Counting Down the Days

While we wait...

Since the timelines keep growing, we are keeping busy in an attempt to pass that time. In addition to working outside, we have been working on Hana's nursery. The crib has been up and made since Grandma and Puppup bought it last fall, but the room was still very much an office. However, after lots of shuffling, a little nagging, and yes... an evening of painting, the room is finally a nursery. It is still a work in progress, but it is well on its way, and so far, it has exceeded my expectations! We are going to put up chair rail, so we painted the wall above the chair rail yellow, and we kept the green/taupe below the chair rail. We moved in the rocking chair, draped Auntie Jess's beautiful blanket over the back, and hung up the plush Peter Rabbit. I have also been spending LOTS of time on eBay, and we picked up a framed Peter Rabbit print for under $5.00! Now I only need a couple more pictures, and the walls will be done! It still needs a little more work, but once we finish, pictures will follow!

Let's just hope Hana likes Peter Rabbit!

Wedding in the Tetons

One day... we will be parents!

Referral timelines seem to be growing longer and longer. Recently, each email I receive from Great Wall makes my heart stop because I fear it will be more bad news. The wait was only 6 months when we started in July, and it is now estimated to be 10-14 months! Needless to say, I am a little disheartened by the wait. But enough venting...

Brian and I have been keeping ourselves busy to pass the time. We've been relocating the "office" so we can begin to prepare the nursery. We already have the crib and a glider for the nursery, but I want to (believe it or not) do some painting, trim, and puttying! We are adding chair rail and painting the wall above yellow. It works well with the current green, which I will keep below the chair rail, but just brightens the room a bit. It also works very well with the Peter Rabbit theme we have going. But, I guess anything to keep me busy while I wait!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers! Cross your fingers that the timelines shorten and she will be here soon!

OFFICIAL LID!!!!!

Great Wall notified us today that the CCAA has logged in our dossier on March 20! I wish it were sooner, but at least we have an official date. Let's hope that the timelines speed up!

NY Times Article

The New York Times published an artilce earlier this week about children who have been adopted from China. It's a very interesting article from the perspective of the adoptees. Each of the girls are going through the process of finding their identity, but each are happy they were adopted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/national/23adopt.html

China Adoption Vindicated!!!

I received an email from Great Wall today with the following link:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_China_US_Baby_Trafficking.html

In a nutshell, the US government requested that the CCAA investigate any placements from Hengyang (Hunan) welfare home. They concluded that the children from those placments were orphaned or abandoned. So, it proves that the article in the Post did not effectively exhaust all of its resources before printing the article.

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

Whatever Happened to Responsible Journalism?!

On Monday, I was told of an article that appeared in Sunday's Washington Post. The article was titled "Stealing Babies for Adoption: With U.S. Couples Eager to Adopt, Some Infants Are Abducted and Sold in China". The sensationalist title alone sheds a negative light on Chinese adoption, but that article was worse. The reporter made it seem that all babies in China are stolen. He misquoted reputable aid workers, adoptive parents, and agencies.

I was really disturbed when I read this. The process is extremely rigorous, and China is very thorough about placing their children. So much in fact, that the CCAA has suspended adoptions in the Hunan Provence, which is where the welfare home in the article is located. China really does a good job to ensure that the adoption process is legal and above board.

I guess there is no such thing as responsible journalism anymore!

Here is the link to the Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/11/AR2006031100942.html

Here is the link to Brian Stuy's letter to the editor:
http://research-china.blogspot.com/

DTC to China

Our dossier is FINALLY on its way to China! After what seemed like an eternity of filling out paper work, the paper chase is finally over. I know the upcoming months are going to be a LONG wait, but at least we are in the queue and can officially start counting. I don't have to keep track of 15 documents, where they were in processing, and wait for a number of agencies and not be officially wating! It seems as if my 7+ months of labor are finally over!

Adoption Acronyms

BCIS - Bureau of Customs & Immigration Services (now USCIS)
CA - Consulate Appointment
CCAA - China Center for Adoption Affairs (in China)
CIS - Customs & Immigration Services (now USCIS)
CN - Chinese Name
CoC - Certificate of Citizenship
DOR - Date Of Referral
DOT - Date Of Travel
DTC - Dossier To China (the date our dossier was mailed to China)
FCC - Families with Children from China: www.fwcc.org
FCM - Families of the China Moon (Local organization consisting of families who have adopted or are adopting children from China)
FP - Fingerprint / Fingerprinting
GWCA - Great Wall China Adoption, our adoption agency
HS - Home Study / homestudy
IA - International Adoption
I-600 - Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative
I-600A - Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition
I-171H - US federal approval to adopt foreign-born child
I-797 The new I-171H
INS - Immigration & Naturalization Service (now USCIS)
LID - Log In Date (official date our dossier was registered with the CCAA)
LOI - Letter Of Intent (SN adoptions)
NSN - Non-Special Needs
PA - Permission to Adopt (SN adoptions)
PAP - Prospective Adoptive Parent(s)
PPR - Post Placement Report
SN - Special Needs
SW - Social Worker
TA - Travel Approval
UMFS - United Methodist Family Services (the agency that completed our home study)
USCIS - US Customs & Immigration Services (Dept. of Homeland Security)
WC - Waiting Child