I Dream Of Jeannie: First Year with Jeannie

"Gotcha Day"

1/30/2007. "Gotcha Day" to Gia Gong Jia Fan. Moments after we met Gia, her orphanage co-director brought out a photo album of Gia's life in Pingnan, Guangxi. She told us that Gia had shared her life with another little girl - Gong Fu Cheng in the orphanage and more recently in a foster home. Many of the photo's were of the two of them - often dressed alike - "like twins!" Gia would tell us later.
Gia looked at her photo's often, and it became clear to us that she grieved for her life in China and of her Gong Fu Cheng. Gia would tell us stories about her "we fighted!" One day I found Gia with tears streaming down her face, looking at her photo's and trying to call Fu Cheng on her toy cell phone.
We were told that Gia and Fu Cheng were in a foster home sponsored by Grace Hope. Through a very good internet friend, we found out that they had named Fu Cheng "Jeannie". My dear mother's name. She had passed away just 4 months after Gia came home. Hmm.... something inside me stirred and it was at that time that I decided that until Jeannie was placed with her "forever mama" that I was it - and I would do everything possible to advocate for her.
Gia was doing her part to convince us that Jeannie was her sister. One night I heard her tell her daddy at bed time " Gong Fu Cheng has the same daddy as me - in America!" Well, daddy was not convinced! Several months later on Mothers Day I received a card from Gia and her daddy that said "mommy, please do everything you can to bring Jeannie home". He said yes! He is the best daddy and husband ever!
After months of hard work, persistence, prayer, help from people I don't even know, we received approval to adopt Jeannie. We will be her forever family! Gia and Jeannie will have a life together with their big brother Ben!

We can't wait to travel to China and to Jeannie!

Gotcha Day 3/23/09

Thursday, March 25, 2010

First Year with Jeannie

Jeannie has been part of our family for one year now. In reality, she had become part of our family long before Bob and I had met her. Gia had spoken of her so often, and we had looked at her photo's hundreds of times. I had always felt that I knew her and loved her long before her "Gotcha Day". I remember thinking - "how can I miss someone that I have never met?".

Jeannie is now a happy, silly, sweet 8 year old. Her nick name is "smiley". She rarely is without a smile on her face. She loves to play school ( she is always the teacher ), play with her dolls, be with her sister, eat everything and anything, sleeps great at night, loves school and all of her friends and extended family members. The grief and rage that she first felt upon arriving home are long gone. She has only happy memories of her life in China, but very rarely talks about it.

Jeannie is now involved in soccer, soft ball and tumbling. She is still very much a "girly girl", loves to dress pretty and always has a bow in her hair. She is beginning to read, can write well and doing great in math. Our worries about her learning our language and keeping up in school have gone. She is a great student and loves to do her homework!

We thank God every day for this little girl and her beautiful sister. We thought so many times along our journey to Jeannie that this adoption would never happen. We had so many hurdles to jump and mountains to climb - but "faith can move mountains"!!