Travel Approval! Consulate Appointment! Travel Plans! Pirates!

I can't remember where I left off.

My Article 5 was dropped off on August 5 and picked up right on time on August 19.  I knew that Travel Approvals (TAs) for Tuesday pickups had been running 6 days, but I also know that in adoption nothing is ever, ever certain.  So I was hoping for TA on Monday, but I knew it was possible it wouldn't happen.

{As an aside, my students start tomorrow.  So in the midst of all this, I am trying to get my classroom ready to go for the first day.  It's been difficult to focus...}

So I heard nothing yesterday.  Nothing nothing nothing.  Finally about 6:45 pm I gave up and decided it wouldn't happen, and decided to move on (HA!) with my day.  I had some stuff I needed to do and I figured I could get to work and get that done and eat some dinner and all would be well in the morning.

Naturally at 6:53, I received an email with my Travel Approval!  I was so incredibly grateful that it came yesterday.  For a multitude of reasons, including the fact that I need to be ready to go Wednesday for work, and if I am still waiting on pins and needles for my email to ding, I am useless. At any rate.  I immediately emailed my agency back with my preferred travel dates, and received confirmation of my Consulate appointment (September 24th, for those playing along at home) this morning.

This means that I am officially traveling in September.  

AAHHHHHH!

I leave September 12, meet Ella on September 15 (after which point she is with me the entire time), finalize the adoption on September 16, have my Consulate appointment on the 24th, and return home on the 26th.  

So what now?  GREAT question.  Booking travel, getting her room ready, packing (no, I really haven't started), and oh yeah, working.  :)  I have lots to do.  Tonight, I have to make pirates for work tomorrow.  So I should get cracking.  :)

Thanks for all the excitement!  19 days till Ella Day!

Where Things Stand

I really don't mean to leave people hanging...things are either moving really fast or really slowly and either way it seems like another day is good for an update.  But today is as good as any!

After I received my LOA, my agency filed an I-800 application on my behalf, which was a petition to classify Ella as my immediate relative.  That was approved about 9 business days later.  After that my approval was sent to the National Visa Center, where it was assigned to the appropriate Consulate (in this case, the US Consulate in China).  Those next steps are important but not very interesting to the outsider (I was assigned a case number, then had to fill out her visa application, then receive confirmation that her case had been forwarded to the Consulate).  All of that happened blessedly quickly for me.  My paperwork was all dropped off at the Consulate in China on August 5 (my birthday!), and should be picked up on the 19th.  After that I will be waiting for travel approval, which can range from a 2-4 week wait.

TRAVEL APPROVAL.

I get a little panicky just typing that.  So that is where things stand.  IF I am able to travel when I would like, I am just about five weeks away from travel.  If not, then I'm about 8-9 weeks away.  Still not long.  What it will depend on is the length of my wait for travel approval, and then if there are consulate appointments (our last stop out of China) available before the Oct. 1-7 holiday in China when I receive travel approval.  We'll see.  I am hoping for September!

I received a little update on Ella today, but sadly, it had no pictures attached.  She's stayed the same weight wise (27 lbs) and has grown a couple of inches.  She's crawling, and it sounds like she might be pulling up?  Hard to read between the lines but I think that is what it is saying.  She also likes chicken, meat, eggs, cooked fruits and vegetables...but NOT fresh fruits and veggies or cheese.  Too funny.  I am not a huge cheese fan (it has to be the right cheese and the right context...) so I understand.  We'll work on the fresh fruits and veggies.  So ready to meet this little girl and get things started!

I have a lot of things I'd love to update on.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I can knock some blog posts out!  I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy after that!

LOA!

I don't have any brain power left tonight to come up with a more creative post, so I will just say that I received my Letter of Acceptance/Letter Seeking Confirmation of Adopter today!

In less fancy terms, China officially approved me to adopt and officially approved me to adopt Ella!

The wait for my LOA was longer than I was expecting, if I am being perfectly honest.  I thought I would have it before the end of June.  So when the end of June began approaching and the wait was looming on, and I was being told it might be August before I received my LOA...it was hard.  Waiting is hard.  But the beauty of waiting is that just like *that*, it's over.  Late last week I received word that my agency was expecting my LOA in the next 1-2 weeks.  I was expecting it tomorrow, to be honest, so I was pleasantly surprised (delighted, thrilled, overjoyed) when I got the email TODAY that it was here!

It has been signed (saying I accept Ella's referral) and sent back to my agency.  They will then file more immigration paperwork on my behalf.

On to the next step!

The question everyone asks is "When will you travel?"  The estimate is within 10-14 weeks.  I am hoping for a little sooner, but obviously I will be very pleased if I travel in three months.  That's sooner than you'd think!

I'm so happy, and my head is still spinning!

Some of my Favorite Reads

I have always been a reader.  So naturally, one of the things I have been doing during this period of waiting is reading as much as I can about the adoption process, adoption adjustment, the trip to China, and adoption attachment.  I still need to formulate my own thoughts and my own "attachment plan," which people often post about before they travel.  This is not that post.  But there is a wealth of information out there that has been so valuable to me, and I thought it might be at the very least interesting for you all!

First, Love Without Boundaries has a wonderful, wonderful blog series called "Realistic Expectations."  This entire series is so thoughtfully written and useful to parents.  Some of it may not pertain to each individual child, but it is a worthwhile read.  It helps put in perspective some of the cultural differences that are faced in Chinese adoption, as well as ways that we can love our kids well by respecting their culture and their past.  I recommend that whole series.

Love Without Boundaries - Realistic Expectations:  Clothing

Every child handles this day differently, of course, but just remind yourself before you walk into the building to meet him or her for the first time that your child is about to lose everything they have known.   The only concrete and material thing from her past life could very well be the clothing on her back or the shoes upon his feet.    Watch their cues carefully on how important those items might be to them.  If  having to snuggle your new child in a stinky sweater is all that your child asks of you in those first few days together, then just take a deep breath and give thanks.  

Love Without Boundaries - Realistic Expectations:  Child Preparation

Remind yourself that you had a really long time to prepare your heart and mind for this adoption, and chances are you had your own moments of pure panic along the way. Your child certainly deserves at least as long to process and come to terms with the possibly brand new concept of “adoption.” As mentioned above, the orphanage or foster parents might have had their own reasons for wondering if you were actually going to step through that government door as well.

No Hands But Ours - The Best Mama

I can’t even begin to compare myself with the mothers who loved Cora so sacrificially. I often say that adopting Cora was the most selfish thing I’ve ever done. We pursued her adoption for no other reason than simply loving her and wanting her. Our motive was not to “help” her, but to fill a void in our hearts that only she could fill. And we have been so incredibly blessed by the sweet little firecracker who finds new and creative ways to turn our world upside down on a daily basis. Yet…by a sovereign act of God’s grace I’m not only Cora’s third mama, but her forever mama.

And on my nightstand:

The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis
Toddler Adoption:  The Weaver's Craft by Mary Hopkins-Best

These are just a few of the things I have read that have been extremely helpful in shaping me as I prepare for Ella to come home.  Anything exciting you have read?  Any recommendations?

Day 12 of LOA wait...

and nothing is happening.

Sorry to get hopes up!

I mean, lots of things are happening!  My dossier was logged in to CCCWA on May 7 (giving me a Log-In Date, or LID, of May 7).  From there, it goes through translation, then review, then match review.  When these steps are complete, then they will issue a Letter of Approval (sometimes called a Letter Seeking Confirmation).  These are running around two months, so hopefully sometime around the first week of July I'll have this document.

The school year is winding down, and I am so excited.  I have a lot of things I want to do to prepare for Ella (little things, like making stuff for her room) that I feel like need to wait until Summer.  We have 24 days (calendar days, not working days) until we are free for Summer!  I am very excited.  This will be my first summer in a long time not working summer school, and I am really excited about that.

No new updates on Ella.  When my LOA comes, they will request an update, so I am hopeful that in another couple of months I will get a good solid update on her.  I can't wait to see how she's grown and what progress she has made!

DTC!!

So it's been a little while since I've posted because there wasn't a lot to post.  Well, now there is!  I am officially Dossier to China!

The dossier is the big pile of paperwork I have been working on since November/December.  It's the piece that HAD to be to China by May 27.  It's on it's way to China 25 days early.  (Yay!)  First, of course, it went through the notarization and authentication process.  Then my agency did a critical review in which three separate people read each piece and checked it for accuracy.  Then they bound it and sent it on its way today!  

There is a tradition in one of my adoption groups of coming up with cute photos to announce that you are DTC.  I decided to paint it on the wall, since I am painting Ella's room tomorrow.  (With help.  LOTS of help.)

The next steps will be (hopefully) quick.  The dossier goes to the CCCWA and gets logged in.  Then I wait some more for my Letter of Approval.  I am so hopeful that it will only be a 60 day wait.  After that, there are a bunch of little steps.  Travel is still 4-6 months away (hopefully closer to 4 than 6!), but this was a huge hurdle to clear.  I get to skip the step of waiting after LID for a match, because I am already matched with precious Ella.  As one friend said a couple of weeks ago, if you break adoption up into trimesters, I am basically skipping the second trimester.  :)  

Just in case anyone needed a refresher on the cuteness...

I am so grateful to each and every one of you for your support over the last 5 months.  This process has been fun because I have the support of wonderful family and friends.  I am thankful.  

Potpourri

(Did you know that's how you spell potpourri?  I don't think I've ever typed it before.  Anyway.)

This is going to be kind of a catch all post.  So here goes.

T-Shirt Fundraiser:
I decided to jump on board the t-shirt fundraiser bandwagon and do a fundraiser through Bonfire Funds.  It is a wonderful site that allows you to use their stock designs or upload one of your own, and then if you sell a certain number of shirts (in my case, 50) they handle collecting the money, printing, and shipping of the shirts.  And the shirts are really nice quality (I have a few, thanks to some other adoptive families!).  Here is the design I am using:

This design was created by my amazingly talented friend Candace, who also designed Ella's puzzle.  I wanted a design that encompassed multiple languages/cultures, not just Chinese.  There are many, many adoptive parents in my little circle of friends, and (shockingly, ha ha!) not all of their kids came from China.  I also wanted a shirt that wasn't just specific to Ella's adoption, but was a cool shirt that people would wear, no matter what.  I think Candace accomplished that.  Plus I really love the color and I think the design is just awesome.  So far, 22 shirts have been sold, so 28 more need to be sold for the sale to be considered "successful" and the shirts to be printed!  You do have to purchase them through this website, but you are not charged until the fund is successful.  About half of each shirt sold goes to Ella's adoption fund.  And of course, it's fine to sell over 50 shirts - that's just a bonus!  The money from this (and from other fundraisers, such as the envelope fundraiser) will go toward Ella's orphanage fee, fees for finalizing her adoption in China, and post-adoption service fees.  If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, click the link {here}.

Paperwork:

So I sort of skipped a celebration in my last post.  When I mentioned that my last two documents were on their way to China, I failed to celebrate the fact that one of those last two documents was my I-800a approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  That approval can take up to 90 days (that is how long they have to approve it); mine was approved on day 37 and I had the approval in hand on day 40.  This was a HUGE blessing.  My goal when starting my paperwork was to file that before February 28, and I had it filed February 26.  I was trying to leave 60 days for approval so I could have the entire month of May to get the sealing done; as it stands, it should be done before the end of April (Lord willing!).  I am incredibly thankful that the good folks at USCIS are moving more quickly (and that my really great, motivated social worker does not drag her feet).  I know there are paperwork steps to complete after my dossier is to China, but I don't really know MUCH about them yet, so I try not to get ahead of myself.  (Let's just say there are a lot more initials to learn!)

Preparing for Ella:

I didn't want to get ahead of myself in preparing Ella's room, but early on when looking at bedding I decided I didn't really like anything in the stores and I wanted to make her quilt myself.  So I set off to find some fabric that I liked in colors that I liked (I kind of followed this tutorial I found on Pinterest).  I made the quilt top in February/early March, but waited until Spring Break to finish it.  I used my dear friend's quilting machine and her seriously incredible quilting expertise to get it done.  I am really proud of how it turned out.  It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it turned out really well.  

On the machine!  The quilting is large interlocking circles, so it gives a flower pattern in the middle.  

The finished product.  I love it!

The quilt isn't what I would have thought I'd choose for my hypothetical child's room even six months or a year ago, but one thing I have found throughout this process is what you think you'd do and what you actually choose to do can be two very different things.  :)

SO, when do you think you'll travel?

This is the question I am most commonly asked.  Right now I am thinking sometime in September.  It could be early September, it could be late September.  It depends on how long the wait for my letter of approval (LOA) is.  Right now lots of people in the same situation as me (who have had pre-approval for several months) have been getting them in less than two months, but the LOA wait is not standard at all.  Some people get them in 40, some get them in 80+.  Right now I am just assuming September and remaining noncommittal.  Once the LOA comes, it give a more concrete wait time and I can answer with more confidence.  :)

I think that's it for now!  I am really enjoying the Spring weather - it makes it sink in a little more that this is actually happening and that I don't have too much longer before Ella arrives on the scene.  I am very excited!