Our Dossier was sent to China (DTC) on Friday March 14th! This step feels like such an accomplishment. At the beginning of the process, we looked a that loooong list of required paperwork and it felt almost impossible to get it all done and here we are, seven months later, sending it all to China!
The next step is receiving our log-in-date which makes us "officially" eligible to adopt and we can begin receiving referrals!!! It could be anytime now or as long as several months before our referral is accepted but I cannot wait to see the face of our son or daughter for the first time.
Come on Log in!!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Day dreaming
I'm day dreaming again.....
I don't post my feelings often because they are so mixed up at times I don't know what I'm feeling from one day to the next. I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog anyway, so I figured I would document some of my emotions for my child. I want him/her to know how much I longed for them.
I'm day dreaming about them being home. Playing with Brooklyn. Rocking them to sleep at night. I wonder what will be their favorite song? I wonder what they will like to read and eat and play with?
I day dream about the day we will meet them. How will I feel? How will they feel? Will they see my face and see love or be afraid?
I day dream about how they will look. Sometimes I shop for clothes for them, putting things in my online cart and then deleting the cart because I can't order yet. I don't know their gender or pants size or shoe size.
I day dream about their little personality (or if like Brooklyn, their BIG personality). What will make them laugh? What will make them jump in excitement? What will break their heart?
I do know our child is out there. It's so unfair that they are not with us now. Why must we wait?
Why? Because it's not God's time yet. And I believe God is good. That's all I know but it's enough to keep the tears away most days. So for now, I just day dream about our life that seems so far away. So impossible. But God makes the impossible possible, doesn't he?
Hope to post soon with good news we've received our log in date with China and officially eligible to receive our child's referral!
I don't post my feelings often because they are so mixed up at times I don't know what I'm feeling from one day to the next. I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog anyway, so I figured I would document some of my emotions for my child. I want him/her to know how much I longed for them.
I'm day dreaming about them being home. Playing with Brooklyn. Rocking them to sleep at night. I wonder what will be their favorite song? I wonder what they will like to read and eat and play with?
I day dream about the day we will meet them. How will I feel? How will they feel? Will they see my face and see love or be afraid?
I day dream about how they will look. Sometimes I shop for clothes for them, putting things in my online cart and then deleting the cart because I can't order yet. I don't know their gender or pants size or shoe size.
I day dream about their little personality (or if like Brooklyn, their BIG personality). What will make them laugh? What will make them jump in excitement? What will break their heart?
I do know our child is out there. It's so unfair that they are not with us now. Why must we wait?
Why? Because it's not God's time yet. And I believe God is good. That's all I know but it's enough to keep the tears away most days. So for now, I just day dream about our life that seems so far away. So impossible. But God makes the impossible possible, doesn't he?
Hope to post soon with good news we've received our log in date with China and officially eligible to receive our child's referral!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Kisses in the wind
I know it might sound strange
because, after all, we haven't even been assigned a child yet but the last few
days I have had this strong longing for our China baby. Frustration that we
have to wait so long and sadness that Brooklyn doesn't have her sister/brother
yet and our family isn't whole. It's hard to explain how you can feel emptiness
for something so intangible.
I read this poem today that brings
tears to my eyes. This is what I wish we could send our child. I wish they
could know just how much they are wanted....
KISSES
IN THE WIND
I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
--- Unknown
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
--- Unknown
Monday, December 30, 2013
Updates, FINALLY!
I know we haven’t posted anything in a few months and that's mainly because
there hasn’t been much to say. We've been stuck in paperwork purgatory and we
just got out!
Apparently we were on hold for a background check clearance for Oklahoma that was taking forever. We couldn’t get anyone to call us back or respond to our emails about the status of our request. Finally about two weeks ago I just called and left messages and emails for anyone I could be transferred to until someone finally called me back. And you know what it turns out I was waiting for?? A form letter from the state of Oklahoma that says they do not process background checks for non-residents! That's what I was delayed months for? Seriously?!? (ok, breathe, Stephanie, breathe....)
Regardless, I got the form I needed and we quickly mailed in our I-800a form to the U.S. government. This is a provisional approval to adopt internationally and takes about three months to process, which includes yet another background check. Once completed, we will get our 797 form from the U.S. and our agency can finally send our dossier to China where we can be "logged in" and officially eligible to receive referrals for a child. Yay!
It's a crazy thought, really, that our child has most likely been born already. He (or she) is probably in an orphanage now and may be alone and hungry. It feels like a punch in the stomach when I allow myself to think about it for too long so I try to focus on getting them here and trusting that God loves this child more than I do. We pray that they somehow, by some miraculous work of God, know there is a family waiting for them. A family who will love them unconditionally. We pray that they are warm tonight and getting love and good medical care and nutritious food to eat.
But someday, our new child will be home with us, and this means we need to prepare another baby's room! We hadn’t planned to do this until we were officially matched, but we got a letter in the mail last week that the baby store where we bought Brooklyn's furniture was going out of business and selling all their items at great discount to get rid of everything. Since we love that store and wanted to take advantage of a good deal, we went Saturday to check it out. To make a long story short, we are now the proud (and broke) owners of new baby furniture. We love it and it's the same brand as Brooklyn's so we know we'll be happy with it. This is the first "tangible" thing we've really purchased so far and it's surreal thinking about setting up this nursery. It's really going to happen....
We celebrated Christmas last week in Fredericksburg with some good friends and had such a great time together. We are so blessed and are soaking in these moments with Brooklyn now as she's still our only one. And, even when she's a stinker, we are loving every minute of it! We even got some pictures with Ahn the Panda!
Our next update might not be for a few months until we get that 797 form back. Until then we're just waiting, waiting, waiting.....In the meantime, we'd love it if you'd keep us and our China baby in your prayers.
Apparently we were on hold for a background check clearance for Oklahoma that was taking forever. We couldn’t get anyone to call us back or respond to our emails about the status of our request. Finally about two weeks ago I just called and left messages and emails for anyone I could be transferred to until someone finally called me back. And you know what it turns out I was waiting for?? A form letter from the state of Oklahoma that says they do not process background checks for non-residents! That's what I was delayed months for? Seriously?!? (ok, breathe, Stephanie, breathe....)
Regardless, I got the form I needed and we quickly mailed in our I-800a form to the U.S. government. This is a provisional approval to adopt internationally and takes about three months to process, which includes yet another background check. Once completed, we will get our 797 form from the U.S. and our agency can finally send our dossier to China where we can be "logged in" and officially eligible to receive referrals for a child. Yay!
It's a crazy thought, really, that our child has most likely been born already. He (or she) is probably in an orphanage now and may be alone and hungry. It feels like a punch in the stomach when I allow myself to think about it for too long so I try to focus on getting them here and trusting that God loves this child more than I do. We pray that they somehow, by some miraculous work of God, know there is a family waiting for them. A family who will love them unconditionally. We pray that they are warm tonight and getting love and good medical care and nutritious food to eat.
But someday, our new child will be home with us, and this means we need to prepare another baby's room! We hadn’t planned to do this until we were officially matched, but we got a letter in the mail last week that the baby store where we bought Brooklyn's furniture was going out of business and selling all their items at great discount to get rid of everything. Since we love that store and wanted to take advantage of a good deal, we went Saturday to check it out. To make a long story short, we are now the proud (and broke) owners of new baby furniture. We love it and it's the same brand as Brooklyn's so we know we'll be happy with it. This is the first "tangible" thing we've really purchased so far and it's surreal thinking about setting up this nursery. It's really going to happen....
We celebrated Christmas last week in Fredericksburg with some good friends and had such a great time together. We are so blessed and are soaking in these moments with Brooklyn now as she's still our only one. And, even when she's a stinker, we are loving every minute of it! We even got some pictures with Ahn the Panda!
Our next update might not be for a few months until we get that 797 form back. Until then we're just waiting, waiting, waiting.....In the meantime, we'd love it if you'd keep us and our China baby in your prayers.
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