So, what now?

Paperwork:

After a couple of slight twists and turns finalizing my home study, it is complete!  I am so thankful for my wonderful social worker who put in long hours and worked when she was very sick to get it done.  My I-800a application has been filed and received, and I should receive my fingerprint appointment date sometime this week!  Martha (my roommate) and I both have to be fingerprinted (any adult over 18 living in the house has to be), so we are hoping that the date and time are convenient to the teacher life.  But we will see.  My other documents are being sealed at the State Department and Embassy this week, and should be back next week!  So basically...I am done with paperwork and am now twiddling my thumbs.  (It's driving me crazy.  A friend warned me that this was a very unsettling feeling and she was right.)  Once the documents come back, they'll go to my agency for review and to wait for the other two documents (home study, I-800a approval).  Once those come and go through the certification/sealing process, then they go to my agency, and then everything goes to China.  {I feel like I've explained this before.  But that's where I am in the process.  After everything goes to China, I will get a log-in date (LID) and then will be waiting for my LOA (Letter of Approval).  That will likely take two to three months, and then it will be another two to three months to travel.  I am still thinking October is a good prediction of when I will travel, but it's tough to say.}

Fundraising/Financial Stuff:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was the recipient of a very generous Rosalynn's Hope grant.  This was an incredible gift in that it covers my last two agency fees, as well as a fee to the Chinese government to process the adoption.  The end of the puzzle fundraiser, the knitting fundraiser from my sweet niece Jenna, and the beginning of the envelope fundraiser (as well as my savings, of course!) covered my home study and USCIS fee (for I-800a application fee and fingerprint fee).  So of course, that leaves the question "What's left?"

The biggest fee left is the orphanage fee, which will be paid at travel time to the orphanage where Ella  has been registered since she was a day old.  It is basically a childrearing fee, and it goes toward helping other babies who are still in the orphanage.   That is around $5700.  The other fees are for traveling in country (we will travel from Beijing to the capital of Ella's province to Guangzhou, where the U.S. Consulate is located), fees to finalize her adoption, and post-adoption services (follow ups with the social worker, and with the agency, which is required by China and is great for Ella and for me!).  They add up to about $8,000 (more or less).  My hope and prayer is that 200 Red Envelopes for Ella continues to do well!  It has been really wonderful so far, and I am hoping that it will continue to be a way for friends to support Ella's adoption.  I am also saving as much as possible and am applying for another big grant (the deadline is by the end of April).  I am hoping that I will qualify for that grant, which would make a big dent in what is left!

Also, the Photo Mini-Session Event held by Wild Honey Photography has been moved to April!  Because of our wintery winter, it was decided that holding off until it would probably be warmer was the best idea.  Contact information is still the same though, and is on the picture!

The biggest blessing of all is that every time something has been due or I've needed the money for a fee, it has been provided for.  It's kind of unexplainable.  But people will say, "Oh, the money just shows up!"  And it's true!

I'm so thankful for the generosity of friends (and strangers!) who have chosen to be a part of bringing Ella home.

Ella Update.

I repeat.  ELLA UPDATE!

So yesterday I got an email around lunchtime from my agency.  They had received a translation about Ella and wanted to pass it along.  It was a discharge summary from the hospital where she receives medical care.  Long story short, she had to have her shunt replaced.  It isn't a surprise - 50% of shunts fail within the first year.  I was hoping she would make it here before her shunt had to be replaced, but ultimately she is in excellent care and received exactly what she needed.  I'm so thankful.  That being said, if you remember her hair from the clapping video, it's gone. (No biggie.)  

But here is Ella - 14 months old!

I also got quite a bit of information about her!  Some of it I doubt is super accurate, but you know.  It's hard to tell.  When she was hospitalized for surgery she weighed 23 lbs.  That was a month ago.  The update now says she weighs 29 lbs.  While the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, I am guessing she didn't gain 7lbs in three weeks (she was hospitalized for a week).  It says she is trying to crawl, which is good news!  She is also standing supported for a minute or two at a time, according to the update.  I definitely hope all of this is accurate!  This would be wonderful news for her physical development.

According to the update, she says a few words and understands a lot.  When you say "touchdown," she will put her hands up in the air.  HOW CUTE?!  A little Cards fan in the making, huh?  

The update confirmed what I had assumed, which is that she is living with a foster family.  I am so grateful for this family and their loving care of Ella for the past year.  They have taken such good care of her and by the looks of things, she's gotten plenty of love and spoiling.  :)  This placement is likely due to her medical needs, as she requires monitoring by doctors at a particular medical center.  I don't know this for a fact, but I do know that she has received care in one part of China but is from another part.  Either way.  I am incredibly grateful for this family!

There were a couple funny facts in the update too.  First of all - just FYI - she still uses the diaper.  (I'm good with that.)  Also, she likes apple juice; she does not like boiled water.  :)  I am sure there is significance there, I just liked that detail!

Oh, but wait.  You don't care about that, right?  You care about this:

You're welcome. :)

 (I don't know when or if I will get another update, so enjoy this one as often as needed!)

Real live progress!

Today I found out what it actually means to get documents certified at the state and county level. (Civics lesson!)

So when you are adopting (and I guess for various other reasons), you have to get every single document notarized.  And after you get them notarized, you have to get them certified.  Kentucky has the pleasure of being one of the five (I think) states where your documents have to be certified at the county and state level.  So today I took a day off work (long story short it was supposed to be a flexible PD day but ended up being a snow make up day) and took a friend who has been through this part of the adoption process with me, and we headed out to the county and state governments!

First stop, the Jefferson County Clerk's main office downtown.  It took about 5 minutes to have 5 documents certified!  At this stop, they are certifying that the notary's seal and commission are true and valid.

Outside of the County Courthouse.  It was COLD.

Next, we headed to Frankfort.  One piece of the dossier, the State Police Check, had been notarized in Franklin County (where the capital is).  So we headed to the Franklin County Clerk and within minutes, that document was notarized too! (No pictures.)

Finally, we were off to the State Capitol.  So here is where things get sad, picture wise.  (Not really.)  I was going to take an awesome picture holding all the documents at the overlook for the Capitol or at least outside the building.  However, the GPS took us out of the area a different way and we bypassed the Capitol overlook.  So no picture.  Still.  Seven of nine documents are certified and ready!  At the state level they are certifying that the person who certified the notary is valid...you get the point.

Next, sometime later this week, I will send this first batch to a courier who will take them through the next steps in the sealing process.  After that, they'll be sent back to me and then on ahead to my agency.  (Out of my hands = hopefully better, I say.)  I am waiting for two more documents.  One is a document that I will be waiting on for probably 50 days now, which is an approval from the USCIS.  Once that comes back, those two documents will be expedited through the process, and then everything will be at the agency.  And then hopefully those three favorite letters in Chinese adoption...DTC!  I am still on track for the end of May, so that is exciting.

It was fun crossing off these steps!  There hasn't been much going on lately (other than finalizing my home study) so it's so nice to finally be in a phase where things are happening!  I'll update again soon!

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting (followed by some hurry up...then waiting).

I've told a few people lately that the adoption process is really boring unless you are the one in it.

(Even then, sometimes, it's boring.)

So, currently I am done with my end of the paperwork (I think!), and am waiting on my homestudy to be finalized.  Once that happens, a very important form will be filed with the U.S. government, which is an "Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country."  This is form I-800a, so that is what it gets called, but basically it is just the U.S. Customs and Immigration's approval form for me to adopt a child from China (the "Convention" refers to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption).  This wait can range anywhere from 30-90 days.  Back in the Fall it was at a 90 day wait, but it has been at 60 days and recently has been speeding up to around 40 (I saw 39 the other day).  So hopefully this wait won't be a big deal.  In the interim, I will be getting all the documents I have created or collected certified at the county and state levels, and then send them via courier to D.C., where they have to be sealed at the Department of State and the Chinese Consulate.

See?  I told you.  Super interesting.

Once the I-800a comes back, that will be expedited through the sealing process.  Then CCAI (my agency) will review all the documents, called the dossier.  And once they are ready, comes the magical three letters:

DTC.

Dossier to China.  That date, and my Log-In Date (LID), then start my wait for my Letter of Approval. And the paperwork keeps going on.

I am still hoping to be DTC by the end of May, and that is looking very reasonable.  It is even possible to be DTC sooner, but I am trying not to get my hopes too high.  :)  It all depends on the I-800a wait, which is my first official wait.  I am excited to start counting days.

In the interim, some exciting things have been happening around here.  First, we've had eighty gazillion three snow days in the last week.  I can't even remember how many this month or year, but I think we are to eight or nine.  It's been a lot.  It's just been a rough, cold winter, which is unusual for us, but what are you going to do?  I am thankful that I had already decided not to work summer school this year, so I will have a somewhat normal break.

Another exciting thing going on is 200 Red Envelopes for Ella!  This will be the biggest fundraiser going on for this adoption, and other than the scarves and the photo mini-session on March 8, is the only other fundraiser I plan to do!  I'd love for you to participate if you are able!

And finally, a HUGE blessing came my way this week in the form of a Rosalynn's Hope scholarship.  Rosalynn's Hope is the adoption/orphan care ministry of Ninth and O Baptist Church, where I am blessed to attend.  I am so grateful to attend a church that is so supportive of adoption, and that has a ministry designed to help families adopt children.  I am incredibly humbled to be a recipient of this scholarship.

Here's a video from January 2013 of some other Rosalynn's Hope families.  I cannot wait until next year, when hopefully Ella and I will be a part of this special video!

200 Red Envelopes for Ella

Gong Xi Fa Cai! 

Today is Chinese New Year, and marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse!  It also marks the beginning of my next and biggest fundraiser, 200 Red Envelopes for Ella.

Red is a color that symbolizes luck in China.  On Chinese New Year, gifts of money are given in a red envelope to signify wishes of wealth and good fortune for the coming year.

While this fundraiser will involve more virtual red envelopes than real ones, I do hope that it comes with wishes of good fortune and prayers for sweet Ella as she is preparing to come home in 2014!

How it works:

Step 1: Go to the Facebook Page “200 Red Envelopes for Ella” and join the page.  Please feel free to invite your friends! (The way it is set up, I will have to approve people.  I will stay on top of this as much as is possible!)

Step 2: Choose the envelope you want.  There are 200 envelopes, numbered 1-200.  There are three ways to participate:

1. You can choose the number of an envelope and donate that amount.  If you choose 47, for example, you would donate $47 dollars.
2. You can ask me to choose an envelope for you (by giving me a range or knowing that the range is 1-200).  If you give me a range of 25-35, you would be given an envelope in that range.  If you were given envelope 33, you would donate $33. 
3. You can get together with a group of friends (from work, school, church, etc.) and choose an envelope that way.  Some of the “higher” amount envelopes would be great candidates for this method of donation.  So if you and your friends commit to envelope 153, you would collect and donate $153. 

Step 3:  Go to my Fundly page and donate the amount that corresponds to the envelope you chose!  (If you would prefer not to donate online but want to participate, please do not let that deter you.  Email me or contact me on Facebook and I will share my mailing address with you.)

Step 4:  Celebrate!  You just helped in an awesome way! 

NOTE:  I will try to keep up with the envelopes being taken on the Facebook page.  Please feel free to post on the page “I’m taking envelope 24!” or I will post later “Envelope 24 is taken!”  It is important to do this so we don’t have duplicates of each envelope.  If you choose to do multiple envelopes (which is a blessing but not a request!), please indicate that to me as well.  

Thank you SO much for your continued support as I go throughout this process.  I appreciate everyone continuing to ask about Ella even though I don’t have any updates.  J  I am very blessed to be surrounded by such a caring community that is so excited to welcome Ella home.  

The HOME VISIT...

I had my first home visit.

It went quickly, and well.

The end.

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In all seriousness, my first home visit was yesterday.  Despite being warned that I did not have to clean for this visit, I cleaned and cleaned.  I even cleaned the baseboards in my bathroom (they needed it badly).  I rushed home from a very unpleasant day and scrambled to do some last minute cleaning.  My house is quite clean.  Most of this is thanks to my wonderful roommate.

So naturally, we basically stayed in two rooms.  :)

We discussed some more questions that have to be answered (the home study is like a big interview where they ask you about your life and beliefs about stuff and your family and so on).  We looked around the house for all the safety things we had to check off (note to future adoptive parents:  you have to have a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit).  Then we discussed the timeline for the future and said goodbye!  I am of course still very thankful my house is clean and I can enjoy it!  We have one more visit next week (so I have to keep it clean until then), and then it's all over except for paperwork.  And more paperwork.  But luckily things are going well and so far very smoothly.

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Don't forget the fundraisers outlined in this post!  My sister-in-law has added some CUTE knitted headbands to the mix so if you are interested check them out.

I will be posting information about my biggest fundraiser later this week, and it will begin on Friday!

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Thanks, as always, for all the love and support!  Yesterday was the 27th, which means it's been two months since I received preapproval and is four months until my dossier has to be in China!  Things are moving right along!  In those two months I have:

• completed my puzzle fundraiser!
• compiled most of my dossier documents and had them notarized
• completed 2/3 of my home study
• met many "China moms"
• worked (weather permitting, ha ha!)

I am ready for the next four months to get moving.  I am definitely ready to get this girl home.  I obviously don't want to wish time away, but I am looking forward to being home with her, and am really hoping it is this year!

Crossing Things Off the List

Yesterday was my first meeting with the homestudy social worker.

I thought about titling this post "Five things not to say to your social worker," but I figured in case anyone actually came across this post and didn't realize I was joking, it could be disastrous.  But my social worker is incredibly nice, very motivated to get stuff done (as am I!), and super helpful.  She answered all of my questions, we talked a lot about adoption in general and my adoption specifically, and it was actually just a really nice appointment!  She also commended my paperwork organization and liked my fancy file folder.  (It's the little things.)

The next big step is my home visit (said with a little dread and fear in one's voice).  That will occur in a week or so.  Apparently the house doesn't have to be "white glove" clean, and it's mainly about making sure the house is safe for a child to live in. So that's good and will be fun, I hope!  There are a few things I need to do around the house (namely, get a fire extinguisher and update the dog's shots) but all in all we are in pretty good shape.  After that there is one more visit then my homestudy will be complete.  And then once it is approved, I can apply for USCIS approval...so things are moving along. Hooray!  It's hard to wait, and sometimes boring to wait, in between steps.  But ticking off the increments of time does help and I know that the year will pass more quickly than I realize!

The other big thing I checked off the list was getting my first set of documents notarized!  I was very afraid of getting anything on my dossier documents.  Have you seen the episode of "Friends" where Rachel is supposed to be addressing Monica's wedding invitations (The One with the Videotape...and yes I knew that offhand)?  I felt like Monica in that episode..."There will be no food or drink around the dossier documents..."  They survived.  So did I.  So the next step there is to get them certified by both the county and the state, and then sent to DC for authentication.

SUPER interesting, huh.

At any rate.  There is a lot to do, and I am excited to be getting it done!  I will post a little more next week about some things I am doing to prepare for the little lady.