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................
Sunday, June 13, 2010
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!!!
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 
Thursday, June 10, 2010
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!!
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.)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Completing the I800A!!!!
Well, we completed the Form I800A for our daughter's adoption! It took 5+ hours to complete the form, gather the required documents and research answers to ensure the form was completed correctly. It's a big relief to have this completed AND a sense of joy to be another step closer to bringing our daughter home!
Viewing the time lines of other families, from start to finish the I800A is about 4-6 weeks. God willing, it will be sooner rather than later. It appears to take approximately 2 weeks for the I800A to be input into the system and receive notice with a fingerprinting appointment. Usually, the appointment is schedule approximately 2 weeks out from the time you receive notice. Once finger printing is complete, it takes another 2 weeks to receive approval.
We are praying for a speedy turn-around. Our daughter is anxiously awaiting her family as we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to bring her home!!! Please keep us in your prayers.
Viewing the time lines of other families, from start to finish the I800A is about 4-6 weeks. God willing, it will be sooner rather than later. It appears to take approximately 2 weeks for the I800A to be input into the system and receive notice with a fingerprinting appointment. Usually, the appointment is schedule approximately 2 weeks out from the time you receive notice. Once finger printing is complete, it takes another 2 weeks to receive approval.
We are praying for a speedy turn-around. Our daughter is anxiously awaiting her family as we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to bring her home!!! Please keep us in your prayers.
Giving It Another Try
Well, it's been a while since we last posted on our blog. We've been using the website since time to figure out the whole blog thing, is limited. We're still not 100% sure of the in's and out's of a blog but decided to simply, jump in and begin posting. Not sure how this is going to work out but we gotta start, somewhere!
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