SO CLOSE!....

The Dossier....13 documents ~ notarized, county certified, state certified, 1 department of state certified, and finally...authenticated.

2 docs done and back in my hands (yeah!!)

10 documents at the Chinese consulate getting authenticated

1 document waiting for approval (WHAT??!!)

That document would be our USCIS approval. Our I800A application receipt date is October 3rd. Apparently, our government is taking approximately 90 days to approve these application. (again...WHAT??!!) Today marks our 67th day of waiting.....ARGGHHH!!

I've been following this chart to see the current trend on approvals. There is a family on the chart that has a receipt date of 3 days prior to ours and they posted on the 7th that they received their approval. Maybe we'll be next??

IT'S OFFICIAL...WE'RE DTC!!!!!!!!!

Today's the day! We're PAPER PREGNANT! Our letter of intent to adopt Lily & our dossier are on the way to China via Fed-Ex. We have the tracking number too! I'll be checking the tracking more times than you'll ever get me to admit. In 3-4 months we'll be traveling to Siping, Jilin Province, China to bring home our precious Lily! We are going to start putting together a care package to send--a baby blanket, stuffed animal, a toy or 2, etc... We are so excited!!

When we drive by our subdivisions pool I see the slide & think that the next time we go to the pool we'll be taking Lily! I look at the swing set in the backyard & see in my mind Lily in a baby swing. And, when I swing on the porch swing I think of holding her on my lap singing Lily a song.

OH MY GOSH....I've gots lots to do...! :)

We've got the I797-H!!!!!!!!

It was in the mail Thursday, September 14th! This is the infamous USCIS approval form we've been waiting for. Now our paperchase is complete and will be off to China very soon--it is the last document left to be authenticated. This will take a week or so and then we're DTC (dossier to China)!!!!

We are on cloud nine...but, I'm going to switch back to study mode--I have an 8 a.m. exam in the morning--yes, on Saturday morning. Eric has taken Angela to the high school football game and Mark is there with his girlfriend, Liz. I have the house to myself and it's quiet. There's so much to be thankful for...a quiet house to study for a couple of hours before a test is gold...thank you Eric-I love you.

Heather

September 2006 Update

I can't believe it's September and Fall is on the way! I'll be stalking the mail truck this morning like I usually do on my days off--looking for the infamous I-797H from the USCIS. This is our approval letter from immigration to adopt from China. This is week 6 since our fingerprinting & the last form of the "paperchase" that we need to complete our dossier. Then all paperwork is authenticated, translated, and off to the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). We will be given a log-in date--which is a very important date because it's when we begin the "big wait". This wait is currently approximately 12-14 months. We've got lots to do...painting, furniture buying, swing-set fixing, and living our normal lives in the meantime! We haven't said much about this yet, but we've applied for approval of 2 children...that's right...2. Our adoption agency & social worker have both recommended (upon our request) that we be approved for twins or siblings or a single female baby as young as possible to 2 years old. How exciting to see what is in store for us! It is rare to be referred twins or siblings...chances are slim so we don't expect it to happen. We'll be happy happy happy no matter what!

Eric & I have been flooded with support by all of the people that we meet with once a month at the "First Friday's" meetings. Through this group we have met many families in all stages of the Chinese adoption process and have made some wonderful friends.

Friends of ours, HP & Lori are finally tying the knot this October--Eric will make the trip to Philadelphia to wish them a happy life together...I have exams--one the morning of the wedding! I wish I could go, but I'm sure Eric will have fun--especially with his old college buddies from Villanova and Chris-a very good, old friend of Eric's from Main Steel.

It's going to be an exciting rest of 2006 and 2007 folks! Hang on...enjoy the ride with us!

Heather

August 2006 update

As of today it has been 8 weeks since we sent in our application and home study to the USCIS and 3 weeks since we were fingerprinted. USCIS approval is our last piece of paperwork that we need to be DTC (dossier to China). I've been told that this long of a wait is normal. For those of you that know me...it's just the kind of thing to drive me nuts. :)

June 2006 Update

We are now at the tail end of our paperchase. We mailed our USCIS application yesterday, June 26th. All of our other documents are currently being authenticated, and our dossier is being put together to be sent to China. It's looking like we could very well be traveling to China at the end of Summer '07 since current DTC times are approximately 12 months. We know the time will fly...we've lots to do in the meantime to prepare...Mark & Angela will be back in school August 1st and Angela is hoping to play soccer for Cherokee Impact. Eric is really happy with his new position at Phoenix Metals, and I'm back to class at KSU with a grad time of December '07.

Go with the Flow

There are some evenings when you just can’t fall asleep. You can’t quite get in that comfortable space and a comfortable position where you are fast asleep in a matter of moments. No, not for me tonight…it’s one of those nights when the mind is critically thinking through all upcoming events. Why fight it when I can make a cup of Earl Grey decaf and journal at the kitchen island?

Saturday, May 20th was our fifth and final home study. Cheryl, from Hope for Children visited our home with a check list of items to review and to talk with Mark & Angela. We felt comfortable throughout the home study process—virtually painless except for the perimeter area traffic in Atlanta. One afternoon Eric and I just gave up and stopped at Cheeseburger in Paradise for…..that’s right—a cheeseburger. There were a few questions that we talked about for days…issues that we may face down the road & how we would handle them and feel about them. Mark & Angela gave us their tween & teen perspective.

Currently, we are waiting on our passports to arrive and the notarized home study to include with the USCIS paperwork—both should be ready in a couple of weeks. We’ve obtained all local clearances, certificates, fingerprints, medical exams, and notarized letters…WHEW! Almost there! We’ve cleaned out the spare bedroom up stairs and picked up pink paint swatches from Sherwin Williams. Eric & I have been shopping strollers online to find one we both think is just right. It’s impossible to walk through any store with a baby department without taking a quick walk through. We “oooo & awwww” over so much, but we won’t know for a long time how big or exactly how old she’ll be when we finally bring her home. We did buy the softest, little pink blanket to give her when we meet. Angela, the stuffed animal expert, is helping us find the perfect stuffed animal to go with the blanket. Mark’s expertise has helped me figure out how to put a “Links” section on this blog. Thanks, Mark…it would have taken me hours on my own.

And now…there’s no sense fighting it…I’m off to sleep.

Heather

The Journey Begins...

On April 13, 2006 we mailed our application to Hope for Children to adopt a baby girl. My husband, Eric, and I have been married for 7 years. I have 2 children to a previous marriage--a son (16yrs) and a daughter (12yrs). Eric has been in our lives for 9 years and is a great step-father treating both children as if they are his own. We both knew from the beginning that we would never have a biological child together, but always hoped that someday we would be able to adopt. Back then the idea of adopting seemed so very far away--a dream that may never come true.

This last week of April we received our dossier packet and had our first home study meeting. We both are very excited. We have begun the paperchase! When first looking at all the paperwork requirements it's a bit dizzying. I wasn't sure where I should start first! But, quickly things all come together and organized in your mind, heart, and on paper in a binder. We are both reading The Lost Daughter's of China and trying to learn as much as possible about Chinese culture via internet and books.

Our 2 children are excited about having a new little sister. We've always talked to them about wanting to have another child to join our family. Our son is 16 now and is very consumed with school and his social life. Our daughter seems permenantly attached to the phone when not playing soccer or hanging out with girlfriends in the neighborhood. Watching them now and seeing how they have grown and changed over the years is enlightening, exciting, and fun. Bottles and diapers to Barney & Thomas the Tank Engine to Pokemon & Playstation games--and now...cell phones (the occasional big cell bill), Hollister & Abercrombie, formal dances, and braces. We are proud of them both.

There have been a few people that have questioned whether we realized that we would be giving up time alone and the ability to come and go more freely. This is something that we have plenty of now that the kids are a bit older, more self-sufficient, and don't think it's as cool to hang out with the 'rents. Oh...occasionally we can round them up & get everyone to agree on a movie--as long as it includes extra butter movie theater popcorn. And, we insist on eating dinner together as a family at least half of the week. We talk about and go over homework, grades, friends, current events etc...we catch and try to hold onto those brief moments in the kitchen when they are raiding the fridge for food and feeling a little talkative. Now, I have plenty to do when they don't have time for us--there's no such thing in our house as an empty laundry basket. I am also working on getting my BS in Nursing. But, Eric & I have always revolved our lives around the children...we feel that we're still very young (37 & 33). And, we know we have a great family full of love to share with another child. I miss having a little one around...Eric would love to see the baby phase...we have much love & family to share...and our hearts belong to a little girl somewhere in China we are meant to meet. We're happy to say that it will still be a long time coming that we will have soccer chairs in the way-back of our SUV.