We made it!

Just a quick post to say that after a very long day of traveling, my parents and I made it to Beijing. I just kept taking in the beauty as we drove to the hotel. It's like this crazy combination of NYC and Chicago but with much better landscaping/natural vegetation and far more interesting traffic. The traffic at 4:00 pm on a Saturday was far, far thicker than rush hour traffic in Louisville ever dreams of being, but yet it ran much more smoothly than our traffic does. (It probably closely compares to Chicago or LA traffic? But still far smoother and more chaotic all at once.)

The Internet at this hotel is a little wonky but I think it's because everyone is getting settled in for the night and using it more. Tomorrow it's up very early for a quick breakfast then back to the airport to fly to Zhengzhou, Henan, which is the province Ella is from. 

I meet her in 36 hours!

{Less Than} Four Days!

In under four days, I will be in the middle...fine, the beginning of a very long flight to Beijing.  I am very excited but am also uncharacteristically calm.  I am actually very grateful for the calm, as it seems to be helping me make quick(ish - it's still me!) decisions and get things done.  I have a lot to do for work and home and the trip before I leave, so I am trying to keep work at work and do trip stuff at home.  It helps that I am teaching the most amazing class with some really wonderful assistants this year, so I can prioritize and get things done that need to be done while I am there.  I am mostly packed except for my clothes, and in a bout of organizational inspiration, I decided I wanted to try to pack my clothes tonight AND lay out my clothes for the week so I don't have to decide what to wear all week, it's just done.  We'll see if it happens.

It seems like this process has flown by and dragged on all at the same time, and then that the end of the process is suddenly here.  I am so grateful to have made some incredible friends along the way.  In reality, an adoption that takes just a little under 11 months from the start to finish is really, really fast.  But when I think about the fact that I have friends who have gotten pregnant and had babies in that time or who got pregnant well into my process (or so I feel!) who are due any day - that seems long.  Ella has doubled in age since I received her referral - thankfully she was very very young when I got her referral (she was just shy of 11 months).  Believe me - I am not complaining about my timeline!  One of my dear friends logged in the same day I was is still waiting on a match.  It's the nature of adoption. It's more just an observation that time in adoption seems to move quickly and slowly all at once.  

On the practical side of things, I am ready to go, I think.  There are always more things you could need but ultimately I think we are in good shape.  She has a bed, she has a rocking chair, she has clothes (cute, cute clothes!), she has diapers and wipes.  I am ready to get her home and let her play with all her fun stuff!

I hope to post again before I leave, but if I don't, I will be doing my very best to post and keep people updated while in China!  I am so excited to see this beautiful, incredible country, experience another culture, and of course meet Ella! :)  

This is only a test.

Hi all!

I'm just testing out posting from my mobile device to see how it'll work when I travel. 

One week!!!

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?