We are so excited to know we have a daughter and sister waiting for us! We can not wait to meet her!

Rachel’s paperwork did not include the meaning of her Chinese name. In China, people’s surnames are written first, so Rachel’s “last name” is Chen. All of the children whose papers are processed through the orphanage nearest her village are given the surname Chen. I knew Rachel’s name, like all Chinese names, actually meant something. So, I took her paperwork to a Chinese friend. My friend read it and said, “Oh, your baby has a GOOD name!” It seems that “Fu” means luck or happiness, a very important word in Chinese. “Shen” means reaching out or never ending. We have to agree that it is a good name!

Rachel comes from the beautiful province of Guizhou. This province is isolated, but it is one of the most beautiful parts of China. Guizhou is very mountainous and wild. Rachel is living in a foster home in a rural area in the south east part of the province. We can’t wait to see where her life began!

Rachel is considered to be a “special needs” child because she has an unusually formed left hand. Much of her palm is missing and her fingers are very small. Big sister Katherine, who was born with an extra thumb, summed it up like this: “I had too many fingers and Rachel doesn’t have enough.” It seems we were meant to have daughters with quirky hands!