We recently received an update from the foster family that is caring for our soon-to-be adopted daughter Peyton in China. The picture above is one of the pictures we got. People have asked several common questions when they saw the pictures. They’ve also been asking other questions related to her adoption. So, here’s our best attempt to answer a few of those questions, in case you’ve been wondering about them, too.
Question: Why is her hair so short? It’s very common for children in orphanages and foster care in China to have extremely short haircuts. We think it’s partly a matter of keeping daily care as easy as possible. Long hair requires more maintenance and makes communicable pests, like lice, a more likely possibility. So, boys and girls are often given very short, very quick razor cuts to reduce the orphanage worker tasks.
Question: Is it cold where she lives? The picture above shows Peyton in a very warm winter coat. The picture was taken in late March, when the daytime temperature varies from 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit in her city. It’s possible her foster family’s apartment is cold. But it’s more likely she is bundled up because that is how most Chinese families dress young children. When we picked up Elijah in Guangzhou, it was quite warm and comfortable to us, in the 70s most days. But he was dressed in a winter coat, long-sleeved shirt, and long pants. We quickly discovered that, if we took him outside in a light jacket, the locals would berate us in Chinese for not dressing him warmly enough. So, she’s probably dressed warmly because of culture more than climate.
Question: How is Peyton’s health? Peyton continues to be in good health, although she spent a couple of days in the hospital at her last transfusion because her blood iron count was too high. We’ve been getting regular updates on her medical condition and have been recently told they will schedule her next couple of transfusions so that she is able to travel without any emergencies. We’re looking forward to getting her home soon.
Question: When will you pick her up? We’re expecting to travel in early to mid-June. However, last week we heard about families who received their Travel Authorization (TA) only a few days after the United States (US) Consulate issued their Article 5 forms, a document which approves the child’s immigration status to the US. We know that our Article 5 is scheduled to be issued on Thursday, May 5, so it’s possible we might be asked to travel in mid-May, instead of mid-June. That would be exciting for us.
Question: How is the fundraising going? We’ve raised a little over half of what we hoped to raise. (You can visit our fundraising page by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.) We’re still hoping to raise the rest in these final weeks before we travel. Any amount would help. Our LifeSong page will become inactive on the day we sign the adoption paperwork in China, so donations that come before that will be tax-deductible. Those that come afterward will not. Feel free to e-mail us at firstname@faithclips.com, using either of our first names, Kevin or Janet. Keep praying for us. We need it.