Our log in date was officially March 20th. We just received a large packet from our adoption agency containing our next load of paperwork; it is exciting to be working on the next step. The biggest excitement however is the fact that we have been given permission to send our son a care package while we are waiting for our Letter of Acceptance. If you have done this before and have any ideas...bring em on.
I don't know if my feelings are normal but I get butterflies thinking about it. Although we have known about him and prayed for him for a year now, he will finally be introduced to us. I can only imagine the emotions that he will experience: anxiety, fear, anticipation. I will continue to rely on the mercy of a loving Heavenly Father that knows exactly what Chunming needs and when. I cannot even begin the express the comfort this brings.
The next step...coming up with Chunming's official name for our paperwork; bringing on another set of thoughts and concerns which you will be spared of.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Our Dossier is off to China!
We are officially what is labeled "DTC" in the international adoption arena. It is a huge step for us and one we thought was going to happen a couple of months back, but hey, better late than never.
My favorite website, China Adoption On Line explains it clearly. "What is a dossier? The official definition is "a collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject (usually a person's record)." In this case, the record is being compiled on the adoptive parents. In order to adopt a child from China, you will be required to collect a series of documents that tell the CCAA about you, your family, your health, and your finances."
I like plans. I like plans written out in black and white. I especially like plans written out in black and white that also include definitions for acronyms that everyone else seems to understand but me. This web site has it all. I refer to it constantly. To all of you that plan on adopting from China, I recommend it highly. (and I know you are thinking about it....aren't you?)
I hate to admit it, but according to other current adoption time lines we are probably looking more at a trip to China in late summer. "Slowly, but surely, we are comin to get you baby!"
Next Step - LID (another perplexing acronym which stands for "Log In Date") Then we wait for our LOA, or Letter of Acceptance from China!!!!! This could arrive anywhere from 1 to 3 months from now.
What are we doing while we wait? RENOVATING! If you knew us like you claim to, you wouldn't have to ask. :)
My favorite website, China Adoption On Line explains it clearly. "What is a dossier? The official definition is "a collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject (usually a person's record)." In this case, the record is being compiled on the adoptive parents. In order to adopt a child from China, you will be required to collect a series of documents that tell the CCAA about you, your family, your health, and your finances."
I like plans. I like plans written out in black and white. I especially like plans written out in black and white that also include definitions for acronyms that everyone else seems to understand but me. This web site has it all. I refer to it constantly. To all of you that plan on adopting from China, I recommend it highly. (and I know you are thinking about it....aren't you?)
I hate to admit it, but according to other current adoption time lines we are probably looking more at a trip to China in late summer. "Slowly, but surely, we are comin to get you baby!"
Next Step - LID (another perplexing acronym which stands for "Log In Date") Then we wait for our LOA, or Letter of Acceptance from China!!!!! This could arrive anywhere from 1 to 3 months from now.
What are we doing while we wait? RENOVATING! If you knew us like you claim to, you wouldn't have to ask. :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
A Step in the Right Direction
It finally happened! We have moved forward another step on the adoption trek. We received our I800A approval on Saturday! Yipee! Can you sense the excitement?
Since this blog is only for our friends and family and not published for the world to see, there are probably only 2 of you that know what I am talking about...and that's if you even read this silly blog. :) Regardless, I was so excited I had to publish a post.
We got our I800A approval! We got our I800A approval!
For anyone even a slight bit curious:
The actual name of the I800A form is Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. (Obviously the convention country in this case is China) Our approved home study along with the I800A form was sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services who evaluated whether we are suitable to adopt a child from China. The I800A approval is the document telling us that we are indeed suitable.
What now? Well, we don't anticipate being able to go to China to pick up our son until probably Junish. There are still several steps that we must go through. In the meantime, we pick up our return missionary from the airport this Wednesday and will cherish the short time we have with him until he heads to school.
LIFE IS GOOD
Since this blog is only for our friends and family and not published for the world to see, there are probably only 2 of you that know what I am talking about...and that's if you even read this silly blog. :) Regardless, I was so excited I had to publish a post.
We got our I800A approval! We got our I800A approval!
For anyone even a slight bit curious:
The actual name of the I800A form is Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. (Obviously the convention country in this case is China) Our approved home study along with the I800A form was sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services who evaluated whether we are suitable to adopt a child from China. The I800A approval is the document telling us that we are indeed suitable.
What now? Well, we don't anticipate being able to go to China to pick up our son until probably Junish. There are still several steps that we must go through. In the meantime, we pick up our return missionary from the airport this Wednesday and will cherish the short time we have with him until he heads to school.
LIFE IS GOOD
Thursday, December 8, 2011
New Photos!
We received new photos of Chun Ming! It was so exciting! It's like early Christmas.
These were taken by the orphanage and sent through our agency, along with some measurements. He's a little guy at 3 and 1/2 feet tall and 33 pounds. He is lucky to be able to attend a school on the premise. Yep, you see English letters and numbers behind him.
The following photos were taken and sent by a sweet mommy who was just at the orphanage to pick up her daughter last week. Just as other families have stated, they agreed that the children are well cared for and loved.
The following photos were taken and sent by a sweet mommy who was just at the orphanage to pick up her daughter last week. Just as other families have stated, they agreed that the children are well cared for and loved.
Isn't he the cutest?!
"What's the latest?"
It seems lately that I am asked this question quite a bit, so I thought I would take a few minutes to add an update.
Just when we committed to stay long term in our home and purchased some furniture, including David's long dreamed of grand piano, we were introduced to our newest addition; Chun Ming. Due to his cerebral palsy we felt it was time to put the house up for sale and find a home that wasn't on a hill or had such treacherous steep steps. To be perfectly honest, it was an exciting adventure until our house surprisingly sold in one week and we found nothing we liked as well that was in our price range. Through the process I often had to remind myself why we were moving; to bring our Chun Ming home.
We put a lot of time and money into our house which stood as a beacon of sunshine to welcome us home; therefore, it was a difficult adjustment to accept our new home. I laugh and tell my family that we live on an island, but moved to the forest. (I guess David won't see the reality of his dream to have a waterfront home anytime soon.) After living here for a week, we have come to recognize the great blessing and potential our new home has. It has more space than I ever thought I wanted; it's an organizers dream! There is plenty of room for the kids to run and has a great spot for my garden and David's chickens. (Yep, you heard right. David has gone rural. I may tile our floors, plumb our sinks, and fix the appliances, but you aren't going to find me cleaning out the chicken coop! It's all his. There. It is recorded in black and white for all eyes to see. Let this be evidence in case it is needed in a court of law.) I digress... Our new home is great and I can't wait to get into the renovating. We plan on having the main level pretty well done by the time our son comes home from China. We thank our Heavenly Father for such a wonderful gift.
We have turned in our I800A forms to the government. This means our home study is complete and we are waiting for immigration approval. In the meantime, we have turned in all of the required forms to our adoption agency, who is busy authenticating each one. Once our finger prints are checked, yet again by the FBI and we receive our I800A approval, the packet of authenticated paperwork (called the Dossier) will be sent on to China.
You might be asking yourself, "What does all this mean?" The simple answer - We are still in the beginning stages. We don't expect to be able to go out and get Chun Ming until close to summer. In the meantime, we will continue to read, fulfill our adoption education requirements, and prepare our home and family for the upcoming adjustment. We understood clearly that we needed to get busy preparing our children when we found out that when the social worker asked one of them what they will teach Chun Ming when he arrives, she answered, "I will teach him to play Barbies, dolls, and dress-ups". For her sake, I do hope he likes to play dress ups. Poor William has already been an unwilling prince, soldier, and variety of animals.
On a serious note I wanted to add:
In a talk entitled "Save the Children", Gordon B Hinckley said:
Just when we committed to stay long term in our home and purchased some furniture, including David's long dreamed of grand piano, we were introduced to our newest addition; Chun Ming. Due to his cerebral palsy we felt it was time to put the house up for sale and find a home that wasn't on a hill or had such treacherous steep steps. To be perfectly honest, it was an exciting adventure until our house surprisingly sold in one week and we found nothing we liked as well that was in our price range. Through the process I often had to remind myself why we were moving; to bring our Chun Ming home.
We put a lot of time and money into our house which stood as a beacon of sunshine to welcome us home; therefore, it was a difficult adjustment to accept our new home. I laugh and tell my family that we live on an island, but moved to the forest. (I guess David won't see the reality of his dream to have a waterfront home anytime soon.) After living here for a week, we have come to recognize the great blessing and potential our new home has. It has more space than I ever thought I wanted; it's an organizers dream! There is plenty of room for the kids to run and has a great spot for my garden and David's chickens. (Yep, you heard right. David has gone rural. I may tile our floors, plumb our sinks, and fix the appliances, but you aren't going to find me cleaning out the chicken coop! It's all his. There. It is recorded in black and white for all eyes to see. Let this be evidence in case it is needed in a court of law.) I digress... Our new home is great and I can't wait to get into the renovating. We plan on having the main level pretty well done by the time our son comes home from China. We thank our Heavenly Father for such a wonderful gift.
We have turned in our I800A forms to the government. This means our home study is complete and we are waiting for immigration approval. In the meantime, we have turned in all of the required forms to our adoption agency, who is busy authenticating each one. Once our finger prints are checked, yet again by the FBI and we receive our I800A approval, the packet of authenticated paperwork (called the Dossier) will be sent on to China.
You might be asking yourself, "What does all this mean?" The simple answer - We are still in the beginning stages. We don't expect to be able to go out and get Chun Ming until close to summer. In the meantime, we will continue to read, fulfill our adoption education requirements, and prepare our home and family for the upcoming adjustment. We understood clearly that we needed to get busy preparing our children when we found out that when the social worker asked one of them what they will teach Chun Ming when he arrives, she answered, "I will teach him to play Barbies, dolls, and dress-ups". For her sake, I do hope he likes to play dress ups. Poor William has already been an unwilling prince, soldier, and variety of animals.
On a serious note I wanted to add:
In a talk entitled "Save the Children", Gordon B Hinckley said:
"My plea—and I wish I were more eloquent in voicing it—is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture. They need kindness and refreshment and affection. Every home, regardless of the cost of the house, can provide an environment of love which will be an environment of salvation...God bless us to be mindful of them, to lift them and guide them as they walk in dangerous paths, to pray for them, to bless them, to love them, to keep them secure until they can run with strength of their own."
We pray that through the love, kindness, and affection of our forever family, Chun Ming will soon run with strength of his own.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hero Mom
Although at first this post may seem to have nothing to do with our adoption, upon second glance you may reconsider:
My sister Deanne, who just returned home from China with her 2 children, was nominated by my cousin as a "Hero Mom" for a contest in which she could win $2500. The fact that she wants to help someone else with that money to adopt is just another reason why she should be nominated.
It is heartbreaking to hear the stories behind so many of the children in need of forever families, but even more heartbreaking is the fact that there are many families willing, able, and prepared to adopt them, but cannot afford to.
My sister Deanne understands that it is often through us that the Lord works His miracles.
Please take a moment each day until the 4th of November to vote.
http://theblogfrog.com/p/allstate/default.aspx?replyid=1138066
My sister Deanne, who just returned home from China with her 2 children, was nominated by my cousin as a "Hero Mom" for a contest in which she could win $2500. The fact that she wants to help someone else with that money to adopt is just another reason why she should be nominated.
It is heartbreaking to hear the stories behind so many of the children in need of forever families, but even more heartbreaking is the fact that there are many families willing, able, and prepared to adopt them, but cannot afford to.
My sister Deanne understands that it is often through us that the Lord works His miracles.
Please take a moment each day until the 4th of November to vote.
http://theblogfrog.com/p/allstate/default.aspx?replyid=1138066
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Little Mercies
Having been blessed with 5 childbirth experiences I find myself every once in awhile seeing similarities and differences in our adoption journey. As a pregnant mother I imagined what personality the child growing inside me had; would he/she be a booky, sports enthusiast, a comedian? I imagined what he/she would look like. I even wondered if he/she would act like David or I? It never seems completely real to me until I see him/her in the ultrasound. The ultrasound photo was cherished. It was always hanging somewhere where I could see it. Not only did it get me through the nausea, but it kept the whole experience real so the focus wasn't on my physical changes and pains.
The greatest challenge so far in this adoption experience has been mourning the lost time. Each day our little guy remains in the orphanage is another day lost to someone else. As tough as raising children is, I want that tough experience to be ours and not someone else’s. I want those memories. I will never have the memory of his first steps, first tantrum, first pain, first laugh, but I look forward to experiencing his first drive, ice cream cone, date, and trip to the zoo. The thing I look forward to the most is my first hug! That is a universal language whether in adoption or childbirth. We all long to hold our baby for the first time, even if our baby is 6 years old!
There is much to look forward to and we are eagerly anticipating the joys and challenges that will be ours. In the meantime, we cherish each photo. I have been excitedly going to my computer each morning to follow the blog experience of a family who is currently in China picking up their daughter from the same orphanage that Chunming is living. Since she was posting many photos, I was especially eager for the day she was planning on visiting the orphange; hoping to get a glimpse of our little man. Unfortunately, the orphanage director changed his mind at the last minute and they were told not to come, so for now I will continue to hold on to the photos we already have.
Here are the latest photos we received thanks to the world wide internet. As we have received each one, I have stared at this stranger who is my son and imagined what he likes to do, what his laugh sounds like, if he feels loved, and what his hand feels like in mine. We continue to pray for him day and night and ask Heavenly Father to protect him with His angels.
The greatest challenge so far in this adoption experience has been mourning the lost time. Each day our little guy remains in the orphanage is another day lost to someone else. As tough as raising children is, I want that tough experience to be ours and not someone else’s. I want those memories. I will never have the memory of his first steps, first tantrum, first pain, first laugh, but I look forward to experiencing his first drive, ice cream cone, date, and trip to the zoo. The thing I look forward to the most is my first hug! That is a universal language whether in adoption or childbirth. We all long to hold our baby for the first time, even if our baby is 6 years old!
There is much to look forward to and we are eagerly anticipating the joys and challenges that will be ours. In the meantime, we cherish each photo. I have been excitedly going to my computer each morning to follow the blog experience of a family who is currently in China picking up their daughter from the same orphanage that Chunming is living. Since she was posting many photos, I was especially eager for the day she was planning on visiting the orphange; hoping to get a glimpse of our little man. Unfortunately, the orphanage director changed his mind at the last minute and they were told not to come, so for now I will continue to hold on to the photos we already have.
Here are the latest photos we received thanks to the world wide internet. As we have received each one, I have stared at this stranger who is my son and imagined what he likes to do, what his laugh sounds like, if he feels loved, and what his hand feels like in mine. We continue to pray for him day and night and ask Heavenly Father to protect him with His angels.
This is an example of how desperate we are... If you look real close you will see his nose and eyes under his crown, peeking between the tall boy standing and the girl in pink.
So, this is a little better - That's him to the right of the little girl, sitting down in red shorts and a t-shirt
OK, this is more like it.
These children were especially picked to participate in a performance.
That is our little one in the very front in the wheelchair.
Here he is again - in the middle
I should add how lucky we are to have these photos. It isn't that usual to obtain photos from the orphanages. We even have a short video of him, which we watch often.
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