For those of you just joining our journey, it actually started over a year ago when we decided to adopt again. We had narrowed it down to China special needs and the Ukraine. After weighing all our options we decided on China special needs. I began filling out paperwork and started our document collection. In early June 2013 Chris who is head of our agency's China program called and said they had a referral.....I took the phone call and talked at great length with her, so I said we would at least look at the file. They had a 6 yr old boy who was a clef lip/clef palate which had been repaired. After getting off the phone, I told Geoff. He was surprised, we had not even started the home study yet and they had a possible match for us. The file came and we ho hummed around with it...it took us about 2 weeks to confer with the doctor and decide he was a match.
So, the home study paperwork began. It is amazing in this day and age of technology what still needs to be on paper and that you are collecting multiple copies of the same thing for different people. Our home study visits were complete then once that was submitted we received our appointment for fingerprints. It took us longer than expected especially when they are now done electronically. Most families were taking a few weeks, we waited 85 days....so my hope that all of our paperwork would be submitted for the dossier by the end of October definitely didn't happen.
Our dossier was submitted to China and logged in Dec. 19. We waited till after Chinese New Year to receive our LOA, letter of approval. It came then we managed to find every holiday in China to delay us getting our Article 5 which is the final approval to get the actual travel approval. Our TA arrive in May and now we are just a few days away from traveling.
We have been told David and his friends who are also being adopted thru our agency have been asking when we are coming. We have been fortunate that Zhou, (aka Uncle Joe our liaison whom will travel with us) has been in China just about every month and has seen the boys....we joke that Zhou won't know what to do when the boys are home.
Zhou has been great about checking on the boys and checking on packages we have sent. The orphanage director has been very gracious in sending photos of the boys when packages have arrived.
Well, we are 5 days away from travel, we are no where near ready....I have started setting David's stuff out and gathering stuff to take for him. However, Geoff and I are not ready at all, guess we are pulling out suitcases today. That will be John's job he loves to get them out. I have delayed doing it as not to freak Maxie out that we are going somewhere.
The kids are not traveling with us. We had considered it at one point but with the trip being in July there are some conflicts with their schedules. So it's Geoff and I for the trip.
It is hard to believe that the trip is finally here, it seemed so far away and now it's only days away. I hope to post as much as I can during our trip. So...5 days and counting.
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