A Little Bit about Our Little Bit

We’d like to tell you a little more about what we’ve learned about our daughter from her long awaited file we received in August 2014. We’ve waited so long to share the little that we know with you all. So here it goes…

She is from Changsha, China, Hunan Province. At least that is where she has lived since infancy when she was taken to the orphanage. Changsha is the capital city of Hunan Province and, is situated in the river valley along the lower reaches of the Xiang River. The recorded history of the area can be traced back 3,000 years. As you can see from the photos, it’s a beautiful city- just like our little girl! Changsha is also known for it’s spicy foods! Maybe she will enjoy spicy cuisine just like her mommy, daddy, and brother.  You may have noticed Anli’s medical condition is a facial hemangioma. There are a few considerations we have to look into when she gets home, but nothing we cannot face together as a family. In fact, we don’t even see the redness on her face when we look at her. We just see this beautiful child God has blessed us with. This is not what defines her but just a part of who she is. Just the same as she has brown eyes like her brother, a pretty smile like her mommy, her daddy’s eye brows and I’m sure the list will go on as we get to know her.

Anli’s Social Welfare Institute

Upon arriving home, Anli will be seen by an ophthalmologist. This will determine if she is developing glaucoma. She will will be monitored closely throughout her life by the eye doctor. She will also be seen by a dermatologist. This doctor will determine treatment for the blood vessels on her face. We are told most likely she will have laser treatment to relieve pressure on her eye, and minimize the vessels to prevent them from growing. Depending on the severity, these treatments will happen about 6 times per year over a period of a few months, and will reoccur every 2-3 years as the blood vessels reappear.

Anli’s Home in China

In Anli’s profile she is described as sunshine. She likes hanging out with the big kids, she’s full of smiles, clever, outgoing and sometimes naughty. However, there is A LOT that we do not know. We can never tell our daughter the story of the day she was born. We can’t tell her what she looked like when she entered the world.  We can’t tell her what her first days, weeks, months, or even years were like. Oh, how this missing information about my precious girl breaks my heart. However, what we CAN do is try, in every way possible, to let her know how badly she was wanted by us. We can let her know how much we missed her when she was not with us. We can tell her how excited and proud her brother was of her. How he draws her pictures and tells everyone about her. While we are grateful to have this information about her, at the same time we are heartbroken about some of the information from her file. For example, the day she was given up. The place she was left. The date she entered the orphanage. Info that is really only for Anli to share should she choses.

What we are also sad about is all that is NOT in that file. She has been alive for over 3 years now, and all that we know about these last 3 years is wrapped up in five pages of information and three pictures. The photos we have of Ollin’s first year alone range in the thousands. I feel heartbroken over the loss of all those memories, not for our sake but of hers. We will never know about Anli’s beginnings, and most importantly, she will never know. So many questions and so little answers. That is why we do not want to lose one more day of time with her. This is why it’s driving me C.R.A.Z.Y that one little piece of paper is keeping us from getting on a plane and beginning life as a family of four. We want to go get her so badly! We are hoping that our TA arrives this week. Then we can go get our daughter and sister!