Meizi's Story

Thanks to the brilliant inspiration of other adoptive mommas, I spent some time this week writing Meizi her own special "social story" to help walk her through some of the huge changes that will be taking place in the next few months of her life. The board-book I am sending to her (in hopes that someone will take time to read to her) is written in Chinese (because well, that's what she speaks ;) and was translated by Mark's awesome Chinese tutor. This is the English translation that we will take with us when we travel to bring her home.

We're coming Meizi Joy!

She has a name!

Artwork by Kalea (age4) - "Look mommy! I drew Meizi with shapes like Naomi!"
(Her first non-stick person. I love the fingers and toes!)

Meizi Joy.
Mei zi - pronounced May zee

Though the spelling is not the same, she is named in honor of my grandma, one of the greatest examples of grace and faith in my life.

Her nickname, Mei (plum blossom), will be familiar to her, making her transition to a new home, family, country, culture and language just a little bit easier. I don't know who gave her the English alias name of "Mayzee", but it played an amazing roll in guiding us to her. I do not believe it was merely a coincidence. God has had His hand in the tiniest details of her story.

(Because our process is speeding up rapidly and "Mayzee" is the name spelling I've known her by for the last year, I'll be leaving it on her adoption blog for now :)

God is good. Over 20 years ago He promised she would come into my life. I had no idea this was the path we would take to each other. Little Meizi, I feel honored to be written into your story.

Three little letters, baby ! LOA !

After 134 days of waiting, we received our LOA!

Shout it from the rooftops!

Wondering what that means? Well, let me tell you: LOA (in crazy adoptive momma talk) translates to "Letter Of Approval". It means that Ch*na has finally accepted/processed/approved our dossier materials and officially granted our family permission to adopt Mayzee!

10-12 weeks, baby. We're coming! Merry Christmas!

Next up: We're waiting for our I800 (immigration) Approval from USCIS, then Visa for Mayzee to enter the US, our Visas, Article 5 verifying that she meets Hague criteria (certifying that the adoption is legal), Travel approval from Ch*na inviting us to come get her, a Consulate Appointment and then we travel to bring her home. (You can see our adoption timeline here)

Unfortunately, our ability to bring our daughter home from a communist orphanage on the other side of the world depends, in part, on the US congress being able to get along with each other (at least sufficiently to keep the government running: Visa applications, etc). We're praying. We have approximately 8 weeks to raise the last of the funds needed to cover orphanage and travel fees. More information is available here if you'd like to be a part of Mayzee's story and help bring her home. :)

My heart is happy. Today we are celebrating God's goodness!

It takes a village

Our family has been formed through the miracle of adoption.  Our daughters are our greatest treasure and joy, but the adoption process can require a lot of a person–spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially–and at times, more than you feel you have left to give. We have found that having the support of friends and loved ones is priceless. Adoption requires the hard work and faith of more than one individual. It takes a whole community–or village of people coming together to make the miracle of a forever family happen.

We are so blessed to have such good family and friends. We are grateful for the many hands (loving birth parents, families, friends and adoption angels) who have helped in our journey to Naomi and Kalea. Above all, we are grateful to a merciful and loving God. For only He could have orchestrated so perfectly the many miracles that have brought our forever family together.

Welcome to our adoption blog. We're on an incredible new journey–to Mayzee Joy, waiting for us across the sea in China. Please join us–it may take the faith and helping hands of a village to bring her home! 

Mahalo nui loa,
Stacey, Mark, Naomi & Kalea

Aloha!

We are the Cannon Family. We live on a small island in the middle of the sea. We love God. We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We're doing our best to find joy in every day life.

Our family has been brought together through the grace of God and the miracle of adoption. We have two delightful daughters; Naomi and Kalea (both adopted domestically as newborns) and it would seem that an invisible red thread is tugging at our hearts again, this time connecting us to an amazing little 3 year old girl, "Mayzee" in China.



I've always wanted a multiracial family. As long as I can remember. I just have. After several years of marriage and no children, we made plans while living in Oregon to go to China to find our baby. Things didn't come together as we hoped and a few more years passed... until shortly after we moved to the island. A friend asked, "How long have you been married?" (7.5 years at the time) "Oh, have you met Sally?"

Sally became our adoption angel and we embarked on an incredible journey of adoption. A journey that has changed and expanded and brought healing and joy to our hearts.

We set out to bring a little Chinese baby home... but two years later, our sweet Indonesian-Chinese-Egyptian baby came to us. We witnessed countless miracles, set in place by a loving God that brought Naomi half-way across the world and into our arms. My heart exploded with joy. I didn't know I could love like this.

A year and a half passed and we began to feel an urgent need to find our next daughter. We dusted off our paperwork (that had been 90% complete and just sitting for the last 9 months) and quickly completed and submitted all the remaining files to activate our profile. After setting everything in place and doing all that we could to find this child, we left it in the Lord's hands. I would have vivid dreams at night and remember every detail the next morning. My over-active brain would then carefully analyze and over-analyze every possibility that came... it was driving me crazy. And then one day, the Lord spoke very clearly to my mind. "Let your mind be at peace. You cannot, at this time, understand everything that has been set in motion for this to take place."

And so I did. And the miracles began to unfold... again.

When we received our first email from Kalea's birthparents, I felt peace. (No over-analyzing or second-guessing myself... simply peace... ok, and a whole lot of excitement!) Little did we know that the week we were quickly completing our paperwork, our daughter's birthmother was discovering she was pregnant and they were beginning their own journey towards adoption.

Kalea made her debut 3 weeks (and 12 hours) early. Our Filipino-Caucasian belle. Her eyes sparkle and she fills our world with light.

The bond that I have with my girls is spirit to spirit. I did not give birth to them, but they have been woven into my heart in such a way that I feel like they have always been a part of me. We were meant to be together - to be a family. For always.

In February of 2012 we embarked on a third domestic adoption. The timing was right. But we were not in the right place. The door seemed to shut every which way we turned. And then in October, we found "Mayzee". It was not a path we were expecting (at least, not at this time), but God calmed my fears and whispered to our hearts that we had found her!

And so here we are. It has been a stressful journey filled with delays and heartache and miracles and a new understanding of hope.

Looking back, if I could rewind 15 years and start over again... I wouldn't change a thing. Not the timing, the heartache, or anything else about the way our family has been brought together. It is a complete miracle to me. And surely the most transforming miracle in my life.

-stacey

Our Red Thread

It would seem that this beautiful red thread

is pulling our hearts to China.

From early on in our marriage, Mark and I have felt drawn to China. We had hopes of traveling there to bring a daughter home while we were living in Oregon, but with Mark in grad school, the timing was just not right.

A few years later, after moving to the island, our Indonesian-Chinese daughter (Naomi) came to us, followed 2 years later by a sweet little sister (Kalea), putting all thoughts of China out of my mind.

When our first daughter was born we had plans to name her Mazie after my grandma Maza. However, when we were with her in the nursery just after her birth, Mark looked at me and said, "You know what her name is, don't you." "Yes," I said, reluctant to let go of the name. It was Naomi. God had placed her name in our minds. We both knew.

Though, somewhere in my heart I've always felt that a little Mazie would one day come.

A friend of mine was advocating for a little girl to help her find a family. I "stumbled upon" the link to her video on Facebook and wouldn't have given it a second thought... but then her name called to me... and then her eyes and little nose and hands... and something happened to my heart...

Our red thread journey leads here...  In an instant I fell in love.

Living in an orphanage in China is a little 2 year old girl named "Mayzee". She was born just days before my Grandma Maza's passing. Mei Mei ("little sister" in Chinese) is 10 months younger than Kalea and has the same strong will and little nose as both of the girls. (I think we're in for quite a ride!) She has been waiting for a family, and from the moment I stumbled upon her photo, I knew in my heart. Maybe I should clarify. My heart beat so intensely that the next day I went in for an EKG! That first night I did not sleep. At all. Suddenly I felt myself being drawn, physically, spiritually, emotionally... to China. To her.

Perhaps the clarity with which the Lord let us know this is right is proportionate to the mountain we have had to climb to get her home. Adoption is not for the faint of heart - I know that, but what I'm realizing is that international adoption is so far beyond what I imagined! I feel very grateful for the powerful and yet very peaceful answers to prayer we've received to guide us forward!

Mayzee has a history of seizures and needs to come home as soon as possible to get the care she needs. We would be grateful for your prayers on her behalf. It just so happens that our daughters' pediatrician also works as a pediatric neurologist part of the week at the Children's hospital. He is exactly the person we will need to help Mayzee. Go figure. It's amazing how the Lord often sets things in place years before we realize what is happening. To pull this together financially will take more than a small miracle, but everything else is falling into place beautifully!

We received our PA (Pre-approval) from China, "locking us to Mayzee" by the CCCWA (China Centre for Children's Welfare and Adoption) in November. We have a long road still ahead of us, but hope to have her home with us around December of 2013.

Naomi and Kalea are delighted to have a little sister and talk about her constantly! Kalea pulls her photo down from the bookshelf anytime someone comes in the door to tell them about her soon to be little mei mei. I can't wait for them to be together.

My heart is full on this Thanksgiving day.