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....the women I have met through this adoption process. I have connected with a lot of waiting moms through Hannah's adoption and now Mallorie's adoption. Touching base with them on a daily basis and being a member of several Facebook groups with waiting mom's around the same paperwork time frame as us has really helped me through this process. I was lucky enough a few weeks ago to connect with a mom who brought her daughter home from Mallorie's orphanage in September. We chatted through a few emails, and she was kind enough to send me photos from her visit to the orphanage. In 3 of those photos, Mallorie was there. She also connected me with a volunteer who lives in China and volunteers at Mallorie's orphanage once a week. She sent this other mom photo updates frequently through their wait, and this mom now sends her updates on her daughter after she has been home. Coincidentally, I connected with another mom through the same Facebook group, who also has a daughter waiting with Mallorie at the same orphanage. I have to assume they are playmates, or have been playmates. To make a long story short, after talking to this mom yesterday, she also mentioned the same lady who volunteers at the orphanage and contacted her for me to see if she would be willing to get us updates. This mom receives a photo once a week and some kind of an update on her daughter. It turns out that the two moms were talking about the same woman in China. I managed to get in contact with her yesterday, and she knows who Mallorie is, and sees her once a week. She has told us she will help us get updates on Mallorie. What a small world it is that I have connected with these two mom's and they have been able to help us form a bridge of connection to our daughter during this wait. Knowing I can email someone and communicate with someone who sees Mallorie once a week makes me feel so much closer to her. It is a blessing...and today, I am just thankful for this awesome connection of this woman who obviously is a blessing to my daughter, and also the connection with these other moms. This wait is hard and waiting for paperwork to be approved just plain stinks, but what an awesome journey it is when you have experiences like this!