Chinese New Year and other news

Last week Chinese New Year was celebrated and in China that means a week long holiday—yes, all week!  That also meant it was a long, quiet week for those of us waiting for news about our adoptions.  I’m so close to the end of this long process and my waits have been relatively short compared to some others so I shouldn’t complain, but there are still two big steps left for me.  The first of those two steps happened yesterday because Monday was President’s Day and the US Consulate in China was closed.  Now I just wait for China to issue my Travel Approval which means pretty much what it sounds like—China will say yes, I can come get my boy!  That can take anywhere from 7-10 days, although just before the holiday some people were getting Travel Approval in 3 days while others waited over 20 days.  Pray for a shorter wait for me so I can start making travel arrangements.  I already have a pretty good idea when I’ll be travelling, but can’t book flights until I know for sure and rates are pretty good right now.

Although I mentioned in an earlier post that I can't share a picture...I'm going to leave this here. :)

Happy New Year! (and exciting news)

About a month ago, my caseworker mentioned a child that was on their webpage, but when I looked at his picture and read about his needs, I just didn’t feel he was my son.  A few weeks ago, I saw some updated pictures and learned there was updated information in his file.  He kept popping up in different places and I finally decided that I should look at his file.  Watching the videos, seeing the new pictures and reading the medical information convinced me that I really needed to consider this child.  I had a doctor review the file and give me an idea of what he would need if I were to bring him home.  I couldn’t stop thinking about this little boy and finally realized that it was time to say “yes”.  I am working on the paperwork to bring him home and I should be travelling to China sometime in March!

Unfortunately, I can’t share his picture, but I can tell you he turned 2 in November and he’s absolutely adorable!  I’ll spend the next few months working on more paperwork and making plans for doctor visits once he’s home.  I will also be preparing his big brother for some really big changes that he won’t completely understand until there’s actually another little boy in the house all the time.

I think 2016 is going to be a great year for us!

iPad winner and Thank You

The winner of the iPad was Carol Hanson.

I want to thank everyone who donated to and/or shared about the iPad giveaway.  I'm so grateful for all the support I've been receiving as I go through this process again.  There are no words to express how much it means to me.

How's it going?

When I applied with my agency back in November of 2014, I let them know about the child I was hoping to adopt.  Either a boy or a girl, preferably under 4 years old and also a list of special needs I felt I could handle.  As I went through the process, I decided there were some needs I could cross off that list.  My agency has a webpage where they post pictures of children that are “assigned” to them (and I’ve spent a lot of time on that webpage!), but there are many more children available for adoption.  After my paperwork was sent to China in October, they started sending me files of children that matched what I was open to.  Reading those files and seeing those faces is so hard.  I wish I could say “yes” to all of them, but I have to be realistic and admit that I can’t help them all.  

iPad Air Giveaway

Just in time for Christmas...I’m doing an iPad giveaway! Every donation to my adoption account by December 14th will be entered into a drawing for a 16gb iPad Air.

$10 = 1 entry
$25 = 3 entries

Donations can be made by cash or check.  You can also donate with PayPal* (lori_stich@hotmail.com).  Tax deductible donations can be made at: https://purecharity.com/lori-stichs-adoption.  There are links on the right for Pure Charity (top) and PayPal ("Donate" button).

 *If using PayPal please select "Send Money to Friends and Family" (and DO NOT note giveaway or iPad).

iPad Air will be delivered or shipped in time for Christmas

A little progress

It’s been a while since I’ve given an update.  I’m making progress at about the pace I expected.  My paperwork is complete (for this step) and it’s been in China since the beginning of October.  Now I'm just waiting for a match.  It’s hard to say how long the wait will be.  I could hear from my agency tomorrow or I could wait a few months.  I’m trying not to think about it and just go on with my daily routine, but it’s always in the back of my mind.  Thankfully, the holidays are coming and that should keep me busy.

Because my paperwork is already in China I could (should) end up travelling about 2-3 months after I am matched.  For my first adoption, I found a child before my paperwork went to China and had to wait about 6 months before traveling.  That was quicker than most families because some of my paperwork had been started, but still was a long time to sit and wonder how much he was growing and changing.

While I’m waiting I’ve been applying for grants and considering other ways to come up with the money to pay the remaining fees.  (Don’t get me wrong, there is no danger of me not completing this adoption but there are some big payments due at the end.)  For my first adoption, I was able to take on a part time job (or two), but this time having to pay someone to babysit while I work would not leave me with much extra income.  Instead I’m working on making things I can sell and some other fundraising ideas that have worked for other families.

November is National Adoption Month.  I first saw the following quote a few years ago and I’ve been seeing it quite a bit over the past few weeks.  I get tears in my eyes every single time.

“A child born to another woman calls me mommy.  The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me.” – Jody Landers

Where am I at in the process?

Adopting from China is a pretty straightforward process.  The steps are pretty much the same for everyone.  There is a lot of paperwork, but since I’ve done this before, I think it will be easier this time around.  I started by applying to WACAP last November.  (WACAP is the agency I used for my first adoption.)  In January, I applied to Evolve to have my home study completed.  They did my last home study so the process was pretty quick this time because they could use the previous one as a guide and just make changes to update it.  Once my home study was approved by WACAP, I sent my I-800A application to USCIS.  This is the request to US immigration to allow me to adopt from China.  Fingerprints are required before they will approve an application and they assign a date and time to have it done.  (The fingerprints have to be done in their office so it’s not as easy as just going down to the local police department.)  My fingerprint appointment was on May 28^th and I received my approval notice on June 1^st.  Sometimes this process takes as long as 90 days, but I got lucky and it took about 30 days from the date my application was mailed until I received my approval notice.

Now I just have to gather some other paperwork (employment verification letter, background letter from the sheriff’s office, and a few other items) to complete my dossier.  Once I have everything notarized, I’ll take it to the Secretary of State’s Office for certification (verifying all the notarizations).  After that I’ll send it to a courier who will take it to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago for authentication and after I get everything back from her it can be sent to WACAP who will send it to China.

My goal is to have all of these steps completed by the end of September.  Then I just wait to be “matched”.  Once I'm matched I should travel within six months or less.  I would like to be matched by the end of the year or early next year, but that’s out of my hands so I’ll try to be patient while I wait.

“God has perfect timing; never early, never late.  It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith, but it’s worth the wait.” - Unknown