CROUPY Halle-Grace

On Sunday night, Jason & I noticed she was a bit cranky and just not being herself. She played and laughed and made all of her funny expressions but something was missing. That night she coughed a little...but Monday night she coughed enough to wake herself up!! Today, Jason took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with the croup! Poor thing sounds like a baby seal. The doctor put her on prednisone and a cough medicine as well. She is the BEST baby and if she would not have coughed enough to wake herself and cry a little, we would have never known!!!

By the way...she STILL WEIGHS 16 pounds! She has not gained any weight over the last 3 months but she looks very healthy...just tiny & precious!!!

Halle-Grace's story in the Charlotte Observer

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/386489.html


Shannon Devine's mother, Wanda Baucom, holds Shannon and Jason Devine's daughter, Halle-Grace, at her first birthday party in Lincolnton on Saturday, November 22, 2008. Halle-Grace was adopted from Vietnam on September 1, 2008, after assistance from U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry's office. "She's something else," Jason Devine said. "She's the best worldly thing I've ever done." - YALONDA M. JAMES - yjames@charlotteobserver.com

Savvy Citizen Constituent Services
Roadblock: How can you get help? Congressional lawmakers are asked to intervene most often in issues involving Social Security and veterans' affairs
By Lisa Zagaroli
lzagaroli@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, Dec. 01, 2008

WASHINGTON When the letter arrived, Shannon and Jason Devine of Shelby had been gazing at photos of the adopted child they'd been paired with, the tiny girl with the huge “eyes of onyx,” for four months.

It wasn't the permission to travel to Vietnam and bring her back to the United States that was long overdue. Instead, it was a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Ho Chi Minh City telling them they had to do more to prove that the child's birth parents didn't want her.

The directive was just one of many frustrating hang-ups the Devines were forced to deal with as they tried to get the visa their new daughter needed.

They are convinced the girl, Halle-Grace, would still be in Vietnam if an aide to their district congressman, Rep. Patrick McHenry, hadn't helped them navigate the bureaucracy and ultimately track down a key document that sat on a desk in Vietnam. The visa finally came through on Sept. 30, and the Devines were able to celebrate their daughter's first birthday with her recently in Sherrills Ford.

“Congressman McHenry's office was adamant, persistent and insistent, on almost a daily basis,” said Jason Devine, a part-time pharmaceutical salesman who is studying divinity at Gardner-Webb University. “Some other offices said, ‘We'll try to help you out,' and made token inquiries. Congressman McHenry made it a personal issue.”

While the most high-profile work that lawmakers do is vote on legislation, some argue the bread-and-butter of what members of Congress do is case work – or constituent service.

Their district offices help people sort through an array of complicated issues involving the federal government.

They help folks get Social Security and disability checks, medals they should have been awarded from the military and passport renewals for an upcoming trip. They also help sort out problems with the Internal Revenue Service, benefits from the Veterans Administration and aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

No agency tracks statistics, but each Congressional office can handle thousands of cases a year. McHenry's office has tackled 10,725 cases during his four years in office, according to the Cherryville Republican's staff. The most common: Social Security needs (about 26 percent) and veterans' issues (21 percent).

Happy Birthday Emily

Happy 7th Birthday Emily White!!! Emily and her family (mom-Susan, Dad-Michael and little sister-Erin go to church with us at Eastside. The entire family is very special to us!!! We love you and hope your birthday is a blast!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...in many ways!!!

*Snow is falling? Well not actually...but Halle-Grace is once again SPITTING! SO, percipitation is happening ALL around. It would be nice if it were in the form of snow vs. spit! I honestly think she is spitting because she is teething (I hope) there is one on the top that you can feel and it is a sharp one.
*Presents are still coming...I have never seen anyone receive as many gifts on a consistant basis as Halle-Grace! It is quite amazing. This most adorable gift was delivered after Thanksgiving from my wonderful friend, Rene, in Oklahoma. The doll was handmade by the lady who owns the Peanut Butter Junction. As you can see, "Halle-Grace Khanh" has her adoption certificate. There is a "divine" tale to the naming of this doll. Rene told me that she looked and looked for a perfect gift...she went on to tell me that God has a sense of humor because she became very impatient. Just like our adoption story with Halle-Grace...TIME was being controlled by God. Once the lady knew the child she was making the doll for was adopted from Vietnam, she had her daughter do some reseach on naming the doll. Without knowing who the doll was for...she named her KHANH!!! Reading the message from Rene gave me chills. His plan is perfect (with all things)...we just couldn't see it and it seemed impossible that it would ever happen! Rene, thank you! We love you!

*The wreath is on the door and Nanny is making bows for ALL of the window wreaths for the front of the house. The wreath made a BEAUTIFUL backdrop for the photo session today with Angela Shea. Compared to Halle-Grace, I am about as UN-Photogenic as can be! The weather definitely gave us a Christmas chill and horrible lighting for indoors. HOWEVER, Angela captured the most AMAZING shots of Little Miss Magic! WOW! The photo proofs revealed how beautiful she really is! I mean as her mom I think she is the most beautiful baby girl regardless of what she is wearing or what expression she is making...even when she cries *which is VERY rare* she looks simply adorable BUT, the photo proofs Angela shared with me tonight took me by surprise! I am so excited to DECK the Walls with many photos of Halle-Grace! I hope I can post some soon. Angela is very busy trying to get our Christmas cards ready...so I will post some as soon as I get them.

AND...

There has always been a sense of magic around this time of year. This year that MAGIC is in the form of a little angel...Halle-Grace. We are so thankful for our Christmas Angel!

Hoping the holiday season brings a little magic your way!

Shannon

Happy Thanksgiving!

God is faithful!!! I just found out that the final 5 of the 44 TQ families have received US visas for their children! What a wonderful Thanksgiving they are having in VN. They will be traveling back to the US at the end of the week. Please keep a special little girl in your prayers. She is also from the TQ orphanage and is 5 years old. She is still seperated from her forever family! Pray for a miracle!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our family to yours! We have so much to be thankful for this year...our family, friends, my HENS, good health, great jobs and so much more!

We are incredibly thankful for...
*Our Tiny Miracle...
*Her PRICELESS expressions...
*For a dad who knows how to shop for his baby girl...

*We are thankful that Jason had the patience to put the 13 foot tree up

* For thoughtful friends...Sherry, we love the ornament!

*Our TQ beauty is FINALLY HOME!


http://shea.typepad.com/angelic_touch_photography/2008/11/happy-birthday-hallegrace.html
visit this site for a sneak peak of the images from Halle-Grace's 1st birthday celebration! Angela Shea will be making a trip to our home this weekend for a photo shoot with the princess.

"Hey Valarie, my mom got a new car, so I drove it to Krispy Kreme"

Birthday Girl

Slideshow coming soon...more photos









Abi getting her face painted

Charleston jumping in the castle

Halle-Grace with the "Birthday Princess" (Debra Kennedy) all of the girls LOVED the princess....mama loved her Vera Wang PRINCESS perfume! Thanks!!!

Halle-Grace's 1st Birthday Party!

It was a hit! I think everyone had a great time! The princess was in rare form and ready to meet and greet everyone!!!

I promise to post photos soon. We had so much fun and want to thank our friends and family for sharing this day with us!

The castle was a hit, the face painting was great, the REAL princess was awesome (she even gave me Vera Wang Princess Perfume), the cake was the prettiest I have ever seen, so much time and love was put into the planning! Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make it a HIT! Nanny, we could not have done this without you!!!

Thanks everyone! Now, I have about 50 gifts to finish opening:) GOSH, I love being a mom so such a sweet princess!!! I can't believe she is ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday Halle-Grace

Halle-Grace is a year old today! I can't believe it...like the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun". She is such an amazing little girl with a personality to charm anyone in any type of mood (speaking from experience here)! She woke up this morning bright and early in her usual happy mood. Jason said, "Happy Birthday" and before he could get those 2 words out she was already holding one finger up (to show us how old she is). She is too cool! She received lots of great cards in the mail today and calls from family and friends wishing her a Happy 1st Birthday!!!

I am waiting on Jason & Halle-Grace to get back from church (I have a horrible cold/cough...trying to get better...pray that happens before Saturday). Jason made Halle-Grace some birthday treats to dig into when they get home:) I will post photos ASAP!
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OK...we realize these photos look like "Christmas pics rather than birthday ones but someone insisted on playing around the Christmas tree and attacking the video camera!
She didn't show a lot of interest in any type of sweets **maybe because she still likes her milk warm**? None the less, she is hilarious and had a fantastic 1st birthday. Saturday is the birthday bash and we are all excited to see her expressions...maybe we can get some "cake on the face" shots!

Preparing for the BIG #1

(POSTED BY JASON)
Well, tomorrow is the big day. I have not anticipated a birthday like this since I turned 16. I remember daydreaming about all the freedom being 16 would give, all of the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead of me, yet to be discovered. In a sense, tomorrow has the same feeling, obviously for Halle-Grace and not for myself, but the anticipation is the same. Tomorrow will be the first of, what I pray, to be many, Many, MANY more birthdays to come. What will her interests be? What will be her profession? Who will her husband be? (That is an easy one, NO ONE, because she will not ever be allowed to date!!!)

I just looked back through last year’s planner to see what I was doing this time last year. Nothing is on my calendar, and what is not said, speaks volumes. I was doing absolutely NOTHING. Well, I am sure I was not just sitting on the couch staring at a wall, but relatively speaking, whatever it was that I was doing meant nothing. Everything pales in comparison. I look at life in two stages now. PRE-Halle-Grace and WITH-Halle-Grace. There were a lot of things I thought were important during the PRE years. HA! I used to even think that Birthday parties were a little over the top and not really worth making a big deal over. Let’s just say I have rethought that point.

It is amazing we all have been home now for almost two months. This time has FLOWN by. 99.9% of me wants time to crawl by and have her stay this age forever. She is so much fun. But all the new things she does only happen because she is growing and developing brain cells. Not to wish her, or my life away, but .1% of me will be happy when she outgrows Blues Clues. But then again, if that purple dinosaur comes back in style, I will put up with an overly chipper dude who is infatuated with green striped shirts…if you know what I am talking about, Lord bless you!!!

Jason


More from Mama...
We are excited to watch her tear into a cake! We promise photos!!!

She received a card in the mail from Nanny today. Nanny sends her cards for every occasion...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday....so SWEET! She loves her nanny (all kids love nanny) and we appreciate all of her help with the up-coming birthday bash!

Cake-face photos coming soon!

Speaking of photos...the 1st OFFICIAL Professional Photographer for Princess Halle-Grace(for both her birthday bash and the Devine Christmas photos) is Angela Shea. Her work in amazing!!! Check out her masterpieces at www.angelasheaphotography.com
We are super excited to be working with Angela and I know Halle-Grace will give her more than enough entertainment to work with!
Get ready Angela...she's a ham!

Congratulations Hunter and Hannah

Halle-Grace's cousins, Hunter and Hannah are on a roll!!! On Saturday, Hannah won her 1st Cheerleading competition at Gardner Webb University! The West Lincoln Pee Wee team took home TOP honors. On Sunday, Suzie, Mike, Hannah & Hunter went to the Panthers game...another great victory....Hunter got a deer and this morning he & Suzie attended the "BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS" at West Lincoln Middle School. Hunter made the HONOR ROLL! I am so proud of them both! When I get a photo from the breakfast of champions, I'll post it.

WE LOVE YOU BOTH AND ARE PROUD OF YOU!

The world was preparing for a tiny miracle...one year ago (posted by Jason)

(Photo taken on Adoption Day, September 1, 2008 in TQ)

Actual Warning on Hair Dryer: “Warning – Do not use this product while still in the shower.”

Well, DDUUUUHHHH, as Halle-Grace would say. But the fact of the matter is that the warning is on there because someone somewhere tried to use the thing while in the shower. Sometimes the obvious still needs to be said, which is the reason for my blog entry this time.

Just as obvious as not using a hair dryer in the shower, this message may seem as obvious, but then again, based on some things I have heard in the past 48 hours I am not so sure.

Within the past two days we have been asked by different people, “What are you going to tell Halle-Grace about her adoption? Do you think she will have any identity issues with being adopted and wondering if you could love her like your own?” Aside from lovingly smacking people like this, (obviously not the appropriate response), I want to shake them and try and make them hear how ludicrous this actually sounds.

Even though people say she favors me somewhat…looking at Shannon will tell her she is clearly adopted (remember the lady in Vietnam who took photos of Shannon because she stuck out like a sore thumb). Telling her she is such will be as easy as her looking at her mom.

Now for the second part, will she wonder if we could love her as much as our own? I simply say SHE IS OUR OWN. We may not be compatible as organ donors for Halle-Grace, but she is our child. Quite frankly we are simply the stewards of God’s child, the same as our parents are to us. She is HIS and he has blessed us with an ultimate child to love and care for. I am however grateful that he entrusted us to care for and love her during my time on earth.

Halle-Grace will face many issues in life, as we all do. She will have her heart broken by someone sometime (I’m gonna kill him!), she will know the frustration of being outside of the group sometime, she will experience being laughed at for some reason, she will be called some name by someone (I’ll kill that jerk too). These are things that we all experience at one time or another in our lives. But there is one thing she will NEVER experience. She will NOT KNOW what it feels like to doubt the love of all of her parents; her birth parents for loving her enough to consciously leave her at a conspicuous place to be found and cared for at the orphanage, ultimately to be given to us. And she will NEVER doubt our love for her! Shannon and I both simply will not allow that to happen. Quite the opposite, I fear her trouble will be embarrassment from the frequent, repeated, open showers of affection from us that she is doomed to endure forever!!!

So as we near one-year anniversary of this world being a better place I reflect on the greatest worldly gift I have ever received. God blessed us with an ultimate gift and responsibility. We near her first birthday and I hope and pray I get to experience and celebrate MANY, MANY, MANY more with her before I am called on. I hope to see you all at the celebration one week from today!

The most BLESSED dad on earth!

Jason

Thoughts for the day....

* Lala, we are thinking about you! I am so sorry for your loss, this has been the most painful two months for our babies (angels in fur) I know Gabby Girl took her under her wing and they are running and playing! We love you! We miss Gabby so much. I have my daily cry then tell myself...I WILL see her again! If heaven is a perfect place, and I know it is...Gabby and your baby are there waiting!

* Happy 8th Birthday Lizzy! We are so proud of you!

* Halle-Grace went to the doctor and hasn't gained a bit of weight. Our tiny miracle who will be a year old in 6 days weighs in at a whopping 16 pounds. She looks and acts healthy, so it's no biggie!

Halle-Grace is telling you how old she is "1"

* You gotta see Lulu jump!!! It is really a hoot. www.bringhomelulu.com

* I am back to work so bullet points may become the new way of blogging. LOL

* Busy busy busy planning a party

* We are blessed

Halle-Grace LOVES shoes...her newest addition...zebra/hot pink boots!!!

"Personalized books"

WOW! They make it all these days! UPS delivered a package this afternoon addressed to Halle-Grace Devine...inside we found two personalized books for Halle-Grace thanks to the Asheville District AstraZeneca Family! They are perfect! What a neat and memorable gift! THANKS!!!

Once again...it's the attitude face!