this stage.

POST PLACEMENT SUPERVISION (CHINA)
DATE OF REPORT: September 7, 2008

Adoptive parents name: John and Maria Snyder
Address: 8108 Stern Street, Frisco, TX 75035

Profession(s): Information Technology/Computer and Homemaker

Child’s Given Chinese name: Wei, Ming Su
Date of Birth: 1/19/2006
Name Changed To: Emily Mei Snyder
Health Status at adoption: [if special needs, briefly describe the issues] Scoliosis and Spina bifida, one kidney, misshaped skull, unable to walk due to inactivity and malnourishment.

PLACEMENT HISTORY:

A. Date of arrival in China: 1/14/2008
B. Travel Approval Certificate Number: Need clarification of what this is. I’m putting several numbers in the body of the email.
C. Date of Adoption: 2/19/2008
D. Place of Adoption: Tianjin, China
E. Welfare Institution: Institute of Children’s Welfare Tianjin, Center for Rehab of Disabled Children Tianjin
F. Date of Arrival in USA: 2/29/2008
G. Date of Post Placement Visit: 9/7/2008
H. Date of Court Validation: [actual or anticipated] 6/6/2008, District Court of Collin County, Texas
I. Citizenship: [either put USA and give date; or write “Chinese” if child is not yet a citizen] USA, 2/29/2008
J. Social Security Number Received?: [yes or no] yes

ADJUSTMENT TO THE HOME:

A. What routines have your and the child established? Meeting with Chinese born friends, meeting with other adoptee parents. Children’s playgroups weekly, daily interaction with older brother.

Wakes up around 8 a.m., eats breakfast, plays or other interactivity with children, lunch, plays and/or activities, dinner around 7 p.m. Bedtime at 8 p.m. Sleeps about 12 hours nightly. Rarely wakes up in the middle of night.

How are they eating and sleeping? Yes, very well.

B. How is your child bonding with your family? How are you adjusting to parenthood? How is the child relating to other family members? Child is bonding to all of the family, as well as extended family in east Texas and Boston area. The parents have little adjustment since this is not their first child.

C. Extended family & community reaction to child: Everyone is in love with this child and received very well.

D. Any significant changes in the family? The only significant changes are the visits to the doctors and clinics in preparation for you corrective surgeries to treat the scoliosis and spina bifida.

E. Daycare or school information: Taking a music class one day a week sponsored by the local community.

HEALTH:

A. Child’s health at placement: Malnourished and unable to walk, otherwise good.

B. Pediatric visits & immunizations: Update to date.

Current weight and height: 22 lbs. 29 inches long

C. Illnesses? Treatments needed – Other than a cold this past July, there has been no illness.

D. Physical stamina/development (include gross and fine motor skills): Doing very well, with the exception of her scoliosis restricting her from raising her right arm above her head. She walks but on a slant due to her the severe curvature of her spine. She is sometimes off balance due to the condition.

F. Intellectual development/personality: She is developing a very close relationship with her big brother who she mimics and repeats everything he says.

G. How is speech developing: She understands much of what we say. She can speak many words in English. And few words in Chinese and Spanish.

Why we adopted...

We've been asked a few times why we chose to adopt, particularly since we have a son biologically. I'm going to keep this as short and to the point as possible, which, as I write that, am having serious doubts that's going to happen.

Maria Marcela and I, shortly after being married, and quite possibly even before we were hitched, spoke about children and more specifically about the prospect of adopting. We both agreed that it was a possibility for our future, especially given that we did not know if we could have our own.

We chose to begin trying for a child biologically. We've been very blessed to have Andrew of whom I'm sometimes fearful of the love I have for him. That may sound strange to some and would probably deserve some explaining of its own. I'll refrain for now.

Needless to say, after having Andrew, for whatever reason, it was confirmed in our minds to seek adoption. To put it as plainly as we can, we were just simply led to make this decision. After plainly seeing that having our own flesh and blood is one thing, we still questioned when faced with the option to bring a nonexistent child into this world as opposed to taking an existing life and giving it a home.

Based on that, it was an easy decision for us. We remained hopeful that God would lead us through this process.

When we first inquired of adoption with an agency in Dallas in the summer of 2005, we sought first to go domestic. It only made sense to us at the time. However, we were met with so many obstacles such as my age (yes I'm getting older); the fact that we can have children biologically put us at the back of every list; not to mention the potential risks of having been given a child only to lose it to it's biological parents in a court order.

We next sought South America, Central America, then Europe, and then Russia. The fact that we were seeking an infant girl solidified China as our choice.

Given that China still has the one child law, the fact that the culture dictates that most families choose to have a boy who will grow up and support the parents. And then finally, the fact that the culture also dictates that children with handicaps are usually shunned, kept indoors and never taken out to society for the mere belief that the family is cursed and it is a shame to family to have such a child.

So, as you can see Wei Ming Su, now Emily Mei Snyder, had 3 strikes against her. Some may say she's a very fortunate child and we've done a good thing...

We say we are fortunate that our Creator allowed as much as to bring her our way and change all of our lives forever.

Emily has certainly weaved herself into our family and admittedly, at times, she can seem as a stranger that has come into our lives and in our midst. But I'll tell you...I felt the very same way the moment Andrew made his first appearance that day in October of 2003.

Life is anything but normal. But then again, what is normal? I believe it to be an existing culture's way of saying, accept me. We're not necessarily seeking that road.

As any parent will attest, having children is an aspect of life that is gained from taking the focus off of ourselves who provide for our own needs, wants and desires. But all of the sudden, it's realized that true happiness is when we've given of ourselves entirely and completely. It is no surprise that we mimic what our very own creator does for us.

At the end of our lives, it isn't what wealth or social status we've acquired that determines our success and fulfillment, but what is on our heart and how much of that heart has been laid upon others...an orphan, a widow, a complete stranger.

Don't be duped into thinking we've accomplished that. We can only hope to be going down that road.