DTC is just around the corner!

I got an update from our agency today.  All of our documents went to the Chinese embassy in DC last Friday  (November 9) for the last authentication step. They say it typically it takes 6-7 business days for them to turn around documents, plus shipping time on each end.

Our case manager said that theoretically our documents should be back at the agency by Wednesday, and they'll be able to mail them to China before they close for Thanksgiving.  That all sounds good,  but she also added that the Department of State has been a little more variable on processing time recently, so it might not get there in time. They are closed both Thursday and Friday for the holiday.

Hopefully the "usual" will happen and our documents will be back at the agency on Wednesday.  I'm told they are typically able to send the dossier the same day it arrives back from authentication, so whether it is Wednesday or the following Monday, we are really close.  Once the dossier goes out we are looking at anywhere from 4-8 months until we travel.  In looking at the timelines of others online, China seems to be moving fairly quickly right now.  Here's hoping for the shorter side of waiting!

Blankets for Plane Travel

I've been carefully evaluating what we actually need (and want) for the China trip.  While we don't want to take lots of baggage (I'm thinking backpacks would be ideal!) we do want to have some amount of comfort.  Tikvah it seems is always cold.  Let's face it, there isn't a lot of meat on her body to keep her warm!  One thing she requested was a blanket to take on the plane.  So, she and I have been looking at blankets for weeks.  Some have been too big, some too flimsy, some not pretty enough....  It has to give a decent amount of warmth, but it must be small enough to stuff into her carry-on.

At the same time we have been contemplating what to send in our "care packages" to the girls at the orphanage.  While many agencies allow sending packages on their birthday, or really any time after pre-approval, ours forbids any contact until we receive LOA. (Letter of Approval - shortly before travel)  One thing that has consistently been suggested (from various sources) to include in a care package is a soft blanket.

So, you can believe I was pretty excited last night to find fleece princess blankets from the Disney Store on sale for half price.  Want to make a sweet deal even better?  They also offered FREE personalization and FREE shipping!  Wow!  Yes.  I ordered three.

 The purple one will say "Tikvah" on it.

The blue one "Abigail Dawn"

AND.... Jennifer Lin will complete the set with the pink one!

Jennifer is "MeiMei's" name in her English speaking preschool, and Lin is Chinese for beautiful jade.  She will also have her Chinese name from the orphanage on her birth certificate as a second middle name.  I like that name pretty well, so you may hear it as often as you hear Jennifer!

We Have It In Writing!

Sometimes I don't appreciate government notices that arrive in my mailbox.  The recent demand by the county health department to update our septic system was one such notice I could have done without.  However, we received an official document from the government today that has me smiling from ear to ear.  The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) sent us a beautiful thing today!  We have received our written APPROVAL NOTICE.  It states, "You have been approved to adopt two children from the following Convention country: People's Republic of China"

I faxed a copy of this to our agency.  They say that it will be heading to the Secretary of State tomorrow. Once this document has been certified/authenticated our dossier will be DONE.  I'm loving National Adoption Month so far!

Speaking of which, have you noticed the really GOOD videos that have been coming out in response to the special focus on orphans this month?  One of them is by Third Day.  It is relevant to all believers.  There is a message for us here.I hope you'll take five minutes to watch it.

I800A Approval Granted Today!

Today was a great way to kick off National Adoption Month!  I received notice that our I800A form (immigrations) had been approved by USCIS.  The full name of this form is Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, the convention country being China in this case.

This was the final document needed for our dossier.  Once the hard copy arrives in the mail next week, we must notarize, state certify, and authenticate it for our dossier.  For those who are trying to keep track of these things,  the dossier is the all important file of documents that will be sent to China. It contains the application and letter requesting permission to adopt a Chinese orphan, home study, police reports, immigration approval, reference letters, medical reports, marriage certificate, birth certificates, letters of employment, and photos of our family and house.

It may take a month before the I800A has all of its certifications, then we will be DTC which is Dossier to China.  It is approximately five to eight months from dossier log in until travel.

I can breath a HUGE sigh of relief that most of our paperwork this side of travel arrangements is done.  Or not.  Next week I start applying for grants.  International adoption is quite expensive, and most people need help to complete it.  We'd appreciate your prayers as we enter this phase that we would find favor with the organizations that are able to assist.

We received a huge blessing of new photos of our girls at their orphanage, this time photos of them together!  An online friend "happened" to be there and got permission to take photos.  We didn't have many pictures of Mei Mei, so we were REALLY especially extra happy to get those! Our agency does not allow us to post photos of the girls online, but I would be happy to show them to you next time we meet.  Just ask -that is, if I don't immediately pull them out to show you!

Lastly, as we enter the final two months of the year, some of you may be thinking about donations, especially tax deductible donations.  Our girls were accepted for fundraising by Reece's Rainbow (advocates for special needs orphans) this past week.  We'd be ever so thankful if you considered them worthy of some of these end of the year donations.  There is a donation button in the right margin on this blog, or you may find our family's page on Reece's Rainbow by clicking here!  Donations through Reece's Rainbow are tax deductible.  Thank you!

Save on your household expenses, help bring our girls home!

-- DUE TO LACK OF ORDERS, THIS FUNDRAISER HAS BEEN CANCELLED --

New Fundraiser that helps us all!

This is a fundraiser for our adoptions from China.  We are selling Tide & Gain Formula Laundry Detergent,  and also Downy Formulated Fabric Softener in 5 gallon Pails. All detergent and softener is available in regular or HE for high efficient washers.  All Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener buckets are $40.00 each and come with a dispensing pump.         

  

Five gallon pails contain 672 oz. I did a price comparison at Walmart on line.  The largest containers of Gain are 150 oz for $14.97.  You’d need more than four of them to equal the bucket.  Comparing Tide at Walmart, again the largest size of 150 oz  with a cost $17.97 each.  You’d need more than four bottles with a total cost of $72.00 plus.  Largest Downey was 103 oz for $9.00.  You’d need more than six bottles!  Save money in your household budget while helping to bring our daughters home!

We purchased a Tide and a Downy.  I’ve found that keeping the buckets in the garage and refilling a smaller jug as needed works very well, and has saved us a lot on our laundry expenses.  If you’d like to purchase from our fundraiser, please print and fill out this order form.  We must pay for the order when we place it, so prepaying would be greatly appreciated.  If you prefer to use Paypal, that is fine, but we will still need your order form emailed to us.  You can pick up your product at our house, or we can arrange to meet you in the Cincinnati, Ohio or Lafayette, Indiana area when the product arrives.

Buyers Name:

Address:

Home Phone:

Cell Phone:

 

	Regular Quantity	HE Quantity	$40.00 each
Original Tide Formula
Tide Formula w/ Downy
Tide Formula w/ Bleach
Gain Formula Original
Gain Formula w/ Bleach
Downy Formula Blue
Downy  Formula Lavender
Downy Formula Green

Celebrating the milestones

I can't believe that I forgot to post these pictures from back on August 2.  It was our 32nd anniversary, and we had just found out that China had given us Pre Approval for Abigail Dawn.  Of course that morning we had already taken a CPR class and been fingerprinted (this first time for FBI clearance.)  Perhaps all the paper chasing distracted me.  Whatever the case, we celebrated!

We went to a favorite place of ours in Montgomery.  Tikvah likes to go here and listen to the people around us speak Chinese.  We are attempting to learn a bit of it, but so far she is the only one who has absorbed enough to catch a word here and there when she hears it spoken.

There have been many, many paper chasing days since that day in August.  We've jumped through more hoops than a circus animal, but here we are, pretty much finished with the paper work, and now we wait.

At last we have Pre Approval for MeiMei, and keeping to the pattern, we went out for a Chinese dinner to celebrate.  We are a little wiser, a little more tired, and much better with the chopsticks! This time we tried a place very close to our home.  The dining wasn't as pretty, for sure, but the food was REALLY good.

Ethan downloaded an app for his phone, so now it does panorama photos - sort of.  We look like we are in a time warp in it!

But you know, it sums up how we feel today, having finally arrived at this point.  We are tired, we are happy, we are giddy.  We are officially approved for both Abigail Dawn and MeiMei.  Whew!

Introducing MeiMei, Our Second Treasure from China!

 You've been asking, and now we are telling.  YES!  We are bringing home two girls!  Our agency gave approval on October 4th for these two specific girls to be placed together in our home. There has been some scurrying around behind the scenes, papers sent, her file lost somewhere in the computer system between our agency and China, (VERY scary) but we have just received our PA (pre approval) from China for another adorable six year old, also from Southeast China.  We are so blessed to introduce her!

MeiMei is the Chinese name that those closest to her would call her. She is called "Jennifer" or "Jennie" at her school.  At this point all that has been decided name-wise is that "Jennifer" and her Chinese name will appear in some form.

So what is MeiMei like?  She is a lovely child who gets along well with others, though she is a bit shy.  She attends an English speaking preschool a few days a week. She likes playing with toys, building towers, and watching cartoons with other children.  In a video that we have of her, MeiMei puts puzzles together like I do. You know, put the piece down and try to slam it into place, to make it fit?   (Ethan got a big laugh when he saw that!)  And get this statement that I read in her report - she knows the answer to "Why should you wash your hands before meals?"  LOL!  Yes, I know she is MINE!

Like Abigail, MeiMei is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, though hers is a bit more involved physically.  At this time, she uses a walker to assist her, but her mobility is improving rapidly.  Dr. Staat (from the International Adoption Center) who reviewed her medical files on October 9, was very encouraging about MeiMei's expected progress once she begins therapy in the states.

We've been fingerprinted by the USCIS, and they are processing our immigration papers for both girls.  We're currently waiting for an officer to be assigned to our case. He or she will review our homestudy and our fingerprints, and if all are acceptable will then issue approval. Once our Form I-800A approval has been received in the mail, it will be notarized, state certified, and authenticated.  That is the final document needed for our dossier.

We expect to bring both of our daughters home at the same time.  The best guess for travel is still predicted to be sometime towards the beginning of the summer of 2013.  That seems like a VERY long time from now.