I always figured we had to update our home study, but no one ever told me directly. So I spoke with our agency's China case manager today. We do. We need for it to state the age and "special needs" child on it. So we called the Datz Foundation today and learned of what we need to do. This process could take a few weeks to complete.
I also realized today that a few emails of our case manager had somehow been skipped over in my inbox. We also had to re-submit our passport photos since they did not get saved correctly.... so I rushed that out quickly as I was leaving for the dentist! I think Mei (our case manager) was going to submit the papers today to CCAA for pre-approval. Maybe we'll hear soon too!?
Today I received another quilt square from Mike's cousin Anita. I'll have to post more square fabrics soon to show the variety of colors we keep accumulating.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
One Week Later
One week ago, we learned about Gracelynn. Time is already flying... hopefully our travel comes quickly. The kids have been telling their friends and teachers. Reagan's class is even considering making quilt squares for us! How cool!
I picked up the Freecycle bag of clothes. Wow! What a find. I now have several cute summer dresses for Gracelynn. It's so hard to guess what her size will be. I understand that we can only bring 44 lbs. worth of suitcase for her... (boy, I hope I can bring for her, in addition to our own!) After years of eBay sales, I know 44 lbs. isn't much when we're talking 14 days or more overseas.
I received word from our case worker that she received our photos and that she was going to post them to CCAA. I just can't wait to hear that we are pre-approved (6-8 weeks). Then I should feel very confident that things will proceed as we hope.
Oh... the things-to-do list gets longer each day. :-) I was happy to hear that my dad is also researching (via the web) travel in China. I think it will be so neat for him to experience this with us in China. Besides, an extra set of hands will be much appreciated!!! 14+ hours on a flight home with a scared, timid, walking, Chinese-speaking child sounds a little intimidating. :-) Not to mention we'll be tired and so ready to see our other three kids and family. OK... can you tell the flight home will be scary?
Well, I received very little sleep last night, so I'm going to bed early. (Told you I'd be blogging more now!!!)
I picked up the Freecycle bag of clothes. Wow! What a find. I now have several cute summer dresses for Gracelynn. It's so hard to guess what her size will be. I understand that we can only bring 44 lbs. worth of suitcase for her... (boy, I hope I can bring for her, in addition to our own!) After years of eBay sales, I know 44 lbs. isn't much when we're talking 14 days or more overseas.
I received word from our case worker that she received our photos and that she was going to post them to CCAA. I just can't wait to hear that we are pre-approved (6-8 weeks). Then I should feel very confident that things will proceed as we hope.
Oh... the things-to-do list gets longer each day. :-) I was happy to hear that my dad is also researching (via the web) travel in China. I think it will be so neat for him to experience this with us in China. Besides, an extra set of hands will be much appreciated!!! 14+ hours on a flight home with a scared, timid, walking, Chinese-speaking child sounds a little intimidating. :-) Not to mention we'll be tired and so ready to see our other three kids and family. OK... can you tell the flight home will be scary?
Well, I received very little sleep last night, so I'm going to bed early. (Told you I'd be blogging more now!!!)
Monday, January 21, 2008
The well wishes...
Wow! Thanks to everyone who has taken time to email and send well-wishes our way. Even people I forgot to email (should've just hit the whole address book!) have emailed to express their excitement for us, having heard from other people. Reagan's basketball coach gave us a quilt square today, and her son gave us a toddler pillow to boot!
Today the only change has been our agency requesting our scanned-in passport photos and some photos of the family. (Which of course, I'm never happy with, but they'll have to do!)
After basketball practice today, Reagan and I went out to do some shopping (to get me some clothes and Mike a birthday gift). Of course I had to hit the clearance racks. I intend to stock up on easy-breezy spring shortsleeve dresses for our visit to China. They should be fine for either size then.
Oh, I can't wait for consignment sale and garage sale season to hit! I just checked online. The sale I always participate in (2x a year) is on March 8. I'll be there! Gotta start researching the others in the area too.
Tomorrow I'll pick up a bag of clothes through Freecycle, so that'll be cool to go through too. Anyone have suggestions of where to get a nice double jogging stroller for CHEAP? I had planned to get a single one at Target for under $70, but that'll be useless come June.
Tommy is still showing his confusion. Poor kid. Today he said to me, "My baby sister here now?" I replied, "no... not for awhile... not till after your birthday." He then said, "My birthday?? It's coming up???" Sigh... poor thing just doesn't understand time.
Today the only change has been our agency requesting our scanned-in passport photos and some photos of the family. (Which of course, I'm never happy with, but they'll have to do!)
After basketball practice today, Reagan and I went out to do some shopping (to get me some clothes and Mike a birthday gift). Of course I had to hit the clearance racks. I intend to stock up on easy-breezy spring shortsleeve dresses for our visit to China. They should be fine for either size then.
Oh, I can't wait for consignment sale and garage sale season to hit! I just checked online. The sale I always participate in (2x a year) is on March 8. I'll be there! Gotta start researching the others in the area too.
Tomorrow I'll pick up a bag of clothes through Freecycle, so that'll be cool to go through too. Anyone have suggestions of where to get a nice double jogging stroller for CHEAP? I had planned to get a single one at Target for under $70, but that'll be useless come June.
Tommy is still showing his confusion. Poor kid. Today he said to me, "My baby sister here now?" I replied, "no... not for awhile... not till after your birthday." He then said, "My birthday?? It's coming up???" Sigh... poor thing just doesn't understand time.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A More Detailed Time Expectation
I think she gets cuter each time I look at the pictures!
We read over the forms that were sent to us by our agency. We need to fill out a Letter of Intent to Adopt a Special Need Child (LOI) and a Prospective Adoptive Parent sheet. Once CWA receives these forms, they will translate to Chinese and send to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) for pre-approval (PA). The current wait time for PA from the CCAA is approximately 6-8 weeks. It is then possible that the final approval (travel approval) for our adoption will be received 4-5 months from the time of PA. So, going by these numbers, it could potentially be August before we travel. Let's hope for a little earlier!
Apparently the CCAA has moved to an all-new electronic system, and this is the first group of special needs adoptions that our agency will be dealing with in the new system. So, we'll be guinea pigs. Perhaps timing will be a lot different? We'll have to wait and see.
I also had a little time to go over some details regarding our travel. I am slowly accumulating a long list of questions for our case worker. :-)
Our I-171H approval form from USCIS looks as though it should be fine and not need updated... it expires 9/21/08. However, our fingerprints will expire in April. We'll need to update those. I guess I'll be looking into that soon.
Today we went to church. One family at our church is almost finished with the paperchase for their dossier. They'll be requesting a sibling group from Ethiopia. In fact, the wife is the one who recommended our adoption-consultation doctor. It was neat to share our stories with them. (You can find their blog at www.growinginfaithandfamily.blogspot.com).
Until next time (tomorrow? see how I finally have lots to share?), God bless!
We read over the forms that were sent to us by our agency. We need to fill out a Letter of Intent to Adopt a Special Need Child (LOI) and a Prospective Adoptive Parent sheet. Once CWA receives these forms, they will translate to Chinese and send to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) for pre-approval (PA). The current wait time for PA from the CCAA is approximately 6-8 weeks. It is then possible that the final approval (travel approval) for our adoption will be received 4-5 months from the time of PA. So, going by these numbers, it could potentially be August before we travel. Let's hope for a little earlier!
Apparently the CCAA has moved to an all-new electronic system, and this is the first group of special needs adoptions that our agency will be dealing with in the new system. So, we'll be guinea pigs. Perhaps timing will be a lot different? We'll have to wait and see.
I also had a little time to go over some details regarding our travel. I am slowly accumulating a long list of questions for our case worker. :-)
Our I-171H approval form from USCIS looks as though it should be fine and not need updated... it expires 9/21/08. However, our fingerprints will expire in April. We'll need to update those. I guess I'll be looking into that soon.
Today we went to church. One family at our church is almost finished with the paperchase for their dossier. They'll be requesting a sibling group from Ethiopia. In fact, the wife is the one who recommended our adoption-consultation doctor. It was neat to share our stories with them. (You can find their blog at www.growinginfaithandfamily.blogspot.com).
Until next time (tomorrow? see how I finally have lots to share?), God bless!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wow! WHAT A WEEK!!!
Well, it's been awhile since our last posting... and to be honest, nothing really had been happening during most of that time. We were in waiting mode... long 24 months+ waiting mode. But we have some AMAZING news!!! We're going to China THIS SUMMER!
I apologize if I haven't been able to share this news with everyone individually, but we've just had a crazy and busy week. I just haven't had time to email or call. We just told our own parents last evening, and today we were gone all day visiting the National Museum of Natural History (a scheduled trip), so I haven't been home much.
CWA, our agency, receives a list of a special needs children from China from time to time (approximately every 3-4 months). Last Friday, I got an email that the list would be posted on Tuesday. So, of course I got online on Tuesday when the list was just posted. Mike and I were IM'ing and decided to ask for the files of a little girl. Sure enough, a few minutes later, her files were in my Inbox! By Friday morning, Mike and I had prayed and researched and had inquired with an adoption-specialist doctor to go over her medical files. We told the agency on Friday morning that we're a go!
We will be naming her Gracelynn. After we told the kids her first name, Ben says, "Well, she could always just write 'Grace' on her school papers like I write 'Ben' instead of Benjamin." So, yes... Grace or Gracie will be a short, easy, commonly-used nickname. :-) Grace was Mike's paternal grandmother's first name. Lynn is my middle name. And yes... we do know that it sounds like a famous travel destination when put together, but hey... she has us "All Shook Up". So, how appropriate. :-)
After speaking with Dr. Mason from the International Adoption Clinic (who I highly recommend as he was very professional and understanding and thorough... even when our phone lines went bonkers mid-conversation), we made our decision. On Thursday night, after our blast of winter snow and while eating at the Main Street Wings in Purcellville, we told the kids about their soon-to-be new baby sister. They were thrilled! Ben and Reagan are already making plans for her and finding ways to welcome her. Tommy hasn't quite grasped what it means to have a baby sister ("A babysitter? Like Emily?" was his reply.) But he now can tell you that he gets to move into Ben's room, which he's been dying to do, and his baby sister will move into his room soon. Of course, when we talk about a little girl, his baby sister, he'll always say, "Maggie?" (his friend)... he's a little confused. So, we'll have many, many, many more talks with him.
Our current estimates of travelling dates are June or July 2008. This is just an estimate and will depend on many factors. But late June or early July sounds perfect to me. Our other three kids will be home and won't be involved in as many sports or activities for our parents to worry about (when babysitting). It'll be before the Olympics, so perhaps we'll beat the rush yet get to see some neat sites. And it'll be after my Dad's trip to Alaska, so he'll hopefully be able to travel with us when we go to China!!!
We've always had a few goals in mind when we talked about going to China: having lost some weight and gotten into shape, having bought a laptop (to communicate with everyone in the US while over there), having her room finished, having a wardrobe waiting, etc. Boy, our goals now have a much more imminent date. But, I'm up for the challenge!
Well, I suppose I'll have a lot more to discuss over the next few months, so keep checking in... I promise to write more often! In the meantime, we have a long list of things to accomplish, and welcome any advice from adoptive parents of Chinese and/or older children.
Wow. I'm still shocked by the news. What a difference one little week makes. God is Great! Feel free to comment or email us. We're all so excited over here!
I apologize if I haven't been able to share this news with everyone individually, but we've just had a crazy and busy week. I just haven't had time to email or call. We just told our own parents last evening, and today we were gone all day visiting the National Museum of Natural History (a scheduled trip), so I haven't been home much.
CWA, our agency, receives a list of a special needs children from China from time to time (approximately every 3-4 months). Last Friday, I got an email that the list would be posted on Tuesday. So, of course I got online on Tuesday when the list was just posted. Mike and I were IM'ing and decided to ask for the files of a little girl. Sure enough, a few minutes later, her files were in my Inbox! By Friday morning, Mike and I had prayed and researched and had inquired with an adoption-specialist doctor to go over her medical files. We told the agency on Friday morning that we're a go!
We will be naming her Gracelynn. After we told the kids her first name, Ben says, "Well, she could always just write 'Grace' on her school papers like I write 'Ben' instead of Benjamin." So, yes... Grace or Gracie will be a short, easy, commonly-used nickname. :-) Grace was Mike's paternal grandmother's first name. Lynn is my middle name. And yes... we do know that it sounds like a famous travel destination when put together, but hey... she has us "All Shook Up". So, how appropriate. :-)
After speaking with Dr. Mason from the International Adoption Clinic (who I highly recommend as he was very professional and understanding and thorough... even when our phone lines went bonkers mid-conversation), we made our decision. On Thursday night, after our blast of winter snow and while eating at the Main Street Wings in Purcellville, we told the kids about their soon-to-be new baby sister. They were thrilled! Ben and Reagan are already making plans for her and finding ways to welcome her. Tommy hasn't quite grasped what it means to have a baby sister ("A babysitter? Like Emily?" was his reply.) But he now can tell you that he gets to move into Ben's room, which he's been dying to do, and his baby sister will move into his room soon. Of course, when we talk about a little girl, his baby sister, he'll always say, "Maggie?" (his friend)... he's a little confused. So, we'll have many, many, many more talks with him.
Our current estimates of travelling dates are June or July 2008. This is just an estimate and will depend on many factors. But late June or early July sounds perfect to me. Our other three kids will be home and won't be involved in as many sports or activities for our parents to worry about (when babysitting). It'll be before the Olympics, so perhaps we'll beat the rush yet get to see some neat sites. And it'll be after my Dad's trip to Alaska, so he'll hopefully be able to travel with us when we go to China!!!
We've always had a few goals in mind when we talked about going to China: having lost some weight and gotten into shape, having bought a laptop (to communicate with everyone in the US while over there), having her room finished, having a wardrobe waiting, etc. Boy, our goals now have a much more imminent date. But, I'm up for the challenge!
Well, I suppose I'll have a lot more to discuss over the next few months, so keep checking in... I promise to write more often! In the meantime, we have a long list of things to accomplish, and welcome any advice from adoptive parents of Chinese and/or older children.
Wow. I'm still shocked by the news. What a difference one little week makes. God is Great! Feel free to comment or email us. We're all so excited over here!
Friday, December 21, 2007
More Squares!
Well, I finally scanned in a few more designs. Quilt squares still keep trickling in, so I'm still confident we'll eventually get our 100 squares. It's funny... I run into people nearly daily that remind me that they ARE going to do a quilt square... they "promise". Obviously we have a good little wait till the referral arrives, so there is still some time. If you need information on how to get the square to me, please email me. Thanks! The more, the merrier. If we gather more than 100, all the better!!!
This pretty yellow and pink floral fabric is from Aunt Tracy (my sister) and Uncle Tim King
This cool pawprint fabric is from the King's bulldogs Max and Sabel.
The Mickey fabric comes from family friends, the Hazelrigs, who remembered our Disney honeymoon and the Mickey and Minnie on top of our wedding cake. :-)
The "Starry Night" fabric from the McGrails was inspired from the famous artwork.
This pastel-striped fabric from friends, the Hroniks, is special in that their daughter Maggie wore this Tommy Hilfiger dress after it was handed down to them from our daughter Reagan.
This beautiful floral print comes from the Packards, Christy's cousin and family. Both of their daughters wore this shirt numerous times and passed along the fabric to our daughter.
This ladybug fabric comes from adoptive parents (and sorority sister of Christy), the Porters. They adopted their children from Korea, and sent a book Shaoey and Dot by Stephen Curtis Chapman along with the fabric. The book features a ladybug named Dot who follows baby Shaoey on her adoptive adventure. We were truly touched. Thank you!
As you can see, we have a great variety of prints and colors. It will truly be a remarkable, meaningful quilt in the end. Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far (and promises to contribute soon). :-)
Sunday, December 2, 2007
More time...
I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd give you the latest update we've heard. Currently our adoption agency is awaiting word to hopefully find that there are referrals for their December 9, 2005 log-in-date parents. That makes it an official 24 month wait. Granted, we were told that was expected by the end of this year, but it's still a bummer to hear. We are almost 7 months into the process, so if things were to continue status-quo and not change, we'd hear about a referral in 17 months. BUT so far we're definitely learning that nothing stays the same. So, who knows. They are now talking 3 years possibly (with paper-chase in that number, which was 6.5 months in and of itself). Remember when we first signed up, they were talking of 12-14 month waits.
We know God has a child in mind for us. Apparently she just hasn't been conceived yet. :-) So keep praying for the baby-to-be and for the mom and dad who are soon learning that they have an incredibly tough decision to make.
We know God has a child in mind for us. Apparently she just hasn't been conceived yet. :-) So keep praying for the baby-to-be and for the mom and dad who are soon learning that they have an incredibly tough decision to make.
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