judah!

Well, it's official...kind-of anyway!!
We are not Judah's family just yet, but today we submitted our EA (electronic acceptance) letter to the CCAA, requesting to pursue his adoption!!

I can only share a little about him for now. When we receive our RA (referral acceptance) from the CCAA, then we can share his photo, Chinese name, birth region, etc...it could take anywhere from 2-4 months to receive our RA.

About Judah...
He's almost 10-months old and has a cleft lip and palate -- both of which are unrepaired. He is beautiful...but, oh, so tiny! It's obvious from his measurements that his cleft palate is making his feeding very difficult. But that said, he's not too much smaller than Micah was as the same age.

We're working with The International Adoption Clinic here in Birmingham -- and there is also a Cleft Clinic at UAB Children's Hospital here as well, which will handle Judah's surgeries. We feel confident (and blessed) to have such wonderful resources right in our backyard!!

How soon could we go get him (assuming we're approved)?
We hope before the end of the year!

We were able to get the Chinese version of his adoption paperwork -- and two wonderful men (Malaysian & Chinese) are coming to our home tomorrow night to share their translation of the reports. Actually, the one doing the translation is the Chinese gentleman, who is also an research doctor!! He's already reviewed Judah's report and said everything looks good, but is still coming to discuss it in-person. I hope to get it on video for Judah!! He also told us that Judah's Chinese name is very special...we can't wait to hear the meaning!! I'm not sure who gave Judah his Chinese name -- possibly someone from his orphanage. We look forward to sharing it with you in the months to come!!