I800A Fingerprinting Appointment Notice RECEIVED TODAY!!!

12 DAYS AFTER RECEIPT NOTICE

Our mail typically is not delivered until 2:00 pm but thankfully, the mail arrived early today and guess what??!! OUR FINGERPRINTING APPT NOTICE was received!!!!  YEA!!!

Now, we are not happy about the appointment date, as it's not until July 22, (daddy's birthday) which is several weeks out and the fact Earl will be in China on business. BUMMER!!  BUT, we are going to try to be fingerprinted early, by walking into the biometric office, hopefully this week!  We need to make babysitting arrangements for Sterling and Earl has items to complete before we can attempt the early fingerprinting so if not this week, definitely next!! 

We are told that Houston is the one city that will refuse early fingerprinting but, we're going to give it our best shot!  We are taking Earl's itinerary for his China trip as proof he will be in China on the scheduled date & proof of our daughter's birthdate and the fact, she will age out within 11 months and we must be in China prior to her birthday or China will not allow her to be adopted.  We are praying that with these 2 honest pleas we are successful!!!!  Please keep us in your prayers.

Another step closer to bringing our sweet girl home!!!!! 

WE LOVE YOU MIAO AND WORKING DELIGENTLY TO GET YOU HOME, WHERE YOU BELONG!!!

Happy Birthday, Miao!!

Happy birthday, sweet girl!!

Our daughter celebrated her 13th birthday this week, on Wednesday, June 23!  We were celebrating with her, 1/2 way around the world.  In her honor, we celebrated with a pink cake, pink & white balloons, Hello Kitty napkins & plates and gifts to be opened when she comes home. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET GIRL!  NEXT YEAR, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING TOGETHER, AS A FAMILY!!!

Love,
Mom, Dad, Sterling & Justin

I800A Notice of Receipt

RECEIVED TODAY!!!!!! Thursday, 6/17--exactly one week after our I800A was received

I am thrilled  to share we received the receipt notice, TODAY!!!  This is from the USCIS office and is the notice that notifies us our I800A form was received.  Hey, in the adoption world, any communication received is another step forward....and thus, another step closer to bringing home our daughter!!!

The next step is to receive the Biometric Fingerprinting Appointment notice.  I hope it arrives very soon!!!  In speaking with the USCIS representative the other day, he said it arrives a few days after the notice of receipt.  I sure hope he's right!!  I sent an email out to the adoption yahoo groups inquiring how long it took other families to receive their notice.

Another step closer to bringing Miao home!!!!

June Care Package For Our Daughter!

We sent the following items to our daughter for the month of June!  June 1 is Children's Day a national holiday observed in China.  I waited too late for the gifts to be delivered timely but the care package service was very kind and made contact with the SWI to notify them a care package was coming their way for our daughter and wanted our daughter to know we were thinking of her on Children's Day and the care package would arrive soon!  The package was shipped within China on June 6. 

A beautiful pink pillow with tassels and pictures.  This is my favorite gift we've sent yet! 

The envelope containing the letter from us to our daughter!  I appreciate the sweet sentiment the care package service included.  Yes, we do love her!!!!!!

Here are all the gifts in one picture. 

A big thank you to Gifts To China With Love!

http://www.giftstochinawithlove.com/

Phone Call to the USCIS Office

Thank you Karen, a fellow adoptive parent who is also awaiting a receipt of confirmation &fingerprinting appointment.  Her family's I800A was received 2 days before ours at the USCIS office.  She kindly provided me the correct phone number to call!!  The China adoption community is made up of helpful and kind families!

This afternoon I phoned the USCIS office for a status of our I800A form.  I've heard of families going to be fingerprinted before their appointed time and wanted to question this as well as inquire if we have been placed in the system. 

Well, when calling the 1-800 number, the nicest man on the other end was most helpful!  While our most recent I800A had not been placed in the system, he explained the forms first arrive to a lock box.  It is from the lock box that an automatic letter, known as a "Confirmation of Receipt" is sent to the family and a fingerprinting appointment is also generated prior to our form being logged in, or placed in the system.

He said it takes exactly 2 weeks from the day the I800A was received, until it is logged into the system.  By the time it's logged in, we should have received our fingerprinting appointment.  I hope he's right!!!

When questioning the possibility of walking in for our fingerprints, prior to the appt. he said, "I can't make that suggestion but if you decide to do this, please do the following: bring your fingerprinting appointment letter with us AND tell them we are a Hague Family.  He said when they know we are a Hague Family, they most often will allow early fingerprinting.  (Maybe because it's adoption related as oppose to Green Card or Permanent Residency...I don't know, only guessing)  The only downer is that I've heard Houston is one city that will NOT allow early fingerprinting.  We shall see!!!  Oh yea, he also suggested we arrive very early to better our chances.  What a great USCIS representative!! :-) 

Well....I'll keep you all posted on the USCIS process.

For those not familiar, the I800A is a form required with international adoption.  It's requesting permission from the US government to adopt and return home with our daughter.

Contact With Our Daughter!

FIRST CARE PACKAGE SENT IN APRIL!

We sent our first care package in April and was sent as a way for our daughter to celebrate that she now has a Forever Family!  We received our first response from the SWI director on April 18, Sunday evening.  It was such a joy to receive updated information! 

We learned that our daughter has always dreamed of being adopted and the director wanted to know, when are we coming??!!  That alone was promising news to receive.  As other adoptive parents of older children will understand, one is never sure if the child will be receptive in the beginning, to being adoptive.  One must understand, while a family is better than an orphanage, it's the only life these children know and understand, it's been their life for years and most of them, all of their life.  It's very scary for a young person to move 1/2 way around the world with total strangers.  So....we were thrilled to learn she has dreams of being adopted.

The first set of gifts we sent to our daughter were due to arrive at the orphanage on Friday or Saturday, of April 23 or 24.  Our daughter lives at a boarding school and returns to the orphanage on national holidays.  The next National Holiday is May 1.  So....the director said she is sending a nannie to the boarding school to deliver the gifts and SHARE WITH MIAO THAT SHE HAS A FAMILY IN THE USA!!!!!!  Wish I could hve been a fly on the wall during that conversation.  It is obvious the director at this SWI is a caring lady toward the children at her orphanage. 

The first care package we sent:
1.  A letter from us to our daughter and one to the SWI director
2.  A large stuffed Bear
3.  Money for a party and to purchase items for our daughter (the orphanage used our money to purchase the items for our daughter and the orphanage paid for the cake & snacks, to celebrate her Forever Family!)
4.  Photo Album containing 21 pictures of our home, family, neighborhood and areas around town

Response to questions we asked about our daughter, received by the SWI director:
WE WERE THRILLED TO BEGIN LEARNING ABOUT OUR DAUGHTER!!
1.  She "loves" receiving the photo book and loves the pictures of her family
2.  She is dreaming of Gotcha Day coming soon!
3.   Her school studies and health are both good
4.  She loves skateboarding, roller skating and swimming.  She longs to ski
5.  She loves chocolate, sweets, western food, ice cream and dislikes pork and celery.
6.  She is about 5 feet 2 inches and weighs about 96 lbs.
7.  She speaks Madarin, Cantonese and "simple" English

The updated pictures we received from the care package......isn't she beautiful...such an angel!!!

Below are pictures of the care package we sent to her, via Gifts To China With Love

The 21 page photo album.  Pictures included her new family, home, bedroom and neighborhood!

All of the items we sent in one picture.  We're sure she will enjoy the large stuffed bear!  I think the love of stuffed animals, is universal!  :-)  Also you'll see the interpreted letter, we wrote to her.

The Post Office that shipped our gifts

Last but not least, the ones who made it all possible!

http://www.giftstochinawithlove.com/

Here she is with the gifts we sent her, via Gifts To China With Love!!

Miao with the stuffed bear, our letter & the photo album!

Enjoying a drink!

Here she is with the multitude of snacks!

Here she is with the clothing, shoes & cake!

I hope she enjoyed the gifts and was able to feel the love and care we have for her!

Sending Care Packages

We have the very blessed fortune of making contact with our daughter through a wonderful care package service, "Gifts to China With Love."  (http://www.giftstochinawithlove.com/)  They are a fabulous service and have gone above and beyond to help us make contact with our daughter and her SWI!!!!  (Social Welfare Institute) We can't sing enough praises for it is very obvious, "they have a big heart for these children in China!" 

For those who may not be familiar with adoption talk, a care package service is a way to keep families in touch with their soon-to-be adoptive child....they are like angels!  When working through the long, agonizing process of international adoption and simply wanting to just hop a plane and fly over to China to be with your child but you can't...this is one way to connect with your child during the wait.

To date, we've sent 2 care packages to our daughter.  The first in May, to introduce ourselves and the 2nd in June, in honor of a national holiday celebrated in China, "Children's Day."  We've had the blessed fortune to receive updated measurements of our daughter, updated pictures, including pictures of her with the items we purchased through the care package service.  We also were extremely blessed with a letter written by our daughter!!!!!  Yes, that was a complete surprise...a very welcomed surprise!!!! 

The orphanage (or SWI-Social Welfare Institute) didn't realize she has a forever family in the USA that is working fervishly to bring her home until the care package service placed a call to the orphanage.  (this was the same situation with our son's SWI.)  IT WAS WONDERFUL THAT WE WERE ABLE TO NOTIFY THE SWI THAT SHE NOW HAS A FOREVER FAMILY!!!!!

I look forward to sharing the result of our care packages in the next post.....but for now, it's late on Sunday evening and I'd like to spend time with my dear husband before the evening is over.  Details and pictures to come................

NEVER HURTS TO ASK--When adopting from China

IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK

Those familiar with China's adoption rules and regulations, is familiar with the regulation that states "a child cannot be petitioned for adoption until the adoptive family reaches 1 year with their current adoptive child." 

We were lead to our daughter in October of 2009--WHILE WAITING TA (Travel Approval) for our son... BUT let me tell you, when the Good Lord speaks to your heart, you don't ignore it!

On Thursday afternoon, 10/1 I happened to be viewing the profiles of children available for adoption on the Rainbow Kids.com advocacy website.  (The same advocacy group who petitioned a family for our precious son!) Never expecting to actually be lead to our second adoption on this particular day but simply to view the profiles and whisper a prayer for all the beautiful children waiting a family.  It was at that moment, I noticed this sweet girl and couldn't bypass without reading her profile a second and third time.  It was at that moment, I was hooked......it was time to have a discussion with Earl.  We had already been discussing our 2nd adoption and both agreed the Lord was leading us to an older child....a daughter.

Long story short, we thought there was no way China would ever approve us to adopt.....why?  Because in October of 2009, we were still awaiting TA (Travel Approval) for our precious son!!  You read it right, we were still working on our 1st adoption.  Beside the fact that each agency seems to have their "own" set of rules above and beyond China's strict regulations, China clearly states, no subsequent adoption until a family has been home for 1 year.  PERIOD...or so we thought.....

My dear husband and I spent time in prayer and continued to feel a strong pull toward this beautiful girl.  We both came to the conclusion, if it was God's will for us to adopt again, regardless of China's regulations, it would happen.  So, we figured IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK.....

We did just that, phoned the agency, described our situation and asked the possibilities.....the agency asked us a few questions and their reply left us speechless (in a good way)...they said, "YES, we may petition China to adopt, again!"  The agency will be required to file a waiver but it was possible to do so and very likely that China would say YES!!!  We were thrilled and began our LOI.......and the rest is history! 

Those who may feel they don't qualify, they don't currently meet all the rules and regulations....allow us to encourage you:  IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!!!

Her Bedroom

Tonight, daddy is working on a picture board for the bedroom.  Her bedroom has been a work in progress since the end of 2008, when starting the journey of our 1st adoption.  See, when starting our adoption process in November of 2008, the "plan" was to adopt a little girl first.  Well, out of anticipation and excitement, we immediately started working on a beautiful chic bedroom,  fit for a girl.  As we all know, God shook things up and lead us to a precious little boy, in May of 2009.  At that moment, we scrapped all plans for a girls bedroom and quickly began work in our guest bedroom to make it fit for a little boy.  Fast farward to today and we are now back to work on the bedroom for our daughter! 

See pictures below of daddy working on the picture board, which matches her bedspread. 

Here are pictures of the bedroom                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                             

I800A ARRIVES TO USCIS OFFICE!!!!!!

Singing Praises!!!
Our I800A arrived via Fed Ex TODAY and signed for at 12:20 PM!!!!  We mailed it on Tuesday evening and missed the Fed Ex delivery truck so our envelope wasn't picked up until last night!! Wholy, moly-Fed Ex delivered it the same day it was picked up.  That's service, my friend!!!

Now, prayers the form was completed without error and we receive a fingerprint appointment, ASAP!!!

Our agency just might be right...they feel we will have our I800A approval by July.  That would be beautiful!!!  Once we have I800A approval, we are DTC!!!  (dossier to China or all the mounds of paperwork we've been chasing down, will be sent to China)

Thank you Lord, for the blessing of a speedy I800A delivery!!

I800A is on its Way!! (Finally)

Finally, the I800A is on it's way!!!!!! 

On Wednesday, June 8, we shipped it via Fed Ex with a 3 day delivery but was told it probably wouldn't  take that long, since it's being delivered to a city here, in Texas!

We completed the I800A on May 28 but found a couple errors requiring us to complete the form, all over.  The form must be perfect....literally, NO ERRORS allowed.  Believe us when we say, you follow the directions to a "T".  We don't want anything delaying our approval, any longer than it's already delayed.  We are disappointed it didn't make it in the mail by end of May but singing praises that finally...it's on the way!

Please keep us in your prayers, as with our last adoption, the agency completed the form.  This time around, we completed the form.  It's a long drawn out, multiple page form and I'm praying we completed it correctly as not to have cause for any delays.

We captured a few photos of our son with the I800A envelope before sending it off....

BE SAFE ENVELOPE, DRY MAY YOU STAY... AND ARRIVE TO YOUR DESTINATION, WITHOUT DELAY!!!!

(Yes, we purchased a plastic envelope for shipping to prevent any "rain" damage.)