Sent off a Care Package

Last night we sent Ian a care package. We sent him a soft photo album with 6 pictures of our family and a camera for his nannies to take pictures of him and where he lives right now. We also included a letter telling him a little bit about us and that we are excited to get him.

We are hoping that we will be an update or new pictures of him. We used a care package service that not only delivers the packages but the lady doing it has great relationship with the orphanages and can get pictures and updates for families.

This lady wrote us back today and told us that the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute is a good facility and they make a "growing kids album" of each child and they will give it to us on adoption day. I have to say that that in itself is amazing. I think I read somewhere that they may be as many as 900 kids in the facility right now. It is very special to have something like that or that they would even take the time to do this.

We wanted to send Ian some pictures and information so he can start to know who we are. I have heard that the SCWI does a really good job of preparing the kids for the transition when they are adopted. I've heard that they show the children the pictures of their "forever families". We are hoping that Ian will see our pictures and that our information would help him when we come and get him. Our paperwork told us that he is a shy boy but once he is familiar with others he warms up. We are hoping our pictures will help him for the day that is approaching.

We wrote in our letter that we both can speak Chinese so I am hoping that since we can speak Chinese the nannies will be excited. In our letter we told them where we live so they can tell him that too. I am hoping to talk with them when we meet him and them. I have a lot of questions for them but I think they will enjoy that I can speak to them and maybe they will share more things with me than they usually do!

I've also heard that this orphanage likes to get pictures and updates on their children after leaving. In my opinion this is rare and it shows that they really care about their kids. And again these things are just more confirmations of prayers we've been praying over the past year!