We're SOMEBODY now!

That's right... we're Group 142! We received a big travel orientation packet from our agency last week. It's always exciting to get something from them in the mail (it's the little things that keep us going). Anyway, included was a letter with our group number and a list of our travel mates w/ e-mail addresses and phone numbers... so now we can start getting to know one another. We haven't had time to go through everything else in our folder, but it sure looks like a lot of good information.

We are still waiting to hear what our LID (Log In Date) is. We're pretty sure we've already been logged in, it just seems to take a while for them to inform us of when it was.

A photo gallery is still in the works for the blog... so y'all come back now, ya hear!

Thank You

We just wanted to take this opportunity to say a big, heartfelt "Thank You" to everyone for your comments, e-mails, asking how thing are going, and so on. Knowing we have your support means a lot!

This is such a long process with many ups and downs... and even though we aren't too far into it, the support we've had has really helped. One piece of advice we were given when we began our homestudy was to celebrate all the "little" milestones along the way, and we've tried to do that so far as we completed certain phases of our paperchase (yeah, yeah... any excuse for ice cream is a good one). These mini celebrations have helped to keep our spirits lifted as the time passes, but what has helped the most is all of you and the support you've shown.

We still have quite a journey before us, but we just wanted to get this "thank you" out now to let you all know how grateful we are to have you and how much your being there means to us.



xie xie (Thank you)

It's official... we are DTC!!

We found out yesterday that we're finally DTC (Dossier to China)!!! This is an important milestone as it signifies the end of the long "paper chase", and the beginning of the next phase of our journey. We are so happy knowing that our dossier is now on its way to China! And what better way to celebrate than to go out for some Chinese food (we're getting pretty good w/ the chopsticks) and Andy's Frozen Custard.

We should be getting a packet with more information soon, but our consultant was able to tell us yesterday that there were 6 families in our group. Now we'll wait for our LID, which stands for Log In Date. As soon as we're logged in we can begin the countdown to when we receive the referral of our daughter and see a picture of her for the first time. Currently the time from LID to referral is about 12 months, but this could increase or decrease at any time.

So everyone knows... just because we're entering this time of waiting doesn't mean we'll stop posting messages for you guys. Please keep checking in on us as we plan to continue adding to the blog, including a "photo gallery" that should be coming soon.

Take care,
Greg & Laura

This picture was taken outside a restaurant in K.C. when we went up for fingerprinting. Thought it was kind of funny.

We've been AUTHENTICATED...

Michelle, our consultant from AAI, called this morning saying she had just received our dossier from the consulate in Chicago! She said this was a pretty quick turnaround time considering the consulate probably didn't begin working on it until July 30. AAI had just sent a group of dossiers to China on August 1... we missed this by only a few days. Looks like our dossier will go out in the next batch, which they plan to send mid-August. So, we're hoping to be DTC (Dossier To China) on or around August 15!

Once AAI sends our dossier they will call to let us know. Shortly after, we will get a letter informing us of our group number and "introducing" us to the others in the group. After we receive this information, we can contact each other and use this waiting time to get acquainted before we travel. Doing so will make it a little less like traveling with "strangers".

The next time you hear from us, it should be to say we're DTC! Stay tuned...

Dossier on its way!!

Today we had our I-171H notarized and took the whole dossier to the Secretary of State's office to get it certified. The good people at Sec. of State's office had it completed within an hour, and then it was off to Mailbox It to overnight our dossier to the consulate in Chicago.

The authenticating process in Chicago is supposed to take 4-6 days. Once they're done they will overnight our dossier to our agency. We're hoping all this is done and AAI has our dossier by August 7th.

Greg gives the dossier a final check before having in sealed.

And here's the sealed dossier! Our last glimpse before sending it to Chicago.

"The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!"

...To borrow a line from Steve Martin's character, "Navin", in The Jerk.

Or in our case, shall we say... "Our I-171H is here! Our I-171H is here!!" That's right, we finally got it, just one day shy of 6 weeks.

This was the last piece of paperwork we had been waiting on to complete our dossier. Now we can get it sealed at the Secretary of State's office and then send the whole dossier to The Chinese Consulate in Chicago for authentication.

As Navin goes on to say... "Things are going to start happening to me now."

For Starters...

Hello everyone. Well... might as well jump right into it. For those of you who don't already know about our news and are visiting this blog having no clue why you are doing so... you're about to find out! We have decided to adopt a baby girl from China! So, there it is! This is a decision that has come over a couple of years. We've spent countless hours talking and praying about it and feel this is what is in our hearts to do. We are very excited, and although it might be a long & winding road, are looking forward to the day we bring our daughter home. We've seen a lot of people who have used blogs to chronicle their journey in this way and thought it would be a great way to keep everyone updated on what's going on. There will be more to come, so please keep checking to see what's new and PLEASE don't be afraid to create your own message (you can add a comment to something we've posted, or send us an e-mail). It would be great to hear from you! Thank you for visiting our blog... come back again.

Greg & Laura

P.S. Please feel free to pass our news along to anyone who might want to know. Thanks!

Our Timeline

3/04 - Began considering adoption as a way to start our family

We spent this time discussing, praying & researching adoption.....

8/05 - Attended adoption info seminar

2/13/06 - Applied for passports

4/29/06 - We recognize this as the day we "officially" decided to adopt from China and begin the process

5/4/06 - 1st homestudy appt.

5/7/06 - Filed AAI formal application

5/8/06 - 2nd homestudy appt.

5/9/06 - Local fingerprints taken

5/23/06 - "In-home" homestudy visit

5/30/06 - 4th and final homestudy appt.

6/14/06 - Picked up final copy of homestudy

6/15/06 - USCIS appt. in Kansas City

7/26/06 - Received I-171H in the mail!

7/27/06 - Had dossier documents sealed at Sec. of State office, sent for authentication

8/16/06 - DTC (Dossier To China)!! Woohoo!!

9/12/06 - LID (Log in Date)

12/31/07 - Updated fingerprints w/ USCIS in KC

6/15/09 - Updated fingerprints w/ USCIS in KC

10/21/09 - Saw our baby girl's face for the first time!

10/22/09 - Submitted our LOI (letter of intent)

11/12/09- Received our PA (pre-approval)

12/2/09- Received our LOA (letter of approval)

12/23/09 - Received our TA (travel approval)

01/07-01/22/10 - traveling

01/11/10 - Forever Family Day

01/19/10 - CA (consulate appt)

01/22/10 - Home

Why adoption?

A lot of people probably wonder, "Why Adoption?" For us, it didn't take long until the answer became clear...

After deciding it was time to start a family (and not having much luck), we one day brought up the subject of adoption. As we continued talking about it, we soon began to realize how much it was in our hearts. We fell in love with the idea... after all, there were already so many children out there that needed a warm home and loving family. And we were a family without a child who could provide just that. It seemed to make perfect sense. The more we got into it, the more we came to understand that this was truly the plan that God had for us. We feel extremely blessed to have been given this incredible opportunity, and appreciate the love and support that we've received with this decision.

Why China?

It's hard to explain why exactly, but from the beginning we felt drawn to international adoption. During an adoption seminar we attended, we met a man who, with his wife, had adopted two little girls from China. He shared his wonderful story and experiences with the audience, which we look back on as an important moment in our journey.

A Little Background:
In an effort to control the country's exploding population, in 1979 the Chinese government instituted a law that limited most families to one or two children. This law is still in existence today and, sadly, results in thousands of abandoned children every year (only a fraction ever find a permanent home). After learning about these dire circumstances we felt heartbroken, but also deeply moved, as we realized there was a desperate need for families for these children. Furthermore, both of us have always had a fascination and respect for the Asian culture.

Even though we had this strong emotional pull towards China, we decided to go ahead and research several other countries. As we continued doing our "homework" on the various programs, we found that China's was one of the most established and trusted. This only reinforced our feelings that China was the right choice for us and lead to our final decision.

"It's a Girl!" (How do we know?)

In China, an overwhelming majority of children available for adoption are girls. This is due to the one child per family policy and a traditional preference for boys. In Chinese culture, sons are more valuable to the family because they carry on the family name, and they provide & care for their family elders. Because of this, girls who are born are often hidden, abandoned, or even killed. There are some boys available, but approximately 95% of orphaned children in China are girls. Knowing there is such a need for families for these little girls, we have requested and planned to bring home a daughter.

Will you travel to China?

Yes. The China program requires a two week in-country visit. We will be traveling with a small group (approx. 6-10 couples) of other parents-to-be from our agency.

We will most likely depart from Chicago, and endure a 14 hour flight to Beijing. We will spend a few days sight-seeing in Beijing, which also allows us to adjust to the time change. Next, we will travel to our daughter's province, where we will spend approx. five days. This is when we will finally get to meet our new baby girl! She will be in our care from this point forward (yikes!). Then we will fly to Guangzhou, where the U.S. Embassy is located. It is here that we will spend the remaining days, while we are completing the rest of our paperwork and finalizing the adoption.

How long does the process take?

The process time for China adoption can vary widely, but the average from start to finish is approximately 12 to 18 months. It takes about three months to get "paper-ready". The next chunk of time is the greatest variable, which is the wait from when your documents are sent to China until you receive your referral. This can be anywhere from 10 to 14 months (give or take). Once you receive your referral, you will typically travel five to eight weeks later. If things continue at the current pace, we hope to have our referral by the Fall of 2007 (pray for sooner!). For more detailed information on the process, please visit The Process (nuts & bolts) link.

The Process (nuts & bolts)

The adoption process is trying, to say the least. It's one that takes patience, determination, faith, patience, resourcefulness, organization, faith, and patience. :-) There are many things to consider and uncertainties all along the way. It's a long journey full of many twists and turns, but at the end lies the most Blessed gift a family could dream of. Below is an overview of the adoption process in China.

Home Study
The first step begins with finding an adoption agency, a home study agency and gathering paperwork. The home study consists of four meetings with a social worker and addresses things like: motivation for adoption, social history of both adoptive parents, marriage and family lifestyle, child rearing philosophy, employment, financial and health info, references, and clearances (criminal background check, etc.). One of the four meetings actually takes place in the home. You may also be required to complete training on international adoption and related issues (we completed 12 hours). If the social worker approves you then you have "passed" the home study and then he/she will recommended that you should be allowed to adopt. All of this takes about six to eight weeks to complete.

USCIS
Once you have an approved home study you travel to the United States Department of Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)... for us this was in Kansas City, MO. Here you submit your home study, several other documents, and an I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition). Basically this is asking the U.S. government to approve of your plans for adopting from China. While there you also have your fingerprints taken for a second background check. Roughly eight weeks later (depending on your state office) you'll receive an approval form, which is called an I-171H. With this form you can now finish compiling your dossier.

Dossier
The dossier for China consists of the following documents:

> Adoption petition letter
> I-171H
> Home study
> Birth certificate(s)
> Marriage license
> Employer reference letter(s)
> Local police clearance letter(s)
> Medical exam form(s)
> Financial statement
> Copy of passport(s)
> Photo packet - adoptive parents & home

Almost all of these documents have to be notarized. They then have to be sealed by the Secretary of State, and finally authenticated by the Chinese Consulate in your region (ours is in Chicago). Once all of this is done, your agency can compile the completed dossier and submit it to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA).


DTC / LID
After your dossier is submitted, you are then Dossier to China (DTC). You then wait for your Log in Date (LID), hopefully a couple of weeks after DTC, and then you start the long wait process. Currently, as of this writing (July 2006), the wait between LID and referral is about 12 months.

Referral
When you receive your referral it will include pictures, medical information, and a confirmation of acceptance form. Once you send back your acceptance form, you will wait about three to four weeks to get your Travel Approval (TA) from the CCAA. With this, your travel plans can be made by your agency and an embassy appointment is made for you. In another three to four weeks you will fly to China.

Travel
The China program requires a two week in-country visit by at least one parent. You will typically be traveling with a small group of other parents-to-be from your agency. Depending on your city of departure (ours is most likely Chicago) the flight is approx. 14 hours to Beijing. Your first few days are spent sight-seeing in Beijing, which also allows you to adjust to the time change. Next, your group travels to the province in which the orphanage is located, where you will spend approx. five days. This is when you will finally get to meet your new baby and he/she will be in your care from this point forward. Then you fly to Guangzhou, location of the U.S. Embassy. Here you will complete the rest of your paperwork and finalize the adoption.

Lingo & Acronyms

AAI - Adoption Associates, Inc. This is our adoption agency.

CCAA - China Center of Adoption Affairs. This is the government agency in charge of all things adoption in China, from checking your paperwork to matching you with your child.

Dossier - The set of documents that represents the adoptive family. It includes the medical reports, birth certificates, employment verification letter, police clearances, financial statement, home study, etc.

DTC - Dossier to China. This is the milestone day when your completed dossier gets mailed to China by your agency.

LID - Log in Date. This is the official date that your dossier is logged into the CCAA. Your referral wait officially starts from now.

Referral - Notification from the CCAA that they have matched a family with a child. Referral information usually includes the child's Chinese name, date of birth, height/weight, a medical report, one or more photographs, and a few notes about the child's nature.

SWI - Social Welfare Institutes, which are like orphanages.

TA - Travel Approval. This is the notice received when China gives the family approval to travel to China to bring home their child. Once your agency receives this, they can schedule your visa appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou.