Welcome Home & Showers of Love

What a wonderful week we've had! We received an email last week from Jynger (our case manager) that mentioned that they hope to have Mia's passport within the month...wow! We could travel before the end of March! Unbelievable!

Last Friday, Dustin and I were invited to the airport to welcome home Ian - I call him, "Mia's little buddy". What a special day it was! He's such a handsome little man! I was even able to hold him! Boy, was it the wrong day to forget to wear waterproof mascara! We felt very lucky to be part of such a special moment.

On Saturday, Dustin and I attended our first shower for Mia. Our hostesses did such a great job - everything was just gorgeous! The cake was so stunning - I didn't even want to touch it! I registered for blankets to take to the kiddos in India and what a sight it was to see all of them! I might have to ship the blankets to India rather than taking another suitcase! We really appreciate everyone that donated a blanket. They will be put to good use. We would also like to thank everyone who attended the shower - thanks for helping us welcome her home in this way.

Legals!

Our legals are on the way! This means that the Indian courts recognize us as legal guardians of Mia! Now all we have to do is wait for her passport. That's the final step...I can't believe it. It could take anywhere from 1-2 months. After we get her passport, we're off to India!

After being in the adoption process for almost two & a half years, we are finally going to get our little girl. We feel so blessed that God chose us for this journey.

Okay, I need that passport now!

9 Months Old

Mia is 9 months old today. I can hardly stand to know that she's growing older without us.

We received 6 new pictures of her today! She sure is a cutie! She's getting chunkier and her hair is getting so thick. Looks like she's a happy, healthy kiddo!

All Roads Lead...

The days seem to be growing longer and my heart is aching more and more for my little girl so far away. Just knowing that Nadra and Charlie were able to see her and speak to her...well, it just breaks my heart that it wasn't me.

I've been on an emotional high since we received her referral in October of last year. Well, I think I've reached the top of that emotional hill, only to realize that the other side's journey holds only the pain and heartbreak of not having her in our arms.

But we have this...our road leads to India...our road leads to Mia.

God bless & please continue to pray that she will be in our arms soon.

Forever Families & Whispers to Mia

Nadra & Charlie, the wonderful couple we met during this adoption process, met their precious son yesterday (about 12:45 a.m. CST). Ian now has his "forever family"! This has been such a long process for our two families, I'm just glad that their wait it now over!

While Nadra and Charlie were picking up Ian, they were able to visit with our precious Mia. I say "visit", but Mia was in the middle of a good nap. I believe they were able to get a picture of her. They told her that her parents were coming to get her soon. Thank you, Nadra & Charlie.

Last night I had a dream about Mia. We were in a car in India, and I turned around and said, "I love you Mia", and she said "I love you too". She was speaking very well for a 9 month old -- I always knew she was a genius! In some way, I wonder if I was dreaming that at the same moment Nadra & Charlie were whispering to her.

My good friend, Sarah, gave me a wonderful idea. I would like to ask that those of you reading this would pray that we are able to get Mia as soon as possible. Prayer is such a powerful thing.

Thank you & God bless.

What's in a name?

on the day in which we celebrate love, i thought i would fill you in on the meaning of mia's name.

MIA

this word means "mine"...literally. it is the spanish word for "mine". dustin and i had this name picked out for the longest time. we thought it would be very appropriate. after all of this waiting, she will finally be ours.


SUPRITHA (su-pree-ta)

this is mia's indian name...this was the name given to her in india. the indian meaning for this name is "good love". we will keep this as her middle name. it is very important for us to acknowledge her heritage in this way.

so, when you put together both of her names it means...my good love. doesn't get better than that!

happy valentine's day!

Oh So Happy Valentines!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

i know this will be a very special valentine's day for a wonderful couple i've had the opportunity to get to know over the last year or so. today they are on a plane to india to meet their little boy for the first time.

i met nadra and charlie at a gathering at our adoption agency. we were there to meet ms. anju roy, the director of the facility in india, who had made a special trip to the u.s. nadra and i started emailing each other regarding our thoughts and concerns. having someone who knew exactly what dustin and i were going through was priceless. i'm so thankful that i had her throughout this process.

well, the time came when they were presented with the referral of their little boy and a few months later came the referral of our precious mia. we had waited so long...what a special time! in december of last year, we received a video of our little ones...they were sitting next to each other and were in matching outfits! i think God winked at us at that moment! come to find out, their cribs are very close to one another.

it's such an amazing coincidence. our adoption agency places children in homes all over the u.s. it's just amazing that i made a connection with nadra (who lives very close to me), and then for her to be adopting a little boy who mia already knows...wow, i feel so blessed.

well, next week, mia's little buddy will be on his way home. dustin and i are going to the airport to welcome them home. i can't wait to reunite mia and her buddy here in oklahoma. what a wonderful day that will be.

Our Happy Mia Supritha!

The Long Journey

wow, where do I begin...our journey started over two years ago. a journey we couldn't wait to begin...a journey that we knew would be rough at times, but would lead us to the child God had chosen for us. what an interesting and amazing journey it has been so far.

we decided to adopt from india in the fall of 2003. after much study and research, we found dillon international, an adoption agency in tulsa, ok. we anxiously started the process and were deep into paperwork by january 2004. after doctor's visits, home-studies, several adoption classes and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, we were put on the waiting list in july of 2004. wow, when i sum everything up it sounds so fast! not so, believe me! once on the waiting list, we quickly moved from #9 in july, to #3 in november. i was positive we would have a referral by christmas.

okay, the one thing i know for sure about adoption is that nothing is for sure!

in december, we found out that the facility in india (where our little girl would be born), was trying to get recertified by the indian government. it's just a standard thing that every facility has to go through in india. well, we quickly found out that things don't work the same in india as they do here. our adoption was basically on hold for 9 months. this was an excruciating time in the tucker household! we had been presented with other opportunities to adopt other children or even switch to adopt from another country, but we KNEW that a baby in india was waiting for us. it's the kind of feeling when you know something to be absolute truth and you would bet your life on it. sometimes it's hard to understand why God does what He does. we struggled and prayed and struggled and prayed, and come to find out...God knows what He's doing! i know you're shocked!

on october 21st, we received a referral of a baby girl named supritha. she was born on may 20th, 2005. she's the most beautiful thing i've ever seen! she has the biggest eyes, the prettiest complexion and the cutest dimples! we received a video of her in december 2005 and she seemed so happy. that really put my mind at ease. God has truly blessed us with the perfect child for our family.

we are now waiting for the indian government to grant us guardianship and then we can file for her passport. when we receive her passport, we will finally be on our way to india. hopefully, we will travel in late march to early april.

thank you to all who have prayed for us and cried with us during this time. you will never know how much we love and appreciate you.