3 Big IFs

Friends, will you pray for us in the coming days? As this adoption speeds towards the finish line we have to plan the travel part. Who goes, who stays, all that agonizing stuff. The big dream (or perhaps little nightmare?) is to be able to take all four of the kids with us. They ALL spent time with Pat over the summer and are all begging to go and bring him home. If ever it made sense for all the kids to go, I think this is it. I have been doing some serious researching over the past several weeks, and it seems it could be possible through a series of IFs.

1. IF we are successful in getting passports for the three recently home from China. You may recall that USCIS misspelled Isaac's name on his Certificate of Citizenship. So, he doesn't actually have a hard copy of this proof, and originals are required. We applied for passports last week and are waiting to see if his passport can be approved with only a copy of the misspelled certificate and the explanation.

2. IF we break from the norm and rent an apartment away from the usual places adoptive parents stay. We have found a four bedroom apartment that would actually cost just a little over HALF of what we paid for the two bedroom we had while adopting Isaac. Taxis don't stop for people with wheelchairs so that adds a whole other complication to the process, but not one that can't be overcome. It is only a five minute walk to the health building and less than a ten minute walk to the US Consulate. Two biggies taken care of right there.

3. IF we can book our flights with a large enough window of time we can ALL travel for what it cost for just the three of us the other times. This will involve the gutsy (or stupid!) booking of flights before we get our official travel dates – correctly estimating far enough out – or hoping for a super speedy process that gives enough time to book but still get there and back before the trade fair in mid April when lodging costs double.

So, there you have it. Our three big IFs. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom, clarity of thought, and for the IFs to work out if this is how we should proceed. Thanks!

We have our LOA!

The government agency that oversees adoptions in China closed on the 27th to install some computer upgrades.  In the past it has been a common thing for them to "clear their desks" of pending matters before a shut down.  I have had the strong gut feeling that our LOA would be issued on December 25th or 26th before that shut down.

Our agency is closed for the holidays from December 24 until January 5.  I specifically asked if they would be sending my LOA if it was issued between Christmas and New Year's and was told they would not process any documents until their return on January 5.

So I was totally shocked when my LOA arrived on December 29!  The date of issue?  December 26!  I'm very thankful that someone took the time to send this out even though our agency wasn't open.

So what happens now?  There are still several steps, but now they are measured in days or weeks instead of in months.  Today I intend to send the immigration papers that declare "Pat" to be an immediate relative (I-800) overnight to USCIS.  It typically takes two to three weeks for this approval.  If there are no further delays we should be able to complete the adoption towards the end of March.

Thank you! Match Exceeded!

You blessed our socks off!  Our account received nearly twice as much as we needed to receive our full match!  You sent in $4855, and Hand in Hand matched $2500 making the total grant $7355! This will go such a long ways towards our traveling expenses, and we thank you so very much! We've "tagged his bag" with the names of those who helped us to make and exceed our goal for the matching grant! Is this the coolest suitcase you ever saw or what?

Please consider Susy!

Susy is the focus child this month with A Shepherd's Crook. Look at that adorable smile!!!!  This little lady just turned five years old and is waiting for her family to find her.   If you commit in the next few days her agency fees are greatly reduced also.  Please take a peek and give her a chance!  Read about Susy here!

UPDATE:  My advocacy for Susy has paid off, and she has a family working hard to quickly process their paperwork!  WE ended up getting our Preapproval from China in December of 2015.  We are thrilled that we get to be her parents!

Neighborhood Luminaries

Our neighborhood has a tradition of setting out luminaries one night during the Christmas season.  The Little Princesses loved helping put sand and candles into the bags while Isaac was at basketball practice.

But the REALLY FUN part was to see the end results!  Tikvah and Isaac walked with a neighbor friend and her mother while the rest of us rode in the van.

LOA Wait...

During an adoption one develops an obsession with dates.  We obsessively count the "wait" days between the significant steps.  After checking the wait times for LOA with the other kids, the fact that I am a crazed mama now makes sense.  With the girls it was 46 days, and with Isaac it was 42.  We are now on day 48 with Pat.  (and with the current computer system we'll likely know about 10 days before LOA is issued - nothing in sight)  NO WONDER it seems like something should be happening!  Yes, we were always on the short side of the LOA wait, and at that time the average was 60 days.  The average wait time now is into the 70s.  I may need sedation.  :)

Cincinnati Dragons play their first game!

If I could choose just one thing for Isaac to participate in it would be basketball.  Imagine how thrilled we were when a BRAND NEW ADAPTED LEAGUE was started in our city!  They have been practicing for several weeks now, and today was their very first game.

Isaac was a little nervous when we first arrived.  His coach helped him get his loaner sports chair all set, then it was time for warmups.

They formed their "perfect circle" for a pre-game pep talk.

Meanwhile in the bleachers ... the purple fan club awaited the beginning of the game.

And it is game on!  Isaac is number 5.

We had some WONDERFUL referees.  Our team is very young, as in they just had their first practice on November second and many of them are still learning the rules of the game.  Our refs were so very patient, and they took the time to explain to the kids WHY they made the calls they made.

They also took the time to give encouragement and pointers on how to improve their play.

The dragons played a team that had much more experience and a lot of talent.  We scored our first points in the fourth quarter - it was #5 for the basket!  Yay, Isaac!

Score!

I am so thankful to coaches Jake and Ian for the many, many hours they sacrifice to encourage our kids.  I have never seen Isaac as excited about anything - EVER - as he was following today's game.