Featherless Hens, I love you all!

My adoption "support group" is the HOT HENS! We are a group of women who's babies are in the TQ orphanage. We have become incredibly close over the last few months and we email/talk on a daily basis. We have been one another's sounding board, venting buddies, we pull strategy together and we REALLY KNOW how the other is feeling! I felt SO alone until I met my HENS! We will be friends for LIFE as we have endured this pain and it is NOT over yet! I have to believe we will see our babies soon and that will be a HUGE celebration! So why HENS? If you stick your head in a hen coup and mess with her chick, she will peck you! HOT HENS is quite appropriate! We must find something to keep us laughing while we continue to beat our heads against the way day after day as we fight (it feels that way for sure). I am a FEATHERLESS hen for sure! NOTE: Stress makes your hair/feathers fall out!

I know those of you who log on are wanting updates on Halle-Grace. PLEASE remember ALL of the children in TQ! Today, another HEN received a photo of her precious little one... another IV!! Ripped my heart out...cried til I had the "snubs" or whatever that horrible and embarrassing thing is (where you can't breathe"). Many of the babies have been sick. Our agency said when one gets sick, they all get sick (makes sense, they sleep together, eat together) but it still is hard to see them when we can't be there and hold them through a needle stick and IV fluids! That is what mommys do! My mom did it for me and I want to do the same for Halle-Grace! Bless their little hearts! These babies need their mommys! WE need them!

God Bless our children!

Shaohannah's Hope

Hi Shannon,

We will pray for Halle Grace and for the other children who are being affected by this policy issue. We are aware of the current situation regarding the MOU, and know that members of Congress in addition to JCICS and CCAI are in discussions about this with State and we pray that a resolution to this impasse will come soon. I would encourage you to contact the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute: www.ccainstitute.org for more information & help!

Please know that we are praying for the children and this situation in Vietnam and for all the families who are waiting.

Kindest regards,
Wendy

Wendy Cosby
Program Director
Shaohannah’s Hope
www.shaohannahshope.org
(o) 615.550.5600 ext. 107
(fax) 615.595.0850

LONG NIGHT!

Jason & I sat up half the night emailing everyone we could think of to contact their reps and senators asking them to attend the meeting in DC tomorrow. If it is open to the public, Jason is planning to attend. (info is below in last post). In the photos I posted yesterday, there is one with her little hand bandaged. The nannies are so good and love her so much! Please say a SPECIAL prayer for all the children and PLEASE contact all Senators and Representatives and make sure they are sending someone to the meeting tomorrow with JCICS (Friday, Aug. 1st)
Thank you. God Bless our babies!

YOUR CHANCE TO HELP US! PLEASE CALL & EMAIL...

CALL OR E-MAIL TODAY!

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption has invited the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to conduct a briefing of Congressional staff on issues related to intercountry adoption in Vietnam , Guatemala along with issues related to intercountry adoption in general. The briefing is scheduled for this Friday, August 1, 2008 in the U.S. Capitol Building, LBJ Room at 10:00 a.m.

Given the pending suspension of intercountry adoption and related services in Vietnam and the continuing issues of concern in Guatemala , Joint Council urges participation by all Congressional staffers. It is critically important that staffers participate in the U.S. Government’s role in international children’s services, specifically intercountry adoption. Given the impact of current issues on children and families, Joint Council urges 100% participation by Congressional staffers in this very important briefing.

In order to gain the largest possible participation, please contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators' offices and urge staffers to participate in the briefing.

Contact information for U.S. Senator’s offices can be found at www.senate.gov

Contact information for U.S. Representatives offices can be found at www.house.gov

If you choose to contact your representatives, please do so today by email or phone call, and request that they send staff to Friday’s briefing.

This briefing follows the briefing conducted for Congressional Staff last Friday, July 25th by child advocates and experts including Joint Council. These briefings and continuing participation by congressional offices in the ongoing issues related to international children’s services is critically important to the continuation of intercountry adoption as a viable solution for children in need.

Typing Through Tears...of JOY & sadness

Today, Thuy sent updated photos of Halle Grace! She is 8 months old. She is sitting up and crawling (or scootin around). She is SO beautiful!!! I wanted to share these precious images. I don't know what is wrong with her hand or why it is bandaged? I pray it's a simple little boo-boo? Sad thing is, like most mommys, I can't kiss it away!

I have tears of JOY to see her face, to know that she is OK, seems happy and is the MOST precious, adorable, beautiful little girl on the earth...I am incredibly sad because I am her mom and yet I can't hold my daughter and she is 8 months old!

Please continue to pray that our Gov. will expedite all of the cases in her orphanage and we will be able to hold our daughter!

My hope is in the Lord...so please, pray that he can soften hearts where they need to be and that the Gov. officials will put the CHILDREN first!

THANK YOU THUY...you are an angel for so many of us waiting to be united with our children.

Too much to type!

The last few days have been INCREDIBLY stressful! Last night we received a prelim. review of what CAS is doing...running ads AGAIN for the birth mothers to come forward....and more!

Our attorney continues to work on our behalf..

Yesterday, I contacted John Wally Bird (USCIS) and he was very, very PLEASANT! He too is going through an adoption process! He seemed to understand the pain and the way this type of stress can HAULT your entire life!

Jason spoke with Richard Burr's office and they have been all over this and will continue to be!

I am beat! I am tired! I am sick to my stomach and scared to death! If I went into all of the detail we have dealt with in the last 48 hours you would be reading all day and your head would spin off!!! Trust me, this is the HARDEST thing we have ever endured...our baby stuck in an orphanage, what happens next....moving to a foreign country for 2 years, how will we get Gabby there, will our medical case 1001 cocker spaniel have the medications she needs (go ahead and laugh so you don't cry, that is what I MUST do these days), what will we do for work in order to live and pay rent and buy food....the list goes on!

If we have to move outside of the USA for 2 years we are ready to do so. We just wait now until our agency completes their additional ads they must run!

Pray for "Ms. Hannigan & Rooster"...the hens know them well.

Again, please continue to pray! Jason & I are incredibly down and out! God is with us, I know that! He is also with the 40+ other babies in the TQ orphanage watching over them and that is the ONLY reason I look forward to another day!

God Bless our babies in TQ!

Meeting in DC next Wednesday!

Our attorney in Washington, DC is also representing other families stuck in the current situation. One of the HOT HENS has secured n important meeting involving Representative Price next Wed. Price has been a huge advocate during this "fight for our children" as well. So, if you are in his district in eastern NC....don't forget him come next election time! We need the help of our representatives and Congress to advocate to GET the "specific information" about what needs to be provided in response to the RFE...to prove our children living in the Tuyen Quang (TQ) orphanage are really orphans! I know it sounds crazy every time I type it...as I have already stated, if you live in the ocean, you are probably a fish or some type of sea creature! Common sense has been thrown out the window!

Halle Grace continues to seperated from us, her mom & dad! The other babies/children do as well. If you are reading this, please be in constant prayer for the families! I believe in the POWER of prayer! Even if you don't, pray anyway, because I know He hears you and I appreciate you taking the time to do so! So many friends and family have asked Jason & I on numerous occasions...what can we do to help? Well, if you know President Bush personally and can call him PLEASE SPEAK UP! If you know someone personally inside the DOS or USCIS in Washington, DC...PLEASE SPEAK UP! If you have a ton of money that can be shared to pay all of the added legal expenses for all of the families...PLEASE SPEAK UP...LOL!!! But seriously, PRAY! That is all we can do at this point. We have worked deligently since April fighting everyday, contacting everyone you can imagine.

Our agency told me this morning that all paperwork has been turned over to their attorney for review and hopefully we will have these reports soon to share with our personal immigration attorney....EXHAUSTING! Jason & I are BEAT UP!

Again, this is going to be a long road and when we received our RFE on July 19th they told us we had 84 days to respond...I think that is Oct. 11th??? I pray Halle Grace is home to celebrate her 1st birthday!

God Bless you all and remember the TQ families and our children!

BRING ALL OF THE BABIES HOME!!!

If you know Jason & I, you know I am the firecracker and he is the passive and one. Jason has turned over a new leaf! I have to say I am impressed and thrilled! The time he spent in the United States Air Force has come in quite handy! He has been able to elevate the TQ cases to get even more attention. The below email is one Jason sent an individual within the our gov. who is guiding the 40+ families as to what is acceptible to prove "the children who have lived in the orphanage their entire lives are in fact ORPHANS". I know it sounds so incredibly silly but sadly, it is true!

Melissa and Heidi, you ladies are in my thoughts and prayers and I cried for both of you last night after the email trail from the HOT HENS. Melissa and Heidi's babies are celebrating their first birthday away from their forever families in an orphanage! Melissa told us last night she sent her baby girl a birthday package! If you don't cry on that, something is wrong! Our babies need to come home! They are NOT terrorists!

Today we are sending via Fed Ex more paperwork to our attorney who is continuing to work on the cases. The US Gov. told us on Saturday (July 19th) in the RFE that we have 84 days to respond and prove Halle Grace is an orphan. They will not accept anything from the orphanage as evidence because they have said and stated in emails and on a teleconference that they do not believe anything they say...WOW! Yet, in America, COLD blooded criminals caught in the act (i.e. the man who shot and killed Trooper Shawn Blanton) are granted the right to a fair trial, an attorney and during the mean time Shawn's killer gets a cell with air conditioning, HBO and hot meals. God Bless Michaela and Tye! The man who killed Shawn doesn't deserve anything in my opinion except JUSTICE!

Halle Grace and the other children in her orphanage DO NOT have air conditioning and it is extremely HOT and HUMID. The mosquitos are horrible as well and they all sleep together so you know they are hot! However, I know they are happy and God is watching over them all. He tells us in His word and mentions specifically how HE cares for orphans! Our children get as much love and care as the nannies can possibly provide and they love the children! I know she is loved and taken care of but she is still institutionalized! For every day a baby is institutionalized...developmental delays become an issue. We will deal with anything, we just want her home and in our arms! I could go on for days!
_________
I think it is obvious you and I don't see eye to eye on this matter. If we were in a simple debate I would say, "lets agree to disagree." However, a simple debate, this is not, and unfortunately, you are in a position that allows you to have the authority to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life. For that reason I cannot simply sit back and passively agree to this approach.

What I have yet to understand and/or have satisfactorily explained to me is the seemingly arbitrary break from protocol in these matters. As you have said below my file "still contains some indications that the child qualifies," and that historically in cases such as these, one has to show "the child is more likely than not an orphan." The fact that this case simply happens to be at an orphanage you have suspected in the past does not qualify my child's case as inappropriate or shady. "Guilty by association" simply is not an appropriate response. To me, it seems the decisions to issue mass RFEs without adherence or consideration to established protocol is subjective in nature and outside the scope of operating instructions.

I am also very concerned about your response to my question of 'who will be reviewing these RFE rebuttals and making a decision thereupon?'. "As for who will review, the normal path of a case, should an rfe be issued is that the review will happen in Ho Chi Minh City and in our Bangkok office. Since there has been nothing normal about these cases, I cannot say with 100% certainty that this will be how your cases is reviewed, but again, this is the normal case."
Are these cases being elevated to a higher office for review? Could you please be specific as to who the "usual reviewing office" is and, if not the usual office, who these cases will be elevated to? Again, sorry to be so particular but this is my daughter we are talking about and I am leaving nothing to chance.

Once again, thank you for your response.

Immigration Attorney~ Keep the prayers coming!

We feel confident we have hired the BEST person to fight this fight...well, if our Gov. would tell us what they want other than the "birth" parents!!! "PROVE she is an orphan" HELLO, I am no brain surgeon but if you swim in the ocean 24 hours a day you are probably a fish or a whale or a dolphin...Halle Grace has been in the orphanage her entire life... so what would you call her? AN ORPHAN!!! What happened to common sense? Did I miss something?

I am physically, mentally, emotionally and now with the immigration attorney, financially drained! LOL! PLEASE PRAY!

Congressman McHenry continues to be a HUGE advocate for our family and the 40+ other families who are fighting to bring their children home! If you see him or have a chance to vote for him, DO! He sincerely cares about his people!

Today Jason made contacts and is using his military connections to help with the chain of command! We need to know who answers to who? He sent a clarification email to the USCIS in HCM and they had an automatic "out of office" reply...stating that due to the high volume, it may take up to three days to respond! OK, DOES THAT MEAN WE GET 3 EXTRA DAYS ON OUR TIMELINE THAT CANNOT BE EXTENDED WITH THE RFE? Boy, they are not on our side. THEY HAVE NEVER REPLIED TO US DURING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS! Not acceptible and incredibly UNPROFESSIONAL in my opinion!

My adoption support group "THE HOT HENS" are keeping me going and keeping my spirits up! I don't know what I would do without you guys! I know you read here so THANK YOU! Keep those beaks and claws sharp and let's bring our babies home!

Please continue to pray for this battle! We have not received an update on Halle Grace lately! It is heartbreaking to see her grow up in photos...knowing our gov. is keeping us seperated and wondering, what if they don't allow her to come home and just send her to another family in Europe? OH MY, I must remain optimistic and stop this other mess! God is in control and He will not give us more than we can handle! When you talk to HIM, please tell Him the TQ families are feeling a bit overwhelmed! lol. Hey, if He can part the red sea, he can move heart strings of certain officials to do what is best for these children...BRING THEM HOME!

God Bless

Halle-Grace is 8 months old...USCIS delivers the most devastating news!

Halle Grace turned 8 months old on Saturday, July 19th! The very same day, we received a request for further evidence (RFE). The US Gov. says we must prove that Halle Grace is an orphan! We are devastated! Finding a birth mom is the only true way we can prove this! There are cultural reasons that the birth parent(s) DO NOT want to be found!

Pray that we (along with the MANY other families who received the same letter) will find answers soon and bring our babies home.

My heart is broken! My tiny miracle remains institutionalized.

New information

One of the issues the US gov. had with the 40+ abandonments was the fact that the same police officer found the babies (or logged them in at the orphanage). That officer is in fact the ONLY officer that works in Tuyen Quang!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! Pray this is the turn in events we have all been praying for.

Thank you all for your continued prayers! Halle Grace has our hearts and we will bring her home if it takes a year.....or....well, pray it's soon!

Scared to practice "freedom of speech"!

I fear that certain individuals inside our government will do just about anything to find a way to make our lives miserable and that is incredibly sad that I feel this way! I know it sounds horrible and I never in a million years thought I would have to fear our "allys" but in the adoption, I am afraid I do! Please continue to pray as we have no idea what is going to happen and what type of LETTER we will be receiving from the USCIS/DOS in the next 10 days(?). Here is the bottom line....the USCIS/DOS feels there is NO way there were 40+ babies abandoned in Halle Grace's province/orphanage. With over 800,000 people in a province, that number seems incredibly LOW to me...again, no one asked for my opinion.

God is testing me and I want to pass, so I NEED your prayers more than ever! So, now we must prove that a child who has lived in an orphanage her entire life is in fact, an orphan!

Just to give you the setting of her province...it's extremely poor and out-of-wedlock pregnancies are greatly despised by northern Vietnamese society leading to abandonment. Life is extremely difficult and dangerous for these people. Imagine life for extremely rural Europeans roughly 400-500 years ago and you'll have some idea of what life is like there. Most people, especially from the minority groups, have no electricity or running water. For many birth parents, the orphanage is used as a "feeding center" and the only way a child will get food. Most of the abandoned children from the rural areas were not born in a hospital, more than likely in the bedroom at home therefore producing NO birth records. Finding the birth parents of abandoned children is almost impossible because child abandonment in Vietnam is illegal. Why would they want to admit that they abandoned their child in front of authorities? This "real-life" description was provided by someone who knows what life is like in the TQ province. This is not a description taken from a "google search". This is life in TQ, Halle-Grace's birth place!

We are scared to death. If they make us find Halle Grace's birth parent(s)...based on what you read in bold above, how in the world are we going to be successful AND we are in the United States...across the world!

Thank you for your continued prayers.

JUST PRAY!

MANY families who's children (including Halle Grace) continue to be stuck in the orphanage, had a conference call. We are all waiting to find out the status of our individual cases. In the near future we should be receiving a letter. PLEASE let it be an approval! It could be a request for evidence (RFE). In the RFE case, we, the adoptive parents must find a way to PROVE that Halle Grace is an orphan(???) We don't know what is going to happen! Please pray we all get approvals!!! We look at our daughter's photos as we have watched her grow over the past months and not bringing her home is just not an option! There are so many amazing families who are also fighting for their children, so please just pray that we all receive approvals and are able to bring our children home soon! These children need loving homes! Pray that our Government will help us bring our children home.

On a positive note, Congressman McHenry's Washinton, DC office called us last week to inform us that he signed the Child's Right Act! He is an amazing person and outstanding representative! His staff (especially David McCrary) is incredibly supportive and truly cares about our family. They want to see our baby girl come home. Thank you Congressman McHenry!

"Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance." Mother Teresa

I wanted to take this time to THANK everyone who reached out to your elected officials in support of the CHILD'S RIGHT CAMPAIGN! I sent many of you emails, made phone calls and spoke to you in person and the amount of response I received was humbling and overwhelming! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Thank you for being a voice for those who can't speak, the orphans around the world!

We are hoping and praying for Aug. travel dates to bring Halle-Grace home to be with her FOREVER FAMILY! We are so blessed and lucky!!!