Our journey begins again

My last post here

2007-07-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

Remember I am posting on the Cannon Fishbowl so please follow us there. This was my second trip with two different agencies. The first my mom went and there were 2 other families. The second, I was all alone. My first agency was the best. I loved them and I think it was because of the guide in China that was the icing on the cake. The second agency was okay. Since I did all of the paperwork for Maddie's adoption I knew what I was doing so I didn't need any hand holding. The in-country stuff was the biggest beef I have with them. The guide was not that great and so many things happened that it wasn't an enjoyable trip. I know that I was there to complete the adoption and that was my main focus, but I wish I could have seen more and done more. I didn't eat at any local restaurants because I wasn't that brave to go on my own. I'm so glad that Sophie did so well. She was amazing. She adapted so well and we didn't have any problems. I think that really helped alot. So here it is. Here are some tips that I would like to pass along for those of you traveling soon.

1. Your guide is the most important person during this trip. Make sure you have a good one. Ask around and see if other families have had this same guide. I recommend my first agency to everyone who ask me about adopting because 1. they were great, but 2. Nelson was awesome!

2. Be flexible. As you may have read we had a lot of twist and turns along our journey. No hotel van, no hotel reservation, no flight reservation, passport procedure change, no flight reservation to Guangzhou and rushing to get everything done. Again it was a good thing that Sophie did so well because I don't think we could have made it during the trip.

3. I traveled with a check in suitcase, roll on suitcase and a backpack. I did fine lugging it all around with Sophie. I have had my suitcase lost way too many times now and always bring 2 suitcases. On the way over in my check in suitcase I filled it with gifts, Sophies clothes and things I knew I wasn't going to use on the way back. On the way home I filled that big suitcase with all of the stuff I bought and some clothes. I did alot of shopping :). I checked both suitcases on the way home.

4. Traveling with a group is great. You have support and some one to talk to. I had nobody this last trip. I'm glad I got to bond with Sophie and it was great doing what I wanted to when I wanted to, but I really missed having other families to talk to.

5. Skype and laptop. I can not say enough about these two things. If you bring nothing else, bring a laptop. It is your link to home. It is your boredom killer. I was able to listen to radio stations from home and keep up with the news. I was also able to blog. It was free in province both times, but the White Swann charged 100RMB per day. Skype - I just can't say enough about it! I was able to call home, my parents, my mother-in-law and whoever else I wanted to. The computer to land line rates were great. I came home with credit and I talked alot.

6. Gifts - Everyone tells you, but don't stress out about gifts. I brought too many. I brought enough for 5 nannies, 1 director and the notary. I gave the nannies travel size anti bacterial gel, hand lotion, deodorant and a bag of jelly bellies. I gave the director and the notary the gel, lotion, deodorant, jelly bellies and a hat. Nobody opened them in front of me.

7. Pictures - Take lots and lots of pictures (which you can download on your laptop). I wish I had taken more video, but I just couldn't with Sophie. I also didn't get any video or pictures of our gotcha moment. That I hate. I will never forget seeing her for the first time though.

8. Clothes - You don't need alot. I brought 3 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of pants and 5 shirts for me. I washed some in our room. Tide has a these new little packets of powder that you can use to wash your clothes. For Sophie I brought more, but her clothes were small and I could roll them. I brought different things in 24months to 3T. They all fit her. She is small.

9. Sense of humor - You are going to need it. Things happen out of your control and having a sense of humor really helps.

The thing I have learned from these 2 trips is that you always have to be prepared for anything. International adoption is not for the faint hearted. Things happen. Your child may be a lot sicker when you get him/her. They may not bond with you immediately. They may have some delays that you weren't prepared for. Fees and procedures may change at any time without notice. There are so many ups and downs in the adoption world. I am so glad that we have been blessed with these 2 beautiful girls. Giving birth to my son was incredible, but seeing these girls change from the moment we got them is just as incredible.

Thank you for following along on this crazy journey. Remember you can continue to follow us at the Cannon Fishbowl.

May you all have quick referrals, healthy children and remember that not everything is perfect.

A summary of Sophie

2007-05-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

It has been an amazing week here. Sophie has really blossomed. She is getting a lot more comfortable around everybody. She is learning so much. Her favorite sentence is one her sister taught her. It is "I'm in jail". She will go around saying it all the time. She went to the doctor on Monday. She weighs 27.8lbs and is 2 1/4 ft tall. All her blood work came back normal and she is completely healthy. We have an orthopedic appointment on 6/4 so we will find out more about her spine and ribs. I won't be updating here since Sophie is a part of our family now. Please follow our family at the Cannon Fishbowl. Here is a video I did of Sophie's first week home.

My last post on this site will be about our adoption experience with this agency. I'm still trying to formulate what I want to say.

Two weeks since Gotcha Day

2007-05-23T22:19:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I met this little face. Isn't she cute?

We are home!

2007-05-19T14:18:00.001-05:00

We are home and it feels so good! Sophie did great on the flights. She cried for a little bit from Tokyo to Detroit, but it was because she was tired and couldn't get comfortable. She also threw her first fit. She wanted the window shade up, but it had to be down. At one point she woke up crying and I couldn't calm her down. I opened the shade and she was fine. When we got home we were met at the gate by Terry, Edie and Jadean. It was great to see some friendly, familiar faces. We then went to meet daddy, Maddie and Brandon. Well daddy, Maddie and granddaddy were there instead. I wish I had my camera ready. Maddie saw us and came running. I thought she was coming to me. She wanted her sister. She smothered Sophie with affection. Sophie did great on the ride home in the car seat. It was Maddie who cried. She wanted Sophie to play with her and Sophie didn't want to play. We got home to a slew of family. Thanks to my mom for the wonderful Mexican dinner. After everyone left we tried to get calmed down. We sat on the couch for a few minutes and then daddy went to put Maddie to bed. Sophie was still a little wired. She and I then went to go lay in our bed and she finally fell asleep. She woke up about 2:30 or 3 crying, but then went to sleep and slept until Maddie came in poking her awake.

So far Maddie has been a great sister. She gets her feelings hurt if Sophie doesn't want to play, but we are working on that. Today they went out and played in their cars. It was great to see them together. Maddie wouldn't look at the camera so I didn't get any good pictures of her.

Last post from Guangzhou

2007-05-17T06:47:00.000-05:00

Well it's that time! I am making our last post from Guangzhou. Our bags half to be outside the door by 5am and we have to meet our guide by 5:30am. Our flight leaves here at 8:20 and we should arrive home at 5:27pm. I am ready. I am even ready for the long flight because I know it will lead us home. I hope Sophie does well on the flight. I'm sure she will. Here are a few pictures from our last day here. She likes to put things next to her head while she's taking pictures. I think she thinks she has to model them.

Guess I wore her out today

2007-05-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, she does have her hand in a cookie bag. There was one cookie left and I guess she just didn't have to energy to get it.

Just in case you didn't know, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

What a great day!

2007-05-16T06:43:00.000-05:00

I accomplished all of the shopping that I wanted to get done today. We also were approved for our visa! Tomorrow at 2:40 we leave to go to the US Consulate for our swearing in and then receive the children's visas. I can't wait. I am so ready to get home and see my family. I am so ready to get home and have them meet Sophie. She is the most wonderful little creature I know. She has such a sweet little personality and all of you are going to love her. She is so funny! I can't wait for you to see her dimple up close. I got her pictures developed from the orphanage today. I was worried about them going thru the XRAY machines at the airport. They are so cute. It looks like they took them on the day they were leaving. There is an older girl in a lot of the pictures with her. I'm not sure who it is, but she seemed to care about Sophie alot. When I get home I will load the pictures from the CD and share a few. Here are a few pictures from today. We opted out of going site seeing around Guangzhou. I know that they would have gone to the Chen Family museum and to the Temple and I really didn't want to go. I enjoyed my time walking around the island. Sophie really seemed to enjoy it as well. It is very hot here. It is just like at home during the summer. Hot and humid! Sophie got a little taste of it today. Tonight for dinner we had Lucy's. It was pretty good. Well that's about it for tonight. One last post tomorrow and then we are on our way home!

Videos

2007-05-15T22:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of videos from today. Ignore my singing.

We are here

2007-05-15T19:20:00.000-05:00

If you couldn't tell from my last post, we are in Guangzhou. It is such a relief to be here. Let me tell you about our day yesterday.
It started off at 5:30 with breakfast at 6. Our guide was due at 7 and to my relief he showed up on time. Yes he was still wearing the same outfit :). Now that I'm gone he can move on to another outfit. It really is no deal that he was wearing the same outfit, I just thought it was funny and adds to the absurdity of our trip. We got to the airport at about 7:50 for an 8:40 departure. Guess what? They couldn't find my reservation. I knew it. They finally found it and off we went thru security. Our gate was the very last one and what do you know, they were boarding. We had just made it. Sophie was a dream on the flight. She was so well behaved. Then the plane came in for a landing. We got off and at first I was a little confused. It didn't look like Guangzhou. Well I got to the baggage area and found out it wasn't Guangzhou. We had a change of planes that my guide failed to mention. That was my departing gift I assume. So we got on the right flight to Guangzhou and Sophie was still good until right before we landed. She really needed to go to the bathroom. I kept trying to explain we couldn't go yet, but she kept saying it over and over again. I had put a pullup on her so I was prepared. She held it until we got to baggage claim and then we found the nearest restroom. We were met by another guy. This one seemed prepared. We had to wait for another family to come in. We waited about 15-20 minutes and then we were off. It was going to be very busy. We got to the White Swann at about 4 and had to run to go to the medical clinic because they closed at 5. We stopped and had their pictures taken. There are a total of 3 families. 2 single moms traveling with either children or their sister and then me traveling by myself. So it's a group of women with one little boy thrown in the mix. Sophie cried and screamed at the medical. She did not want to see the doctor. They were all laughing and talking to her. She would fuss at them and they would just laugh. The same doctor who was there with Maddie also did Sophie's exam. We then went back to our room for a few minutes because we were supposed to meet at 6:30 for paperwork. We did all of the paperwork which took about 2 hours to make sure everything was complete and correct. Sophie and I then went out to find some dinner, drop some pictures off for etchings and then came back to the room. She was asleep by about 9:30 and I followed very shortly. It has been a long day.
I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers and especially for the prayers about the passport. I found out when I was talking to the other family how imperative it was to get the passport on Monday. This family had some delays arriving to China. They didn't get to apply for the passport until Friday like us. The only difference was, their agency rep was keeping them up with the situation. Apparently if there was any delay in the getting the passport on Monday and we were not able to leave on Tuesday, than our consulate appointment would have been delayed. We could have begged to have an appointment on 5/17, but if that didn't happen than we would have had to stay here for 2 weeks until the next available opening. That is why I say thank you for the prayers. I guess if I had known this, I would have been a basket case. I'm glad everything worked out.
Right now we are in our room waiting for our guide to go to the consulate at 11am. Once she/he (they've changed a couple of times already) calls and gives us the all clear, than we can leave the room. I've already gone to a couple of places, but I want to go some more.
Sophie had just a little meltdown on the busride from the airport to the hotel, but I am sure it was because she was tired and hot. She fell asleep for just a few minutes. She was very shy around the new families at first, but has really opened up. She is such a little hoot. She loves exploring the room and thank goodness she loves riding her stroller. I don't think I could carry her around Guangzhou much longer.
I dropped off her camera from the orphanage to get developed and I should have them back today. It stinks my CD doesn't work on the laptop or else I would upload some of those. I can't wait to see them. Also go check out Asher's blog. Isn't he just the cutest?
Well sorry so long. I will write more about our day today tonight. I am anxious about the consulate because than I will know for sure we are truly going home! Oh, I've also lost 6lbs.... yeah!

Brief post with longer to follow later

2007-05-15T04:43:00.001-05:00

I only wanted to say......... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Today was an awesome day!

2007-05-14T06:57:00.000-05:00

Sophie feel asleep tonight without crying and seemed really, really content all day. I'm so glad. I think we are bonding pretty good.

PASSPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-14T06:21:00.000-05:00

Two minutes after I made my post the door rang. My guide showed up with all of the paperwork! Yeah! That means we can leave tomorrow at 8:40. I am so excited! Please pray for a safe flight tomorrow.

Just for my records

2007-05-14T05:39:00.000-05:00

Just for my records when I write my agency about my experience in Shenyang. It is now 6:42pm. My guide told me he would be here at 6pm with my documents. Where do you think he is?

1. Buying a new outfit?
2. Eating dinner happily with his family?
3. Embarrassed because he has to come and tell me I can't leave tomorrow?

I guess eventually he will show up.

We had a good day

2007-05-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

This is Sophie saying hello. Today she and I spent together doing nothing. We got up at about 5 or 5:30 and went to breakfast at 6. We took our time since we didn't have anywhere to be. Sophie ate very well. She ate hash browns, zucchini, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon and some other stuff. We came back to the room and played. I broke out the playdough. We had a great time. Our guide finally came at about 10 (yes he was wearing the same clothes he has been wearing for 6 days now). I think I'll buy him a new shirt :). Anyway he came to pick up the adoption certificate. I had brought it to his attention on Thursday that there was a comma after AJ's name instead of a period. He said it wouldn't be a big deal. I guess today he thought better. He was going to have it redone and would bring me everything at 6pm. It's 5:05 so I'm anxious for him to get here. I will be so glad when this portion is done. I only have 3 days in Guangzhou now and I know it's going be rush, rush. As soon as we get there we will have to get her medical completed, visa photo completed and the paperwork ready. I'm just glad we are almost on the last leg.
Anyway, back to our day. We spent some time in the room bonding waiting for our guide. After he left, we decided to go out and do a little walking. We went to the Walmart again. This time I bought some things other than food. I got several things for Sophie and then I found the jackpot. I found Wizard of Oz in Chinese. I just hope that it will play on our DVD player at home. The case says DVD, so I can only hope. If not, no big deal but it is pretty cool. One day I will scan the back in so that you can see the translation of what the movie is about. It's pretty funny. We then went to Pizza Hut after Walmart. It was good. I ordered a small and I ate 3 slices and Sophie had 2 and 1/2. We ended up back at the room for about an hour or so and then I decided to go out more. I hit the fancy children's department across the street. I found Sophie and Maddie a really cute dress and I found Sophie some more cute shoes. There was a play area in the children's department and I let Sophie play. She only went down the slide a couple of times. I think she was very timid.
We then came back to the hotel and on our way in we ran into a family that was 2 Caucasian parents and 4 Asian children. I said hello and I thought we might have a conversation, but I got snubbed. They took off. Oh well. It's my last day here anyway.... woohoo! We are on the 8:40am flight tomorrow morning so this will be my last post from Shenyang. Yeehaw! Yes I am from the south :). Oh and in the video, Sophie is holding a gummy next to her check.

Another Day

2007-05-13T04:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there. It's a wonderful day.

Sophie has been great today. She has smiled and laughed and cried. At one point she and I were just laughing at an empty bottle. It was too funny. She loves to eat cherry tomatos, cucumbers and watermelon. She also loves, loves, loves jelly beans. She is just like her daddy. I have actually seen several traits that she has that are just like her dads :). Right now she is wearing a Weekend Freedom Machine Tshirt to bed. I didn't get a picture of it before she went to sleep because she was crying, but I will take one when she wakes up. He will be so proud.

Sophie is asleep and I'm not really tired right now so I will explain a little about our orphanage visit the other day. To Nancy and family, I will send more pictures and details when I get home. The connection is so slow here and I have so much to tell you.

Dandong is by the sea in Northern China. You can see the river that seperates China and North Korea. It was very interesting. I wish I could have gotten a picture. Dandong is very old and trying to be very modern at the same time. For those in GA it's kind of like all of the building that's going on in Panama City right now. Dandong is building condos everywhere. They also have very, very bumpy roads. As we were driving there, Sophie's teacher was telling the driver where to go and Sophie was helping her by pointing. We arrived at the orphanage which looked like a very old building. The orphanage was white and next to it was a pink building that was a mental home. We didn't get to go inside, but we went outside to where the children were playing. Sophie took off and the children all came running up to her. It was so sweet to see. There were maybe 8-9 children total and only one girl who had albinism. I felt bad because she was going to be the only girl among all those boys now. I will have to watch for her on list and really advocate for her. The playground for them was really sad. Sophie played for a few minutes and then another teacher came out to see her and she ran up to her. It was obvious that she was very well taken care of and very loved. The group seemed to be very small and they all seemed to be very close. The teacher's kept telling me over and over how Sophie and Asher are best friends. I think it's good we live close enough that these two can keep a connection. The teachers all seem very nice and caring of the children. They don't seem to have much. Dandong SWI is mostly all SN. All the children I saw had some sort of SN. I didn't think we were going to get to go and even though we are delayed, I'm glad we got to go. Sophie was able to have a sort of closure with all of her friends and teachers.

I can't see my blog or read my comments so I'm not sure how it looks. Please excuse any typos and the longness of this post.

Now back to today. We went to the Fuling Tomb. That's where the huge park was. It was a huge park. There was a lake with paddle boats and people flying kites, but no swingsets or slides. We walked and walked until we got to the tomb. It was interesting. On the way back I tried to take a picture of this huge statue of Chairman Mao that is in the center of the square, but the taxi driver was practicing for his next NASCAR race. Oh and yes, the guide did show up late. He was supposed to be here at 1 and showed up at 1:30. He also brought a mother's day present for me. He said my flight was changed to Tuesday morning at 8:40 so I guess they don't think the passport will be ready until tomorrow afternoon. I am to stay in my room all day until he calls me. He said he would call me sometime in the afternoon. He also said if he had news he would call me in the morning. I told him to please call me in the morning. I guess he has to go to the police station and then to the notary. Maybe after he calls we will do a little shopping at the awesome high class children's department we found. I think Sophie needs a new dress to add to her collection. Until tomorrow. Sleep well and happy mother's day everyone.

Journey continues

2007-05-12T04:22:00.000-05:00

We are still here. Today we went to the Imperial Palace. It was interesting. It is a smaller version of the Forbidden City. We then went to a store that sells feather paintings. I bought Sophie a horse and Maddie a sheep. I figured Brandon wouldn't really care about it. That's all we've done. I tried another mall and was able to find a really high class children's department. I found Sophie some new shoes so one of my goals was accomplished. We have spent a lot of time in the room getting to know each other. My guide didn't get here until around 10 this morning and then we got back to the room around 1. He then received a call from the head guide in Guangzhou. He asked me if I wanted to take the early flight out on Tuesday or still take the flight out on Monday. Well, duh, I still wanted to take the flight out on Monday. The problem he tells me is that they don't think the passport will be ready until the afternoon. My original flight was at 2pm. I asked him several times if this would delay our consulate appointment. He told me that it would be an "embarrassment" for that to happen. He says nothing else should change. I guess I really have no choice but to stay here another night. I really don't want to. I'm ready to see some other families and I'm ready to do some real shopping :) and I'm ready to go home.

Sophie is doing great. She still grieves at night, but during the day she has a wonderful personality. She is a mess. She loves to hop, skip, jump, run and talk. She just chattered away in Chinese and I just nodded my head and smiled and talked back in English. She is such a mimic. She knows her name and she was constantly calling me mama. I can't wait to bring her home. We have been very tired. We get up at about 4-4:30 and we go to bed early (Sophie about 5:30 and me about 6 or 7 is as late as I can make it). I'm not sure why we are so tired.

P.S. Here is a tip those of you who will be traveling soon. Don't worry if you have to wear the same clothes more than once. Your guide will be wearing the same clothes that he wore when he picked you up 4 days ago (and he lives here).

Journeys of Sophie and Mama

2007-05-11T01:27:00.000-05:00

First, wake up at 4am for a 5am departure to Dandong. Ready by 4:30 and guessing what time guide will show up. Sophie says 5:05 and I say 5:10. We were both wrong. He actually showed up at 4:55. I about fainted.

Second, board very little bus for 3 hour ride to Dandong. Driver reminds you of Bluto from Popeye. On way to Dandong, stop twice for "excercise". Driver actually gets out of the bus and walks around waving his arms and so forth. A few minutes later, driver actually stops and takes a 5 minute nap. What fun!

Third, arrive at Dandong police station. Wait and wait and wait for Sophie's teacher to show up with paperwork. She finally arrives and we are told we have to go next door for pictures. We go next door, take pictures and then come back to apply for the passport. After waiting over an hour (while guide and teacher go behind padlocked doors with police man and mama and Sophie are left with no English speaking people around) we are finally able to leave. Guide says passport should be ready with no problem. Mama and Sophie are still worried. We won't know for sure until Monday whether we are delayed or not.

Forth, arrive at Dandong SWI after a very bumpy and scary ride thru streets of Dandong. Look at North Korea from bus. Bus driver doesn't want to stop so I can take picture. Sophie is created at the SWI by several teachers and children. It seems like she was very much loved.

Fifth, board bus for 3 hour ride back to Shenyang. Luckily driver took a nap at the police station so he doesn't feel the need for another one. Sophie was very good on the bus ride to and from. She cried on the way back, took a nap and then cried a little bit more. When we got back to the hotel room she was completely different. She is constantly calling me mama and seems so happy.

Sixth, we decided to go shopping for shoes. No go. Couldn't find the children's department and the ladies at the mall kept taking Sophie away.

We are going to KFC for dinner tonight. Last night we had McDonald's. Our guide doesn't think we need to experience any of the local foods or anything so he has left us alone every night and at lunch every day. This has definitely been an experience I won't long forget.

Thank you again for all of the wonderful comments and for all of the prayers. Keep them coming because we still aren't out of the woods until Monday morning.

Sophie's doing great

2007-05-10T02:25:00.002-05:00

Sophie is doing great. Today was and is a very trying day on the adoption paperwork side, but not with Sophie. She called me mama and has said several English words. She is playing right now and seems pretty happy.

On the paperwork side, a new rule has happened after the recent Labor Day. Apparently you have to go to the child's city to apply for the passport. Normally you would apply in the provincial city. Now we have to go to Dandong early tomorrow morning and apply. Hopefully (please say your prayers) her passport can be expediated and we can leave here on Monday has scheduled. I'm really ready to get to Guangzhou.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. They are very much appreciated. Please say your prayers so that we will get out of here on Monday.

More on gotcha day

2007-05-09T06:06:00.000-05:00

I feel like doing the Dora dance. We did it we did it, we did it yeah! She walked in the room and came right up to me. I gave her a little doll and she held it for a while. She smiled and laughed. She was a sweetie, I knew the grieving was going to come though. Sophie is sound asleep right now. She cried pretty hard tonight for about 30 minutes. I tried to take her to Walmart, but she was having none of it. I think she thought she was going to another person. I just grabbed a quick bite and came back to the room. That's when the water works fell. I held her, bathed her, held her again, stroked her face, told her over and over again that I loved her and would never leave her and then she fell asleep. I'm about to hit the hay myself. I'm pretty tired.

Here she is

2007-05-09T04:25:00.000-05:00

Introducing Ms. Sophia Elizabeth FuWa. I didn't get any video, but I did get some pictures. She is smiling and playing. She cried when we got back to the hotel room, but she seems okay for now. I'm sure we will have some ups and downs coming soon.

It's almost that time

2007-05-09T01:12:00.000-05:00

I am here in Shenyang. I am staying at the Trader's Hotel. It's pretty nice. It's been a rough couple of days, but it's almost time for Sophie Lu. I will post pictures as soon as I can. Please say a prayer that she will have an easy transition.

First of many stops

2007-05-08T10:48:00.000-05:00

Well I am in Guangzhou finally. I left on 5/7 at 11:35am from Atlanta and arrived in Guangzhou (after stops in MSP and Tokyo) at 10:30 5/8. I am not tired. I am homesick. I miss my family. I guess the worst part is I am all by myself. There were no other families on the flight heading to Guangzhou. I have no travel group. I won't have a guide until I get to Shenyang tomorrow. I am so ready to get to Shenyang. Then it will be a little easier.

It's that time

2007-05-06T22:40:00.000-05:00

In 20 minutes it will be May 7th. In 12 hours I will be on the first of many legs to Sophie. Wish me luck and say lots of prayers for me, Sophie also for the crew who is staying behind. Daddy will need it. If for some reason I am having trouble posting to blogger, please go to www.journeytome.com . Click on the public journals on the top and then type in Sophie for child's name. We are Sophie with WACAP if there is more than one Sophie. Next post will be from either the MSP airport or from China. Love to you all.

Finally a Plan!

2007-05-02T18:01:00.000-05:00

I finally received my itinerary today:

5/7 - 5/8 ATL - Guangzhou (via MSP and Tokyo) arrive in Guangzhou 10:45pm on 5/8
Layover at the Pearl Hotel in Guangzhou.
5/9 depart Guangzhou for Shenyang (9:05am - 12:15pm). Check into the Traders Hotel. MEET SOPHIE THAT AFTERNOON AT THE CIVIL AFFAIRS OFFICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5/10 Adoption registration, notarization and passport application
5/11 - 5/13 Wait for passport and other documents. Sight seeing in Shenyang. Hopefully I will get to go to the SWI during this time.
5/14 Pick up passport and fly to Guangzhou. Arrive in Guangzhou at 5:50 and check into the White Swan
5/15 medical exam and sight seeing in Guangzhou
5/16 visa interview at the consulate
5/17 Oath at the consulate and visa to come home
5/18 come home!!

I'm glad to have it in writing. I was getting worried, okay I was worried.

Also the DFACS meeting went better than expected the other day. I think someone stepped in (which I knew it was going to have to be done). I'm just glad that's one box checked. Now maybe I can relax a little and enjoy these last few days as a family of 4.

Just because

2007-04-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

Just because I can't believe that I will have her in my arms 10 days from now!

I can't wait to see a smile on that face and kiss those sweet checks!

Still waiting

2007-04-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

I am still waiting for my in China travel arrangements. I was supposed to hear something by mid to late this week, I haven't heard a thing. I'm getting close to panic mode. Okay, I've been close to panic mode. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. At least I prayer I will hear something on Monday!
I have my meeting with lady #3 at DFACS on Monday. Wish me luck and say prayers for patience! After my phone call with her on Wednesday, I'm going to need all the prayers I can get.
And yes (you know who you are), I did get my prescription filled!

It always seems like I'm venting

2007-04-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

Several things I want to vent about today, but I want to congratulate Sabrina first. It has been a long and emotional road for her and I'm so glad it's almost over. Also welcome home to Amy. It was a long and emotional road for her (still is). Stop on over and give her some love.

Now on to the venting....

1. The plastic bag that caused so much heartache in this house was not needed anyway. Apparently the tires that were supposed to be shipped using this plastic bag won't fit on the tractor so they are not being shipped... ugh!

2. DFACS - I will never understand DFACS. On 4/12 I went to our local DFACS office. I hated going there, but I needed to. Here you can get a $2000 reimbursement from the state for adopting SN. I know that we will get it. I have already spoken with the regional manager. So I show up at DFACS. I explain to lady #1 what I need. I explain I am adopting a SN's child from China and need to find out how to go about applying for the reimbursement. #1 lady looks at me like I have 3 heads. She pawns me off. I explain the same thing to lady #2. She looks at me like I have 4 heads. I am starting to get peeved at this point. They pawn me off on someone else. After about 5 minutes she tells me to come back to the conferance room. I explain what I need. #3 says she doesn't think I will qualify. I tell her I have already spoken to the regional manager and was told I would. #3 lady says that I will have to have an appointment to fill out paperwork. Why I couldn't do it then I'll never know. So I ask her if I can get an appointment. She tells me I will have to call her. Okay, she's standing right there. Can't she look in her appointment book and make it? So I call Friday morning to make my appointment. I get her voice mail. I wait until the afternoon to call and again and I actually get her this time. We make an appointment for 4/19 at 1030. By the way, she has my phone number because she says she got my voice mail and just hadn't had a chance to call me back. So I show up on 4/19 at 1020 for my 1030 appointment. I was already dreading it. The lady behind the class ask me what I needed. I told her. I was then told that lady #3 was very sorry, but she was unable to make my appointment because "something" came up. Hello, she had my number!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway I ask if there is anyone else who can help me fill out paperwork and am told that she is the only one. How hard can it be people? I have done 2 international adoptions and I work with paperwork and legalities everyday. I'm not stupid, but was certainly made to feel that way. So I call her that afternoon to get another appointment. I leave a message. I call twice on Friday. I called today. Today they are closed for Confederate Memorial day! Ugh! With people like this it's no wonder DFACS is in such disaray. I will be calling tomorrow so hopefully I will get an answer. It's almost to the point I want to give up, but then I think that's what lady #3 wants me to do and I don't want to give her the satisfaction!

3. Freakin D*sh N*twork - Here is the post from the Fishbowl regarding what happened. Last week I signed up with C*mcast. They had a deal. I should have canceled the other sooner because of what happened, but I didn't. I called DN last week to ask about canceling my account. The big C was coming out today (4/23) to install so I wanted to go ahead and get the ball moving. The lady answers the phone and ask me why I wanted to cancel. I told her because I didn't want their service anymore. She keeps hounding me about why so I explain the whole thing. She transfers me to their accounting department. This lady ask me why I want to cancel. I tell her because I have decided to because I didn't want their service anymore. She starts hounding me so I explain everything to her. She says "well the money was refunded so everything should be okay". Uh no, it's not okay! I asked her how much it was going to be and she said she couldn't tell me until I actually canceled. I asked her to go ahead and set up the cancellation for today (4/23) and she said she couldn't do it. Okay fine. Today I call to cancel. I get another operator and explain that I want to cancel my service.... blah blah blah. I get why do you want to cancel. I explain again because I no longer want their service. So I get the whole thing about being an excellent customer and blah blah blah. I finally give up and basically have to interupt and demand to speak with someone who will cancel my account. Okay, on to the cancellation depart. Same thing, why do you want to cancel, my same answer, because I no longer want your service and then it just goes from there. Why can't companies take a simple "because I want to"? It's not that hard. She goes on explaining about auto bill pay and I go on explaining no thank you. She goes on explaining there was nothing indicating $500 was charged on the account. I go on telling her yes there was and to just please cancel the account. She goes on explaining about with auto bill pay this won't happen. I go on explaining that by canceling my account I know this won't happen. Finally I get her to cancel my account. Oh yeah, one important thing here.... she tells me they don't keep the credit card on file unless it is auto bill pay (my account was not). I also explained that when I called and spoke with them in December trying to clear up the matter my telephone number was incorrect. I was assured several times that it would be corrected. It was not. Okay, so she finally works on canceling my account. She tells me that they will send me boxes to pack up the receivers and satellite eye and remote controls to send back to them. She then tells me "if you don't return them within 30 days your credit or debit card on file will be charged". Um okay, I thought you said that my card was not kept on file. Oh well, anyway I asked her about the dish on the side of the roof. She said that we could take it down or we could have someone come about from DN and they would take it down for $99. Don't think so. I actually laughed at that. Oh well, I'm done with them.

4. I have no idea about my travel arrangements except for I'm leaving on 5/7, gotcha day is 5/9, consulate appointment is 5/16 and I'm returning on 5/18. This is very hard for a control freak. Hopefully I will find out more soon. Hopefully nothing will change because I was told to go ahead and book my tickets. They are nonrefundable and huge penalities to change!

On a positive note, 1 more Monday until I'm gone from work! It's hard to realize that in 2 short weeks we will be a family of 5. I'm so excited!

I also promise that the next post won't be to heavy on the venting!

That's it.... I'm on strike!

2007-04-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

I'm venting big time here. I have decided I'm going on strike. No more putting dirty dishes in the dish washer. No more emptying the dishwasher. No more washing, drying or folding clothes that don't belong to me, Maddie or Sophie. No more picking up after anybody but me. No more throwing trash away that's not mine.

I've had it around here. Why is it that you order stuff and then leave the boxes and trash from the inside laying around? Why can't you throw it away? Why must it sit there for weeks on end?

This all started when I threw away a huge plastic bag. I thought it was from something that was ordered and just left there like all of the other bags and boxes. I made the HUGE mistake of throwing it away. If I was told that it was for shipping something, I wouldn't have thrown it away. Excuse me for trying to clean up a little bit around here. Guess I won't be doing that anymore!

It's almost time!

2007-04-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

First off, please stop on over here and send Sabrina and her family some love and prayers. They really need it right now.

Now for the good news on the home front. We have our confirmed CA. Our appointment is 5/16/07. I will leave here on 5/7 and arrive in Guangzhou on 5/8. I am still waiting for the confirmed in China travel from my agency so I'm not sure if I will spend the night in Guangzhou or fly to Shenyang that night. Sophie day is 5/9. It still seems so surreal right now. I have the same feelings that I had when I was getting ready to go get Maddie. It just doesn't seem real yet. It's so hard to believe that after over a year she is almost home. I have made her dentist and ortho appointments and I just need to make her peds appointment.

It's almost time!

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

TA week was a success for us!! Woohoo. I can't believe I actually get to make this post. After 145 days of waiting we finally have our TA. Our agency is requesting our consulate appointment for 5/16 and that would make Sophie day 5/9. I can't believe it's finally here. Just today I was thinking about how tired I am of waiting and how I am so ready for this to me over. It's almost here!

Hopefully LOA week won't be a bust. I'm still hoping for Beth and Sabrina.

TA & LOA week proclaimed yet again

2007-04-08T21:56:00.000-05:00

First, a big congrats to Heather who received her TA this week. I hope she gets her consulate appointment soon. Second, congrats to Amy and family who are in China right now picking up beautiful Sarah.

Okay now I'm proclaiming TA and LOA week yet again. This has got to be the week for Beth and Sabrina to get their LOA's. I know they have to be here this week. I'm also hoping for TA's. I'm going to get selfish and hope mine comes. I know it has to be soon. Let's also a LID for the Walker family and congrats to Nancy and family who were DTC on 4/5. Their son Asher is in Dandong with Sophie.

Here's hoping for a good week. I did wish on my early birthday cake candles (thanks Mimi) for our TA so let's hope this works.

Private or Public that is the question

2007-04-04T17:49:00.000-05:00

There is debate going around about private or public blogs. I guess I'm going to stir the pot a bit. My blogs have always been and always will be public (or until I get to old to type and have to delete the blogs). I think blogs and websites are an important lifeline. You can keep in touch with family far away (hello Gloria) or family close (hello Hannah). The most important thing (in my opinion) that you do with your blog and/or website is encourage and help others along this very long, long, long road. It is encouraging to read other blogs to find out that my child is not the only child who throws fits over being asked to put something away or put some clothes on. It is encouraging to read other blogs to find out that I'm not the only one nervous about our adoption. I know that there are tons of other families who feel the exact same way. I rejoice with families who are picking up their children. I rejoice when a family that I have been following for a really long time finally receives their referral. I feel with the family who talks about how hard this parenting thing is. It is hard. It is really, really hard. If it weren't for these blogs and websites I don't know how I would have made it the first time and especially this time. There is good and bad along this adoption road. I hope that by reading this blog, families have learned that it's not all rosey. I also hope that there are some people who read this blog who decided to adopt a SN's child or decided to adopt period. As I said before, I'm not going anywhere. I will continue to post the good and the bad. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy having it. Pot stirring done for now.

Amazing discovery tonight!

2007-04-01T23:18:00.000-05:00

First, congrats to Amy who received her TA for beautiful Sarah! Yea! Hopefully Heather will get her TA this week and Sabrina and Beth will get their LOA's. I still don't think our TA is coming any time soon, but I'm counting the days. Hopefully there will be a lot more TA's and LOA's this week.

Second, I was going thru Maddie's stuff from Half the Sky for no real reason. When I was reading it laughing because everything they described about Maddie is exactly the way she is today. Then I found her referal information. I've read it a thousand and one times, but I was reading it again tonight. Maddie was born in the hospital on 9/17/03 and then on 9/19/03 her birth mother walked out. Well the 9/19 date hit me. Sophie was found on 9/19/02. My girls will always share that link even more.

Sophie is on the top left and bottom right. Maddie is on the top right and bottom left. The pictures on the bottom are the very first picture that we saw of each girl. I can't wait to get Sophie home so she doesn't have that sad look in her eyes anymore. Maddie has definitely lost that sad look.

LOA on it's way to China

2007-03-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

Woohoo!!! I just got an email that our LOA is on it's way back to China. The estimate until travel approval is 3-4 weeks. Of course I'm hoping 3 weeks (or less), but like my other post said it will probably be 5-6 weeks with our luck. Oh well, at least it will be warmer. This weekend I washed the girls spring/summer clothes and put up the winter/fall clothes. Those girls have a lot of clothes. I saved some of the 18-24 month clothes because I have no idea how big Sophie will be. We're getting so close and I'm getting so nervous. I just realized something, 4 weeks would be on 4/18. That's my birthday. I will be 35 and my grandmother will be 85. What an awesome birthday present that would be. An earlier birthday present would be okay as well. I know we still won't travel until mid to late May. Now I'm concerned about missing Brandon's 8th grade graduation. I don't even know what day it is yet. Like I said with Maddie's ballet recital, somebody can tape it for me but I sure would be sad to miss it. Middle school has been a long 3 years and I'm sure high school is going to be an even longer 4 years. P.S. Can you tell I'm really loving the animation! I also want to say there are some agencies saying that TA's are on their way. I hope so. I hope there are some LOA's mixed in with them as well!

Times a Wastin!!!!!

2007-03-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know who you are, but will you please send your LOA back to the agency? I got mine on Friday, had a minor heart attack over it (see post titled D'oh) and it arrived at the agency yesterday waiting to go back to China. Apparently we are now waiting on one family to return their form. Come on already. This is the child you agreed to adopt a long time ago. Send the form back. The rest of us are waiting!

TA and LOA week proclaimed

2007-03-26T17:48:00.000-05:00

I know that our TA is not coming this week, but I am officially proclaiming it TA and LOA week out in blog and yahoo land. I am hoping that Amy and Heather's TA's come this week. I am also hoping that Sabrina's and Beth's (but she doesn't have a blog) LOA comes this week. It's been a while for them as well. So come on and join me. Let's send some good thoughts for TA's and LOA's!

D'oh!

2007-03-23T19:30:00.000-05:00

This was me today. I was anxious to receive our letter this morning so I stalked the front desk waiting for UPS to come. As soon as he did I ran upstairs, made a copy and grabbed my purse. I wanted to run to the dealership and have AJ sign the letter so I could send it right back. I made it to the shop in record time and finally found him (on the Matco truck). He signed the letter, I signed the letter and then I dated it. I kissed him goodbye and drove to the post office so I could send it out. I figured I would send it Priority since it's the weekend. I had delivery confirmation slapped on it and then handed it over. I got in the car to drive the 15 minutes back to work happy that it was on it's way. Halfway to work I start think that I didn't check the very important box that stated "yes we accept this referral". D'oh! I remembered signing it, I remembered dating it but I just didn't remember checking the box. I got back to the office and it really started bothering me. I called the agency (by this time it was 1100 so they were just opening up on the west coast) and asked to speak to my SW. She wasn't there yet, but I left her a voice mail. I also sent her an email. I wanted to know if they could check the box for us. Well after about a minute I decided that I had better call the post office and have them hold out the envelope and go back and get it. About 30 minutes later I was at the post office again feeling like a fool. I had to wait for 10 minutes because there was only one person behind the counter. When I got up to the counter I explained the situation. The person wasn't the person that I talked to on the phone, but luckily that person was just down the hall. They handed me my envelope and I ripped it open. Yep, you guessed it I forgot to check the box. Double D'oh!!! Guess I learned my lesson..... slow down!
P.S. Thank you all for the wonderful comments. We were so excited (and still are).

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

Our LOA came today!!!!! I can't believe it. On Monday we received and email from the agency that said there was a possibility that we wouldn't receive our LOA. We might just go straight to TA. I was kind of shocked to get the call today, but at least I know we are moving forward. We will have the letter tomorrow, sign it and send it right back. It should go back to China on Monday and then in about 1 - 3 weeks (probably 4-5 knowing our luck) we should have travel approval. I'm still thinking (hoping) for May.

LOA week proclaimed!

2007-03-19T07:49:00.000-05:00

Amy over at catching butterflies has declared this TA week. I hope she and everyone else waiting gets their TA's, but I'm going to declare this LOA week. LOA stands for letter of acceptance. This is what we are waiting on so that we can again wait for our TA. It would just be a relief to have this letter so that I can whine about waiting for TA. Amy asked what else TA could stand for. What about LOA? What else could it stand for?

Library of America

Loa - check out the link

List of acronyms - here's the ultimate list

Here's hoping that this week is a busy one. I think we all need it. I have to run Maddie to the dentist..... I hope to see lot's of good news posted on the yahoo groups when I get back.

4 months

2007-03-17T16:31:00.000-05:00

Today it has been 4 months since we received our log in date. It almost 5 months (3/20) since we were date to China and 3/23 will be one year since we started this whole thing. I'm optimistic that we will receive our letter of acceptance this week. I hope I don't get let down again.

This bites

2007-03-12T18:09:00.000-05:00

This really bites! Today is day 115 and nothing. I can't believe we have been waiting this long. Today I lost it. I heard a song today driving in. It was the same song that I heard on the day of Maddie's referral. It is "Feels like today" by Rascal Flats. I thought it was a sign. I started bawling. I told myself not to get excited, but it really did feel like today.
All day I kept thinking I would get an email or phone call from my agency. I had a couple of missed calls from the 206 area code. This is a Washington state area code. That's where our agency is. I had been in another office and I came back and saw the missed calls. They didn't leave a message. Well it turns out it was a pilot who lives in Seattle who didn't leave a message. After I got off of the phone with him (he was whining about his days off and I really didn't want to hear his over paid behind whining about having to work) I had to go to the restroom because I lost it. I really, really, really thought I would hear something today. Other agencies heard today. People who were logged in after us received their LOA's today ( and every other time in the last 3 weeks or so). People who were DTC before or during the same time that we were who were NSN and then decided they wanted to adopt special needs because they didn't want to wait as long, received their LOA's today and the last several times that LOA's have been sent.
March 23rd will mark one year since we have started this whole process. I am so weary today. I am so tired today. I know I have no control over it and I'm really, really, really trying to be patient. The thing that bothers me is people who have waited less time will end up bringing their children home before I do. Meanwhile, my daughter sits in a cold orphanage in Dandong China (where they had their worst snowstorm in 57 years) on the border of North Korea 93 miles from a nuclear test site. My daughter sits in a cold orphanage not growing because of not receiving proper nutrition and because of her thorax and spinal deformity.
It's my turn now (it's also Heather's turn and anyone else who was logged in SN's prior to me and yes there are a few, not many but a few). It's our turn to celebrate our LOA. It's our turn to worry about airline rates and what hotel we are staying at. It's our turn to get to say when we are traveling. It's my turn to leave work and not come back for 4-5 weeks. My visa expires in July. I really hope I get to travel before then.
Okay, I've said my peace. I think I'm going to go cry again.

This is how I feel right now about the wait

2007-03-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

Wow. I feel like I'm waiting for our I-797C again. I know it's beyond anyones control and I just need to be patient. I'm trying. I really, really, really am.

Side note, I would like to thank all of the people who disrupted their adoptions last year. Thanks to you, children have to wait a lot longer now for their families. If it weren't for you, I and every other family wouldn't have to wait for a seeking confirmation letter and then our TA. We would be able to just get TA and then go get our children. Now some families are waiting over 150 days. We only have 39 more days to go till we hit 150. Just again, my heart felt thanks for all that you did.

Okay, that's off of my chest. I need to get a life. Acutally, I need to get my daughter!

110

2007-03-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today is day 110. We are still waiting. I finally got an email back from the agency and it basically said we are still waiting. They have no idea. Nobody after us has received their letter and the group before us received theirs in early Feb. There are some rumors that TA's are getting mailed tomorrow (Thursday) from China so maybe LOA's will be mailed as well. I hope it is true because I am so very tired of waiting. I just want my daughter home. I just want to be able to get into a routine with her home. I just want to be able to plan things.

I got nothing, how bout you?

2007-03-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

I didn't get anything. Not even a return email from my agency asking if they had heard anything. People logged in in December are getting their letters. Where the @#%^ is fine?!

Letter's of Acceptances are arriving

2007-03-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

Letter's of Acceptances are arriving today. I am going to cry if we don't get ours. I just saw someone who was DTC after us and logged in in December who received theirs today so hopefully ours will be here. It's going to be a long day!

Good and Bad

2007-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

The good about not having travel approval yet:
1. I will probably travel in May and it will be warmer. The temp averages between 72-76. My kind of weather.
2. I get to take Maddie to the beach for one last trip by herself.

The bad about not having travel approval yet:
1. Sophie is getting older.
2. Sophie needs her mama

That's it in a nutshell. I'm going crazy. I can't concentrate. I can't do anything. I've even lost interest in American Idol. I spend my days at work and my nights at home surfing the yahoo groups for anything regarding LOA's or TA's. I guess one of these days it will get here.

Wooohooo

2007-02-23T14:27:00.000-05:00

First of all it's Friday! That means that on Sunday night (our day 100 by the way) it will be Monday in China. That means the CCAA will be back to work. Hopefully that means they will be able to get lots of work done since they have been off for a whole week. Hopefully late next week or the first part of the following week, we will get our LOA. Please say a little prayer. I am so ready.

I have decided to not do the facts anymore. I got bored with it (I knew I would). I'll have to come up with something else.

#4

2007-02-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

Someone in my family is named after Brandon from Beverly Hills 90210. I have always said that it was because I didn't want something that could be shortened (which is partly true), but I really like Brandon and I didn't like Dylan.

#3

2007-02-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

Someone in my family snuck into a hospital to go and visit her future husband. He was healing after an injury during the war. (She never looks at you when your trying to take her picture either. She hates having her picture taken.)

Fun Fact #2

2007-02-20T19:06:00.000-05:00

I hate, hate, hate when somebody leaves the laundry hamper lid closed. Why? Why can't you close it? Is it really that hard to open the lid, put your clothes in and then close it again. I also hate when people leave the cabinets open, drawers open or things out of them. Does that make me OCD :)?

No I don't know when I'm going

2007-02-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

I guess it's like having a baby. Everybody ask you "so what are you having?". Well instead of getting asked that I get asked "so when are you leaving?". I know everyone means well, but I just don't know. I wish I did. I wish I had a little hint of when I could go. I've decided to do a fun fact countdown. Each day I will list one fun fact about me or someone I love (no names I promise). Todays fun fact is about me. I have no pinkie toenails. I have like little nubs of nails. Every now and then a nail will grow, but then it will fall off. I'd take a picture, but I don't think you want to see my feet. I have been teased endlessly about my little nub nails and growing up I hated it, but now I love it. It makes me unique. The picture is a picture from "Happy Feet" since I don't want to use real feet.

I hate Valentines Day

2007-02-14T19:17:00.000-05:00

I hate Valentines Day. I always have and I probably always will. Next time I'm just not going to participate. Let me explain. Last year I got the kids candy and something else. I got their daddy candy and a card. They all got theirs in the morning. I got nothing. I didn't even get a phone call or a lunch invite (we work 15 minutes from each other). I did get a box of candy and a card that evening kind of like an after that during the day (I guess that's why he couldn't take me to lunch since he was shopping). Today I gave the kids their candy and stuff and set up their dads next to his coffee pot because he wasn't going to work. I got nothing. I didn't even get a phone call thanking me for the card and candy or telling me Happy Valentines Day. I did get flowers from a friend at work and some candy from another friend, but that was it. When I got home there was candy and a card sitting on the island. I said thank you. I meant it, but my feelings were hurt. It wouldn't have taken that much effort to pick up the phone and call me. After all he did get up at 1030 or so, check his email, drink coffee, go to the grocery store to pick up his prescriptions and grab my card and candy and then the UPS man came and he went out in the garage and tinkered with his tractors. When he asked me what was wrong, I told him. My feelings were hurt. The excuse I got was that he was sick (which he has been sick but he's actually a little better today) and in bed all day which from the above we know is not true. He wanted a medal because as he told me he didn't have to go to the grocery store to pick up his prescriptions. He went specifically so that he could get my card and candy. Well what do you say to that? It was kind of like I owed him for making the effort.
Don't get me wrong, I love him very much. I am so glad he is in my life and wouldn't trade him for anything (except for maybe Peyton Manning), but I get so frustrated sometimes. All I want is a little effort. That's it. Just a little. Sometimes I get so tired of doing it all. I need a weekend away. I need our TA. I need something.....ugh. Guess I'll go and chow down on some Valetines Day candy. I just needed to vent and since this is my blog, I can do that.

2/13/1988

2007-02-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

Since today is day 88 I thought I would share a few facts about what happened on this day in 1988.

1988 15th Winter Olympics games open at Calgary, Canada
1988 Christine Wachtel runs world record 800 meter indoor (1 minute 56.40 seconds)
1988 European Community plans removal of inner boundaries on Jan 1, 1992
1988 Heike Dreschler long jumps world record indoor (7.37 meters)
1988 Ronald Weigel runs unofficial world record speed walking (18 minutes 11.41 seconds)

Today I emailed our agency just to see if I could get a little hint. I didn't get anything except for depressing news. I probably won't see anything in Feb. They just had a family who was logged in in October who received their letter of acceptance the first part of Feb. We are logged in 11/17. Meanwhile, people logged in with other agencies are getting their forms. I guess the plus to all of this is that it will be warmer when I go.

Sadness

2007-02-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to post this because I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I am. I'm sad now. I'm sad because so many families that were logged in after us have received their letter of acceptances, but than there are a bunch of families before us who haven't received theirs. We are stuck in the middle. It's kind of like waiting for the I-797C. I want it so bad I can taste it. I know that it's coming soon, it's just the not knowing when that's getting to me. I need to take care of so many things at work and at home. Maddie's ballet recital is 5/12 and I really don't want to miss it (but if I have to there will be plenty of people who will videotape it for me). I know it will come eventually I just would like to know when.

Anxious

2007-02-06T23:15:00.000-05:00

This picture is called "An Anxious Moment - - St. Valentine's Morning". It is of a lady waiting for the mailman to bring her a letter on Valentine's Day. It should be called "An Anxious Moment - - Waiting for TA". We are on day 81 and I think we have a while to go. I'm pretty sure that we are going to make it to the 100 day mark without our TA. I'm beginning to think that I won't travel until May because of Chinese New Year and the trade fair in April. I really want to bring Sophie home. I can't sleep. I can't concentrate. I am still very unmotivated. I'm just getting anxious. I'm getting nervous. I'm worried about Sophie's adjustment. I'm worried about Maddie's adjustment. I'm worried about being gone from Maddie for 2 weeks. I know that things will be fine. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to bond with Sophie before we come home. I know it will be okay and will all work out, but I'm still anxious. Hopefully more Letter's of Acceptance and Travel Approvals will start coming in this week or next before the CCAA goes on vacation for Chinese New Year.

Day 73

2007-01-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

Is it the calm before the storm? It has been so quiet on the Yahoo groups. There weren't any TA's or PA's or Letter of acceptances all last week. Is the CCAA busy working on a whole bunch of them? I hope so. People (yes me included) are growing so anxious. The picture was taken in Panama City way back in 6/04. We were waiting for dinner and a serious storm came!

Day 70

2007-01-26T19:49:00.000-05:00

Today is day 70 of our travel wait. I'll admit, it's been hard. I know that some people have been waiting over 100 days for theirs and I know it's hard on everyone. I really thought we would have our TA by now and be traveling in Feb. Now it looks like I will be traveling in March. I guess the plus side is that will be a little warmer. How about 70 fun facts? I found this list. It's actually a list of 100 fun facts, but since today is day 70 I thought I would only post 70.

70 Fun Toy Facts

1. Twister - Hasbro, Inc.Originally called Pretzel, Twister premiered as a promotional product for a shoe polish company

2. Mr. Potato Head - Hasbro, Inc.Mr. Potato Head was the first toy product ever advertised on television.

3. Yahtzee - Hasbro GamesYahtzee was invented in 1956 by a Canadian couple aboard their yacht, hence the name Yahtzee.

4. Tonka Trucks - Hasbro, Inc.It takes 119,000 pounds of yellow paint and 5.1 million pounds of sheet metal a year to make Tonka trucks and other Tonka vehicles.

5. Trivial Pursuit - Hasbro GamesMore than 30 million Trivial Pursuit games have been sold worldwide in 18 languages and 32 countries.
6. My Own Baby - Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc.These dolls are so life-like that television producers have used them on shows such as ER, Touched by an Angel and The Bold and the Beautiful.
7. Clue - Hasbro, Inc.In the United Kingdom the game is called Cluedo.
8. Barbie - Mattel, Inc.Every second, three (3) Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.
9. Playmobil, USA, Inc.If all the Playmobil figures in the world stood in a row, they would circle the earth more than one and a half times.

10. Silly Putty Binney & Smith produces more than 1,500 pounds of Silly Putty each day; that's more than 20,000 eggs.
11. LEGO Systems, Inc.The work "LEGO" is formed from the Danish words "leg godt" which means "play well."
12. Rubik's Cube - Hasbro GamesIn 1982 one out of every three American homes had at least one Cube, prompting the term "Rubik's Cube" to become part of the Oxford English Dictionary.
13. Lincoln Logs - K'NexLincoln Logs were designed and developed in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, son of one of America's most famous architects, Frank Lloyd Wright. The younger Wright conceived his idea for Lincoln Logs when he was traveling with his father in Tokyo and was inspired by the construction techniques used in the foundation of the earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel, which his father designed.
14. Slinky - James IndustriesIn the early 1940's a torsion spring fell off the desk of marine engineer Richard James and tumbled end-over-end across the floor. James took the spring home to his wife Betty, who named the spring "Slinky" and the classic toy was born.
15. Scrabble - Hasbro GamesMore than 147,000 words can be used to score while playing Scrabble.

16. Monopoly - Hasbro GamesParker Brothers initially rejected Monopoly in 1933 for having "52 fundamental errors." It has now sold more than 100 million sets worldwide.
17. Crayola - Binney & SmithThe average child in the United States will wear down 730 crayons by his/her 10th birthday.
18. KitesHawaiians used kites to claim pieces of land. The kites would be released in the air and ownership would be taken wherever the kite fell.
19. DollsIn 1840, dolls began to be mass-produced in America for the first time after the first American doll maker was granted a patent.
20. Mansion of HappinessThe first board game in the United States appeared in 1843. It was developed by S.B. Ives in Salem, Massachusetts and called The Mansion of Happiness.
21. Play-Doh - Hasbro, Inc.Play-Doh first entered the market in the 1950 as wallpaper cleaner, but people soon found out that it also made an excellent toy.
22. Slinky - James Industries Inc.It takes just 10 seconds to produce one Slinky.
TopTop is a Dutch word meaning "to whirl."
23. Mr. Potato Head - Hasbro, Inc.Mr. Potato Head kicked the habit and gave up his pipe in 1987. His decision was honored with a ceremony at the White House, where he turned his pipe over to the U.S. Surgeon General.
24. Playing CardsThe traditional 52 playing cards in a deck symbolize the number of weeks in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons.
25. Silly Putty - Ohio ArtSilly Putty was originally made during World War II during an attempt to find a substitute for rubber that was in severe shortage.
26. Raggedy AnnThe very first quantity of handcrafted Raggedy Ann Dolls actually had brown yarn hair, not red.
27. GI Joe - Hasbro, Inc.The makers of the action figure considered several other names such as Skip the Navy Frogman, Rocky the Marine Paratrooper, and Ace the Fighter Pilot before agreeing on GI Joe.
28. Scramble Squares® Puzzle - b.dazzle, inc.The Scramble Squares Puzzle has more than 95 billion combinations, but only one solution. This was discovered by mathematicians at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. Their research showed that there are 95,126,814,720 different arrangements of the nine pieces.
29. Parcheesi - Hasbro, Inc.Parcheesi traces its history to India during the 1570s when factory workers realized a piece of cloth with a unique pattern could be turned into a game.
30. CheckersIn ancient Egypt, when a pharaoh died he was buried with his favorite items which often included a checker set.
31. Pinball MachinesMore than 60 percent of all pinball machines manufactured in the U.S. are sent overseas.
32. Tonka Trucks - Hasbro, Inc.Tonka takes its name from a Dakota Sioux Indian word meaning "great."
33. KitesKites are named after the kite bird which is a member of the hawk family.
34. Scrabble - Hasbro GamesToday Scrabble is found in one out of every three American homes.
35. Crayola - Binney & SmithIf all of the regular size Crayola crayons made in one year were laid end to end on the Equator they would circle the earth six times.
36. Monopoly - Hasbro, Inc.Each year more than twice as much Monopoly money is produced than US currency.
37. RitvikThe name Ritvik Toys is derived from its founders, Rita and Victor Bertrand, Sr.
38. Scrabble - Hasbro, Inc.Scrabble was originally called "Criss Cross Words."
40. Slinky - James Industries, Inc.It takes 63 feet of wire to make a Slinky.
41. Erector Set - Brio Corp.A.C. Gilbert, the inventor of the Erector set, won an Olympic gold medal for the pole vault in 1908.
42. GI Joe - Hasbro, Inc.G.I. Joe was originally created as a doll for boys based on a new television show called The Lieutenant. To the surprise of many toy manufacturers, G.I. Joe's popularity surpassed the TV series.
43 Radio FlyerRadio Flyer created The World's Largest Wagon - 27 feet long, 13 feet wide, weighing 15,000 lbs!
44. Matchbox - Mattel, Inc.Jack Odell originally created the Matchbox car for his daughter. He placed the small brass model of a Road Roller into a matchbox for her to bring to school, hence the name Matchbox.
45. Hula Hoops - Wham-OIn 1959 Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr begin to market Hula Hoops, after getting the idea from a friend who saw schoolchildren in Australia twirl bamboo hoops around their waists for exercise
46. CheckersIn 2000 B.C. Egyptians begin to play a game that resembles modern-day checkers. 47. ToyToy is derived from an old English word meaning tool.
48. DiceIn ancient Egyptian tombs, dice have been found that were made out of bone.
49. Teddy Bear - Ideal Toy CompanyIdeal Toy Company was the first company to mass-produce the Teddy Bear.
50. ChessThe largest number of people playing chess simultaneously took place in Mexico City. More than 10,000 people participated in the chess-a-thon.
51. Silly Putty - Binney & SmithThe astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission carried Silly Putty into space with them, in a specially designed sterling silver egg, to alleviate boredom and to help fasten down tools during the weightless period.
52. Barbie - Mattel, Inc.The largest Barbie Doll Collection in the World is in the United Kingdom. There a woman has collected 1,125 Barbie Dolls including several versions of Barbie's boyfriend Ken.
53. Yo-Yo - DuncanThe yo-yo was created in ancient Greece more than 3,000 years ago.

54. Teddy Bear - SteiffThe most valued Teddy Bear in the world is Steiff's "Teddy Girl." Produced in 1904, the Bear was auctioned off at Christies, London in 1994 for $170,830.
Fashion DollsFashion dolls were first used in 1391 when the French court sent the English queen a miniature female mannequin dressed in the latest French style. Aristocratic women traded the dolls to learn about the latest fashions. In the 17th and 18th centuries clothing designers used these dolls to advertise Parisian styles throughout Europe, and mothers gave the dolls to their young daughters when they no longer needed them.
55. BarneyWhile stuck in a traffic jam, a former schoolteacher in Texas envisioned a better quality home video for her two-year-old. She joined forces with another former teacher, and her idea eventually became that loveable purple dinosaur, Barney.
56. Koosh Ball - OddzOn/Hasbro Inc.Scott Stillinger named his creation after the "koosh" sound the ball made as it landed in his hand.
57. BoomerangThese curved throwing sticks were originally used by the aborigines of Australia for hunting and warfare.
58. Etch-a-Sketch - Ohio ArtThe Etch-a-Sketch was originally called "L'Ecran Magique."
Frisbee - Wham-OThe Frisbee Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, providing endless hours playing the game.
59. Domino"Domino" is a French word for a black and white hood worn by Catholic priests in winter.
60. PuzzlesEnglishman John Spilsbury invented the jigsaw puzzle in 1767. Spilsbury was an engraver and mapmaker. The first jigsaw puzzle was a map of the world.
61. The Super Soaker - Larami LimitedThe Super Soaker was invented in 1988 by Lonnie Johnson, an aerospace engineer, and originally called the "Power Drencher." The toy was the first water blaster to incorporate air pressure into its design.
62. Teddy BearThe Teddy Bear was named after President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt following a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post printed an editorial cartoon about the hunt depicting the bear as a cuddly cub. The cartoon and story became so well known that Teddy Bears were soon being mass-produced and turned into a childhood favorite.
63. Clue - Hasbro, Inc.The game was invented by a British law clerk named Anthony Pratt while walking his beat as a wartime fire warden in Leeds. When the bombs weren't dropping, friends would gather in each others' homes for a parlor game called "Murder," where they would creep around and pretend to murder one of their own. From that game, Pratt developed the idea which turned into the classic board game Clue.
64. LEGO Systems, Inc.Two eight-stud LEGO bricks (of the same color) can be combined in 24 different ways. Four eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined 1,060 different ways. Six eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 102,981,500 different ways!
65. Ouija BoardsOuija is an Egyptian word meaning good luck
66. Pick Up SticksPick Up Sticks have been traced back to the Native Americans, who played the game with straws of wheat and passed it on to English settlers.
67. Shrinky Dinks - Spin Master ToysIn 1973 Betty Morris, a Cub Scout den leader, was trying to find a way to keep the group of 10 year olds busy. She discovered a plastic lid in a craft book that shrank in the oven, and thus got the idea for Shrinky Dinks.
68. Chutes and Ladders - Hasbro, Inc.Chutes and Ladders began, believe it or not, in ancient India, where it was used to teach Hindu children about right and wrong. The bases of the ladders stood on squares that symbolized different types of good, and then there were slippery snakes (that's right-it was snakes back then, not chutes) that sneaked out from squares representing various types of evil.
69. Tickle Me Elmo - Fisher-Price, Inc.The idea for Tickle Me Elmo came in 1996 when inventor Ron Dubren saw a couple of kids playing in the park. He watched the kids tickle each other until they erupted in giggle-fits and had the idea to create a stuffed animal that would react in a similar way when tickled by its owner.
70. Sea Monkeys - Various ManufacturersThey were thought of as mere fish food for many years, until Harold von Braunhut discovered these marvels of the sea. He saw their potential as a pet and developed a simple, three-step kit that allowed aspiring young marine biologists to raise their own brine shrimp in a container of water.

Rambling

2007-01-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

I have had this post swirling around in my head for several days now. I have been debating on whether or not I want to post it. This is my blog and I guess I can type my feelings if I want to. There is a family waiting to go and get there daughter. This family was going a different route and then found their child on a list. They decided to adopt this child. I imagine that part of it is because of the increasing wait for non special needs adoptions. I know that this is why families are changing over. This is not always a good thing. It has been posted before when last year there were a whole bunch of disruptions of special needs kids because families were not prepared. Most of these families were families that switched over. I'm not saying that all non special needs families are not prepared so please don't think that. I know that there are some special needs families that aren't prepared either. I guess there really is only so much preparation that you can do. For instance, if you know your child has hearing problems wouldn't you want to learn some sign language? Our Sophie's special need is not really one we can prepare ourselves for until she gets here. She has a thorax and spinal deformity. Her ribs are fused together and her spine curves. We don't really know why and we won't know until she gets here. There is a good chance that she has thoracic insufficiency syndrome. We are prepared. We have one of the best Children's Hospital in the country. My sister-in-law worked with the doctor that we are going to use. He is supposed to be one of the best. They have what's called a Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib. It is a device that is inserted into the chest and hooks to the spine and ribs to straighten the spine and seperate the ribs so that the lungs can grow. We are prepared for this. I changed insurances this year so that we would have better coverage. Don't get me wrong, we are nervous. It's all of the unknowns. What if something else is wrong? What if this doesn't fix it? Just as if she was our biological child, we will do anything and everything in our power to help her. I am also nervous because she is 4. What will happen if she doesn't want to go with me? What if she screams her head off? I take comfort in knowing that there are 1,000's of parents out there who have been there and down that way before me. I have read their advice. I have read books. I hope I'm ready. I do know one thing. I am not leaving China without my Sophie. Screaming or not, she will be coming home. That's why they have Benedryl right :). Hopefully soon our TA will come. In the meantime, I have some more reading to do to get ready.

My visa came

2007-01-18T19:17:00.000-05:00

Well I'm really ready to go now. My Chinese visa came today. I can enter China at anytime up until 7/10/07. Hopefully I won't have to wait that long. Woohoo! One more step closer.

Two Beds!!!

2007-01-13T19:20:00.000-05:00

Hey CCAA, we have two beds now. Sophie can come home.

So Unmotivated

2007-01-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

I am so utterly unmotivated it's not even funny. I can't concentrate at work. I'm having such a hard time. I have so many things that have to be done and I just can't do them. All I can think (obsess) about is our TA. I check blogs and yahoo groups every hour to see if TA's are coming in. I know that the CCAA has been issuing TA's for LID's in September (we are LID in Novemeber) and I know we are close. I saw someone who was on a group that was asked for more information. They were logged in 2 days before us. They were told that their dossier should be moved over to the next room by the first of the year and then TA shortly after that. I'm hoping so. We're coming up on Chinese New Year and I don't think I can take it much longer. I know some people have waited over 100 days and we are only on day 47 (or is it 48 now), but I'm so hoping we won't make the average. 100 days would put us on 2/18 which of course is Chinese New Year....ugggghhhh. Oh well as you can see on the sidebar it's pretty cold in Dandong. I hope Sophie and her friends are warm.

ABC's

2006-12-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was fun. Go ahead, steal it for yourself.
A is for age:
34

B is for Beer:
Yuck, can't get past the smell.

C is for Career:
Flight Training Coordinator for an airline. Kind of like being a kindergarten teacher, but my "kids" are not as well behaved as the real kindergartners.

D is for my Dog’s Name:
Lucy and Alice

E is for Essential Item I Use Everyday:
Fork :)

F is for Favorite T.V. Show:
Desperate Housewives, Extreme Home Makeover and Scrubs

G is for Favorite Game:
Pictionary.

H is for Hometown:
A whole bunch of cities in GA.

I is for Instruments I Play:
kazoo

J is for Favorite Juice:
grape

K is for Whose Butt I’d Like To Kick:
people who can't merge over before the lane ends

L is for the Last Place I Ate:
Chili's

M is for Marriage:
5 years

N is for my Name:
Jennifer

O is for Overnight Hospital Stays:
July 1993 - C section.

P is for People I was With Today:
AJ, Maddie, Brandon and David

Q is for Quote:
"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." The Conductor from Polar Express

R is for Biggest Regret:
not going to college, but then again I wouldn't be where I am today if I had.

S is for Sport:
football, soccer, ice skating, gymnastics

T is for Time I Woke Up Today:
8:50

U is for Current Underwear:
Hanes

V is for Vegetable You Love:
corn

W is for Worst Habit:
Junk food.

X is for X-rays I Have Had:
head for sinus', ankle, back

Y is for Yummy Food You Ate Today:
fajita steak soup from Campbells

Z is for Zodiac:
Aries

Retro Friday

2006-12-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

I love posting pictues and I found a Retro challenge on this blog, Hope Springs. Here is a picture of me and my brother. We were both very, very blond. I am now mousy headed and my brother is bald headed. Don't you love the wardrobe? My mother was lacking in the fashion world. You can kind of tell in the picture that my tights are a light blue with a lacy pattern, but you can't see the lovely brown shoes I was wearing At least my brother was sort of matching. I still think it's cute.

Red Threads

2006-12-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." ~ Chinese Proverb

Ever since I saw Sophie I always believed that she was destined to be our daughter/sister. Well, I found the real connection. I was going over Sophie's paperwork and found out that her paperwork to register her for international adoption was completed 11/8/04 - 11/10/04. 11/8/04 I was in Beijing getting ready to get Maddie the next day. 11/9/04 is our Gotcha day for Maddie and 11/10/04 is her finalized adoption from the Chinese government. How awesome is that!!! I thought it was too cool.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas sweet Sophie. This will be your last Christmas alone. Next year will be so much fun with you and your sister. We love you.

Santa Baby

2006-12-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

Hey Santa when you cross over China will you please stop at Dandong SWI in Liaoning and bring our Sophie home? I'm sure she won't be any bother. I'm sure there is some room on your sleigh. That's what we want for Christmas. Thanks. Love - Sophie's mom, dad, sister and brother.

LID!!!

2006-12-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

We finally received our LID (log in date)! We were officially logged in on 11/17/06. This starts the official waiting clock so we have been waiting for 21 days for our travel approval. Right now the average wait time is 107, but some families just recently received TA's from our agency and they only waited 76 days. Hopefully we will be on the lower end of waiting as well.

Family Picture

2006-12-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

Since Sophie will not be here this Christmas, I am posting this family picture. My dad did an awesome job.

WoooHooo!

2006-11-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

What an awesome game. Dawgs 15 Jackets 12. It was a hard fought game and we came out the winners. You gotta love it!

We got an update!

2006-11-20T21:22:00.000-05:00

Not much going on. Still waiting for our log in date, but we did get an update from Dandong. I am so happy. Sophie is saying "please come get me know". It's our last update that we can request, but that's okay I'm glad to have gotten all that we have because some families don't get any.

Nothing much going on

2006-10-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing much is going on right now. We are waiting for our LID (log in date). Travel approvals are taking about 3 months or so. I'm still hoping for January. I really want to go here. It's the Shenyang International Ice and Snow festival. It looks really cool and I can't wait. Of course I also can't wait to have Sophie in my arms either!

Just because

2006-10-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

Just because her picture wasn't on the homepage :).

SNOOPY DANCE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-10-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

WE ARE DTC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM BREAKING OUT THE DANCING SHOES. IT'S SNOOPY DANCE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready to go down now!

2006-10-18T19:24:00.000-05:00

Okay. I'm ready to go down hill now. Anytime your ready, I'm ready. Please start the thing up again. This ride is starting to make me sick. Do you ever feel like there is some goofy kid at the controls and he's just seeing how much fun he can have with you? We are still waiting to be DTC. My agency received the rest of our paperwork. Our coordinator assembled our dossier and told me everything looked good. She said I did a good job. They are just waiting for more families to turn in their dossiers. Come on people! Hop to it! What do you need? Can I help?

Fair

2006-10-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

I can't wait until next year to go to the fair and have Sophie with us. I wonder what next year's picture theme will be. The one with the lady and man farmer is Brandon and AJ 2 years ago and the one with Maddie as the cow and her daddy as the farmer is from this year.

Is this the Atlanta USCIS office?

2006-10-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

Is the Atlanta USCIS office?

On a side note, our form came back from the Houston Consulate today. Yipee!!!! Our agency has no dossier's going to China this week, so hopefully next week we will be DTC. I am sending the I-797 to our agency tomorrow. Woohoo! I will write later about this whole paperwork process. For now, enjoy the video.

Liaoning Province

2006-10-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

Sophie is in the Dandong SWI in the Liaoning Province. It is on the border of China and North Korea. With everything that is going on between China and North Korea, please say a prayer for her and all of the other children who are there right now. I really want to bring her home soon.

Still waiting

2006-10-06T22:57:00.000-05:00

We are still waiting for our I-797 to come back from the Houston Consulate. I found out that they were closed up until Wednesday. We should have it back any day now. I'm so ready to be DTC. This paperchase has gone so easily up until this darn form. I can't wait to get it back. You might hear me shout all the way to where you are. Also, some people ask what kind of paperwork is involved so I will list it here. This is what was involved with our adoption:
1. marriage certificate - TN, state sealed in TN and then sent to State Department and then on to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC
2. birth certificates (me and AJ)- GA, make sure that they are pen in hand. It is very important because the Secretary of State's office will not seal the document. They were then authenticated at the Chinese consulate in Houston
3. Financial Form - GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.
4. Medicals (me and AJ)- GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.
5. Letter from AJ's doc because of his diabetes - GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.
6. Petition to adopt - GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.This is a letter that goes in our dossier to say that we will love our daughter and treat her with the same love and respect that she would have if she were our bio child.
7. Police Clearance (me and AJ) - GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston. From our local Sheriff's department and it stated that we weren't criminals.
8. Letter of Employment (me and AJ) - GA, notarized, notary certified, state sealed and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.
9. Copies of our passports - Just copies.
10. I-797 - well I'm sure you've read all about that form
11. pictures - 6 pictures that described our family life
12. homestudy - sent to agency and they took care of it

That's it. You can see that it's not that much.... ;-)

Here's a picture of the top of Sophie's 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It's actually finished, but I realized that I never posted a picture. I will take a picture of the whole thing and post it soon.

Waiting on the Houston Consulate

2006-10-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, now I'm getting a little nervous. I USPS Priority mailed our I-797 to the Chinese Consulate in Houston on Monday, 9/25. They should have received it on 9/26 or 9/27. I'm sure I'll get it pretty soon and I know that they were closed on Monday, so just wish us luck. I'm really ready to send our dossier off.

How hard is it to get a notary?

2006-09-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

Apparently it's really hard. I went to go redo my I-797 today. I had a friend notarize it. Well when I got to the courthouse to have them certify the notary, it turns out that my notary used her full name instead of her initial like she did on her seal. Okay, so I ask if there was anyone there who could notarize the letter since I had brought extra copies with me. I was told yes so I went out to the car to get them. By the time I came back, the clerk had changed her mind. She didn't want to notarize the document stating that it was a copy of a copy. Fine. I asked her where the closet branch of my bank was and she told me. I went there to have them notarize it. Mind you, this form had already been completed it was just the dates that were not correct and also my adoption agency said it was okay to use this. So I get up to the teller and tell her what I need for her to do. She looks and looks and looks. She decides she can't do it because AJ wasn't with me. I'm in tears at this point. I called AJ to ask him if the girl who had been doing our notary stuff was at the dealership. He said she was and so I had her do it. No problems. I went to the Dekalb County courthouse and got the notary certified and then rode Marta to the Secretary of State's office to have it state sealed. It was that easy. I wish I had done Marta the whole time. It's 3.50 roundtrip, but I saved gas and hassle trying to find parking plus walking several miles to the Secretary of State's office. The Marta station is right there. You just go up the escalator. Anyway, I wanted to go ahead and get it in the mail so I needed to make copies. I stopped at the post office thinking that they had a copier like all of the other post offices that I have been to. Well this one apparently doesn't believe in copiers. I went over to Kroger and asked to get some copies made. I was told they don't do copies. I found a check cashing place that would make copies for me at .25/page. I needed 6 pages. Oh well, it was worth it. The form is in the mail on it's way. I'm a little paranoid now and will be glad when I finally get it back and sent to the agency. On a side note, I met 2 people who had dealings with AAA Partners in Adoption our old ripping off homestudy agency. The first one used to work there and actually apologized for the agency. She now works for another agency here in GA. It wasn't her fault, but it was nice of her to apologize. The second was at the Secretary of State's office. He was having his documents state sealed for their adoption from Ethophia. I asked him what agency he was using and he told me AAA and I apologized to him. It kind of slipped out. I explained to him our situation and told him he needed to make sure that he stayed on top of them. Hopefully it will work out for them.

I am such a blonde!

2006-09-23T16:57:00.000-05:00

Last time our I-171H/I797 had to be notarized by an attorney. This time it did not. I was excited. All I had to do was type a letter stating that the notary had compared the original and the copy and they were one in the same. Easy right. Well in my excited hurry up state I typed the letter up on 9/13. We didn't receive our form on 9/14. I changed the date at the top of the letter to say 9/15 and the notary signed it for 9/15. Well stupid me forgot to change the date in the body of the letter. I received the form back today from the Houston Consulate saying they couldn't authenticate it because of the dates not matching. Oh well, just another minor set back. Seriously frustrating. I really don't think we will make DTC next week and it probably won't be until the second week of October because the CCAA is closed for the Chinese holidays. Suprisingly enough, I am really calm about it. I am frustrated at myself, but I'm calm. I had thought last night that it might not be so bad waiting til January to travel. That way we aren't so busy at work and I won't have to rush and get her SSN really quick by the end of the year. I hate that she won't be hear for Christmas, but maybe we will have 2! Hopefully it will be the first of the year, but who knows. Maybe her SWI will be really quick in processing her paperwork and we will get TA really quick, but I'm not counting on it.

How could I?

2006-09-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

How could I leave that sweet little face in China? How could anyone leave any of these sweet little faces in China? I just don't understand it. Although I don't know how Sophie will be when I get her, I can't leave her there. I wouldn't leave her there. We signed up for this. We signed up to be parents, the good and the bad. I just can't imagine going to China and having Sophie cry and cry and just telling her "Sorry kid, you must have other problems you have to stay". I am nervous about meeting Sophie don't get me wrong and I know the grief that she will have will be intense, but I'm not giving up. She has lived in an orphanage all of her life. That is all that she has known. She will have some strange blond woman who doesn't speak Chinese picking her up. I have stared at her picture everyday for the last 6 months. She is my daughter just as Maddie is my daughter and Brandon is my son. She will be our daughter regardless of what happens. My heart hurts for all of the children this year whose families went to China and then decided not to take them home. If you think you are prepared to go to China without understanding grief and institutionals life, please read this article before signing the contract to adopt.

This is by Amy Eldridge, founder of Love Without
Boundaries and I think the information is so valuable
for anyone who has not yet traveled. This is posted
with her permission. The first part was her posting,
the second is her reply when people began asking her
to share.
------------------------------------------------------

I most definitely wish there was a way to educate
ALL adoptive parents about the truths of institutional
care, however I have come to realize in my daily work
that just as many parents are not online
reading everything they can find on adoption as are.
There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of
parents out there who have no idea what life is like
for a child in an orphanage, and who head overseas to
pick up their "China doll" only to be handed a baby
who is unresponsive, thin, unable to eat..and on and
on and on. While adopting my son last month, I walked
several times over to the White Swan to talk to
parents, and over and over I spoke with moms and dads
who had no clue whatsoever about the issues their kids
were having.

I heard so many times things like, "she won't eat
solid foods" (oral aversion), "she has no muscle tone"
(muscle atrophy from lying in a crib all day), "she
won't smile" (pure grieving from being taken from her
foster mom). I guess since I live China 24/7, I assume
everyone adopting does, too, which is not the case. I
talked to at least a dozen parents who didn't even know
their child's orphanage name, and while I gently said "you might
want to memorize that for your child's sake", at the
same time I was trying to process how many parents get
all the way to China without ever reading about
post-institutional issues. It was sobering to me.
Babies in the NSN as well as the SN path can have
issues with attachment, motor skills, emotional issues
and more. I think all of us on the WCC list
acknowledge that, while also acknowledging that all
children (whether bio or not) can have these same
issues. Living in an orphanage of course increases the
odds.

I think the easy out is to say that agencies have to
do more, as well as social workers, but I do think
that most of them do try to give information to the
parents but often parents don't want to hear it or
else think it won't happen to them. Again, I am often
surprised to talk to parents leaving soon and to
realize they are not prepared. One family was
adopting from our foster care program, and when I
told them that the child was DEEPLY attached to the
mom, the father said, "guess she might cry for an hour
or so then?" An hour or so? She had been in foster
care for over a year! I tried to explain that
this little girl was about ready to lose everything
she had ever known, and that they should not expect
her to be sunny, happy, and full of personality after
an hour. I told them to please remember the 72 hour
rule.......that after 72 hours they would probably see
her spark, but that she would probably grieve for a
long time after that as well.

I don't think many want to read the "bad stuff", and
so I do think that ultimately it is the parents who
are at fault for not doing more to educate themselves.
There certainly are books galore out there about
post-institutional issues. I equate this to when I was
pregnant with my kids and I would read "What to Expect
When Expecting", and I would
get to the C-section part and always skip it. Each and
every time I would jump to the next chapter as "that
wasn't going to happen to me". Well, on my
fifth baby, when they were rushing me in for an
emergency C section, I sure was wishing I had read
that section earlier! But at that point in the OR,
while they were strapping my hands down to the table,
it was too late, and so I felt complete panic when I
could have been prepared. I think adoption from China
is very similar to giving birth.. it is much more rosy
to only read the happy stories on APC, but I now
encourage every family I meet to read the harder ones
as well, because if you are the family who is handed a
child that is limp and listless and who looks
autistic, what you have learned in the past will help
you make the right decision for your family during
those very emotional first few days.

I have been called many times in the last few years
by parents in China worried about their children. I
agree that having a support network to help you
through the initial time is essential. Everyone
should go to China with at least one phone number of
someone they can call if they are panicked upon
meeting their new child. I remember feeling so alone
when I was handed my daughter and she was so tiny
and limp. Because our foundation often helps with
the kids who have been disrupted, I am aware that
sometimes there are children who have much more
serious issues than originally reported and that is
such a hard thing for a parent to get to China and
then discover their child is truly autistic or has
serious mental delays. I think everyone on both the
China and international side would agree that it is
absolutely wrong of an orphanage to not be honest in
their reports, and no one would excuse that, but I
also know without a doubt that the majority of kids
who are disrupted are just suffering from
institutional issues and would catch up quickly in a
loving home. It is always a very sad day for the
orphanage and everyone involved when a child that they
know is absolutely fine, but perhaps thin and
grieving, is returned by their new parents for being
"delayed".

I think far too many people believe their child's
life is going to begin the moment they meet them. The
truth is, and everyone must realize it a child's life
is going on RIGHT NOW in China, and all of their
experiences are shaping who they are. The vast
majority of aunties that I have met in China are such
kind and caring people, but it absolutely is not the
same as having a mom and dad at your beck and call. I
have had new parents call and say "we didn't think
living in an orphanage would affect her at all", and
those statements truly puzzle me. How could they not
contemplate life in an orphanage? Walk through Babies
R Us and you will see every gadget known to man to
make our children's lives here as ideal as possible.
Now Americans have two way video monitors, so that
when baby awakens not only can mommy see when to
immediately rush in and comfort him, but she can
talk to baby so that he doesn't even have one single
second where he feels alone. How many new parents
would have a newborn and then put that baby in a crib
22 hours a day on their own? How many would only
feed their baby, even if they were really crying hard,
every 8 hours? Or prop the bottle in her crib and then
not watch to see if she ever really ate? Of course no
one would do that we feed newborns on
demand, comfort on demand, love continuously and
whether people want to recognize it or not, that is
NOT the life of an orphan in an institution. ...even
when the aunties are as good as gold. I remember
one night when I took some volunteers in for the night
shift in an orphanage, when normally just a few
aunties are working. One mom looked at me with tears
in her eyes as she slowly realized that it was
absolutely impossible with just two hands to feed
every child, to comfort every child, to soothe every
baby who was crying. She said her heart was aching to
realize that her own daughter most likely had many,
many times where she cried without someone to comfort
her.....and she told me that for the first time she
finally understood why her daughter had such a deep
seated fear of being out of her mom's sight.

The aunties are trying their absolute best, but that
doesn't equal mother/child care. I remember being in
an orphanage in the north this past winter and the
aunties were so proud of how they had 6-8 layers
of clothes and blankets on every baby to keep them
warm. They were swaddled so tight that they couldn't
move, but it was freezing in the orphanage and so the
aunties wanted the babies to stay as warm as possible.
What alternative did they have? It really was freezing
there..I was cold in my wool coat, so the babies
couldn't be up and about with just 1-2 layers on, with
the ability to move their arms and legs. To stay warm
they had to be immobile, and so of course all of those
kids have weak muscle tone. But the aunties were truly
trying their best, and when a parent is given one of
those beautiful children on adoption day, I am sure
they will go back to their room with concern and say
"she can't sit up by herself..she can't put weight on
her legs". That is absolutely the truth, but she also
survived 10 degree weather in a very cold province and
she will catch up soon enough with parents to encourage her.

To not acknowledge that living in orphanage
circumstances can cause lower body weights, low muscle
tone, inability to make good eye contact is very sad
to me. Can it be overcome? Most definitely! The one
thing I have learned over and over again about the
kids in China is that they are fighters and survivors.
But for some reason, people seem to want to ignore
these issues in public forums.

Recently, one of our medical babies that we had met
several times in person was adopted, and we all knew
that this child was a "spitfire". When the family
arrived and spent a few days with her, they decided
she was too much of a handful for them and they wanted
to disrupt. She absolutely was not what they expected.
When they called their agency, they were told they had
two choices: adopt the child, bring
her to the US, and change their expectations of what
they were hoping for, or adopt the child, bring her to
the US and the agency would have a family waiting at
the airport to adopt her locally. Option three of
leaving the child in China was never once given. I
admire that agency so much, as they were thinking of
the child and the child alone. The family followed
through with the adoption and handed the little girl
to a new family upon her arrival in the US. As
horrible and tragic and emotional as it was for
everyone involved...I still feel this was the right
decision for the agency to make. It was done in the
absolute best interest of the child, who had waited a
long, long time for a family. I wish more agencies
would advocate for the rights of the child, instead of
always seeming to give in to the parents, especially
in those cases when they know with absolute
certainty that nothing is permanently wrong with the
child. Recently with another disruption, the agency I
spoke with told me that it was "easier" to just get
the family a new baby. Sometimes easier does not equal
right. The first baby who was rejected has now been
labeled "mentally challenged" even though the agency
knew the child was really going to be okay.

I think all of us, who do realize that delays occur
and that babies can usually overcome them, should be
these children's advocates by continually trying to
educate new parents on what to expect in China.
By helping them be better prepared, we just might help
stop a disruption in the future. I love Chinese
adoption with my whole heart, and it is my life's
work..but I also want every family who goes to get
their baby to go with their eyes open and to be as
emotionally prepared as possible, for the child's
sake.

Amy E

I don't mind if you share the post, although I am so
far from an expert that I get embarrassed by anyone
quoting me. The only thing I would add is that I think
it is very important that parents spend at
least as much time educating themselves about
post-institutional issues as they do decorating the
nursery or working on their packing lists. I know the
wait to referral can seem SO long, but I believe
that is a wonderful opportunity to educate ourselves
on how to best handle any situation that might come
up. Our future sons and daughters are depending on us
to care for them in the best way possible and to help
them overcome any issues they might have, and that
means being informed. I believe with all my heart that
the vast majority of babies being adopted are indeed
healthy and happy. As I said, I am a passionate
advocate for Chinese adoption. I wish every
single child I have met in China could find a
home......every single one. I am humbled each and
every day by their strength, their spirits, and their
capacity to reach out for love, even after being
abandoned. But I also believe that we should all be as
prepared as possible for the different situations that
we might face with international adoption. When we
finally meet the child whose photo we have stared at
each day, we owe it to them to understand as much as
possible about what issues they might be dealing with
from losing their birthparents and being raised in an
institution. I was asked once by a government official
in China what could be done to stop parents from
turning children back in, and I really do think
that pre-adoption education is essential.

Some of the topics I think every parent should read
about include:

What are some of the immediate things I can do in
China to promote attachment with my child?

Am I informed about head banging, rocking, and other
self sothing behaviors?

What are night terrors?

What does it mean to be tactilely defensive?

Is it a problem if a child only bonds to one parent?

What are the signs of oral aversion?

How can I help my child overcome oral issues?

What does it mean for a child to have sensory
integration issues?

What are the common parasites that my child might have
and what are the symptoms for each of them?

What is anxious attachment?

With older children adoption, do I understand possible
initial behaviors like "over friendliness", hoarding,
premature independence, fear of rejection?

Have I prepared myself that my baby might be much
smaller than expected or weak in muscle tone?

What are some of the emergency symptoms that require
me to call a doctor immediately?

Have I prepared myself mentally for the different
"forever day" scenarios, from a child who shuts down
completely in shock to a child who grieves intensely
for their foster parent to a child who rages
and actually acts like they hate me?

What does it mean for a child to have institutional
autism?

Do I understand that attachment is a process and that
my child won't love me instantly, even if they cling
on for dear life?

Do I have someone I can trust completely to call and
talk to in the event my child is not who I expected?

I don't write any of the above questions to cause
fear.......I truly believe adoption is so beautiful
and amazing. I write them so parents can be informed
of some of the "possibilities". I am sure you all
could come up with many more important questions to
ask ourselves as we prepare for adoption....but I
think we all agree that these are very important
topics for new parents to consider.

IT FINALLY CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-09-14T18:35:00.000-05:00

After exactly 12 weeks today, this little piece of paper finally arrived in the mail today. I still can't believe I actually have it. Tomorrow I will be having it notarized, the notary certified and then take it to the Secretary of States office. I will then drop it in the mail to the Houston Consulate and pray that it comes back to me next week. We still have a chance of being DTC at the end of the month. WOOOHOOO!

Pony Express

2006-09-13T17:59:00.000-05:00

Apparently the USCIS is using Pony Express to get our form here. The officer said we were approved on 9/8. That was Friday. Today is Wednesday. It's not that far from here to there. So if you are in Atlanta and you see the Pony Express going by, send them my way please and tell them to hurry!!!!!

Hanging by a thread

2006-09-12T17:37:00.000-05:00

I got an email (only after I emailed her last night with a desperate plea) this morning from the officer at USCIS. She said that we were approved on 9/8. Where is it? It's not that far from Atlanta to here.

Yep... This sums it up!

2006-09-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well this is day 80 and this is how I feel about the USCIS today!!!

Well what did ya think?

2006-09-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

Did you think that it would come today like I did? Well we were both wrong. Nothing, nada, zilcho, negative. It's really hard typing this with tears in your eyes.

Sad

2006-09-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Well the darn USCIS is at it again. I emailed them today because I wanted an update. We are at 76 days post homestudy received and 56 days post fingerprinting. I of course got an automated email reply from them. This is what it said:

PROCESSING TIME
1. We receive such a high volume of individual inquiries that to respond to each one would take significant time away from adjudicating orphan petitions, so we reply to email inquiries within three business days only if both the I600A and the home study have been in our office for 75 days and your question is not answered below. We are currently working on I600A applications that have home studies received by us between June 15th and June 30th.
2. Until we receive both the home study and the I600A Application and fingerprints, we can take no action and the “clock has not started ticking”. The average processing time after we receive both the application and the home study is now 75 days due to a huge number of applications filed recently (and the correspondingly high number of phone calls) . We are struggling to get the processing time back to 60 days, but temporarily it is 75 days.
3. We do not routinely acknowledge that we have received the home study, but we do acknowledge receipt of the petition by sending you a receipt for the fee. If the home study is being sent separately from the I600A, please send it registered mail return receipt requested, FEDEX, UPS, or some other carrier where it can be tracked, if you want confirmation that we have received it.
4. As soon as we receive both the home study and the application "the clock will start ticking" and we will quickly send you an appointment for each person who is required to be fingerprinted, that is everybody 18 or older who is living in your home. By doing this, the 15-month validity period of the fingerprints more closely matches the 18 month validity period of the I600A.
5. If we must request more information or documents from you, of course it will take additional time. It might expedite processing if you include your email address.

Okay my question to you, all 3 of you who read this :), please explain paragraph 2 and paragraph 4. They say 2 different things. Does your "clock start ticking" when you have turned in your application, homestudy and fingerprints or does it start ticking when you turn in your application and homestudy? The reason they are getting so many phone calls and email inquiries is because they are so freaking incompetent. How can bigger offices that handle more paperwork get forms out in 2 weeks? Why does this office not go in order like it's supposed to? Why did this office tell my congressman that they try their best to process SN adoptions in a timely matter? Why did this office tell me that the processing time is taking 60 days 2 weeks ago? How did there suddenly become more applications, homestudies and fingerprints that arrived between 6/15 - 6/30 (the period they are supposedly working on right now)in the last 2 weeks?

I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of incompetent people who can't handle the job. This person is paid by me with my tax dollars and she is paid by me with the money they used to process our form. I want answers. I don't want them just for me, I want them for everyone else who will be coming after me.

Oh well, enough whining for tonight. Here's a little humor and cuteness for you. Make sure your volume is on.

Happy Birthday Sophie Lou!

2006-09-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Today is Sophie's birthday. It is also her mimi's and her aunt Carol's. I hate that she's not here. She turns 4 today. We sang Happy Birthday to her at mimi's house and then we came home and made her a cake and sang Happy Birthday here. Maddie kept looking at her picture and saying that sissy wanted her to pick her up.

Stupid Me!

2006-09-02T13:25:00.000-05:00

For some reason I got my hopes up that today would be the day we got our form. I practically ran to the mailbox. Well was it there, nope. Well it's only been 10 1/2 weeks. I really can't expect them to hurry, now can I? Silly me, what was I thinking! I think I'm going to buy this T-shirt I found on a funny t-shirt website. http://www.funny-tshirts.biz/customer/product.php?productid=16672

Hannah don't read!

2006-08-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hannah don't read this part ;-) Okay, this officially SUCKS!!!!! Okay, now you can read it! I just found out that someone logged in after us at the USCIS in Atlanta received their form today. Why? Where's mine? What the heck is this officer's problem? I don't get it. I just want to sit here and cry. At this rate, it will be next year before Sophie comes home. She will have to spend another birthday in Dandong, another Christmas, another one knows what. I'm just so tired, tired, tired of waiting. I hope the officer from USCIS happens upon this blog one day because I will tell her now.... YOU ARE THE MOST INCOMPETENT PERSON I KNOW. I hope you never have to go thru something like this. I hope your children never have to sit and wait for someone with too much power to sign one freakin piece of paper. Okay, that's it for my rant right now. I tried to get a copy of my fortune from my fortune cookie today, but it I couldn't get a good one. It said "If there is no struggle there is no progress". I guess that fits right now.

It really is official

2006-08-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Here is a copy of our PA. It really is official. It's not a joke. On the USCIS side, here is what I got from Charles Spry in Congressman Isakson's office. What a load of crap! This was a message from the Officer at USCIS to Charles Spry:

Jennifer and Andrew Cannon
Their I-600A and the home study were received on June 22, 2006. The reports on the fingerprints are in the system. The current processing time is over 60 days from the date of the receipt of the last required evidence to the date the file is pulled for review. A large number of prospective adoptive orphans require surgery or have other "special needs". The goal of this office is to process these petitions as quickly as possible. The Atlanta District has recently had a noticeable increase in the number of I-600A filings in the last couple of months.

All I have to say is BULL! This officer doesn't care. This officer doesn't care that there are children waiting for surgeries in China that need to come here. This officer doesn't care about anything. It has been over 60 days. It has been 2 months and 4 days. That is 64 days. We were fingerprinted at least 42 days ago. Why can't they have a division specifically for waiting children? How hard is it? It's my money that goes to this agency for the form/fingerprints and my tax dollars paying for their salary. Don't we deserve an answer about what is going on.

I love WACAP!

2006-08-21T16:25:00.000-05:00

I asked for an update a couple of weeks ago and got it today! Woohoo! Poor little Sophie needs some hair-do-dads and some pink. I can't wait to get a picture of her actually smiling.

High's and Low's

2006-08-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

After having the high of getting our PA on Tuesday, I am now at a low. We are still waiting for the USCIS to issue us our I-171H/I-797C. I did receive a release for information sheet from Senator Isaksen's office on Friday so I will fill that out and send it in on Monday. I know that it is "all in God's time", but I wish God would hurry up just a little bit. I really want to bring Sophie home by Christmas. She's been in an orphanage way too long!

More thoughts on the USCIS

2006-08-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

So what do you think? Do you think this picture accurately describes the USCIS? They are a pain in the behind!

PA!!!!

2006-08-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

Woohoo!!! It finally came. We have our PA! I'm a little disappointed because AJ got the call, but oh well, we got it!!! After 1 month 1 week and 3 days it finally came. I drove up to the dealership to pick AJ up (I was on the phone with my mom when I did) and he asked if the agency called me. I told him no and then he said we had our PA. I started to cry. It is such a weight to have that off of our shoulders. Now all we need is our INS clearance and then we can send our dossier to China. Here are a couple of pictures of our Sophie Elizabeth Wa. I'm hoping to get some new ones within the next couple of weeks.

Dossier received

2006-08-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

Well our dossier was received on Friday at the agency. WE DON'T HAVE TO REDO ANYTHING WOOOHOOOO!!!! Now all we are waiting for is our I-171H and AJ's employment letter. I already have the letter I just need to take it to the Spaulding County courthouse and then SOS and then to the Houston Consulate, but I was going to wait until I got the I-171H. Hopefully this will be our week. I'm at least hoping for our PA, that would make me feel so much better.

Houston Consulate Rocks!

2006-08-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

I received our documents back today from the Houston Consulate. All 10 of them. I was a little worried because of the envelope and the whole mailing fiasco, but it worked. They all arrived safely back. We also received our marriage certificate back from the Embassy in Washington on Saturday. So 11 of the 13 required documents will be on their way to our agency tomorrow. Now all we need is the I-171H (don't get me started) and AJ's employment letter. Hopefully the I-171H will come sometime this week or next and we can still be DTC in August.

My thoughts on the USCIS

2006-08-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

Frustration!

2006-08-03T17:50:00.000-05:00

I have said it before and I will say it again.... I AM TIRED OF WAITING!!!!! I am beyond tired of waiting. I know that our agency wouldn't have sent our paperwork over if they knew we weren't going to get approved, I'm not worried or really all that upset about the Chinese side of the waiting. I would like my PA, but I can be a little more patient with that because it is coming from another continent. The thing that is really pissing me off is the USCIS. It has been 6 weeks since they received all of our documents. It has been 3 weeks since we were fingerprinted, why in the heck is it taken so long to get their approval. When we did Maddie's adoption we sent the paperwork to the USCIS in August 2003. We were fingerprinted in October 2003 and our homestudy was sent to them on 11/7/04. We were not approved by the USCIS until January 22, 2004, 2 months and 15 days from the time that our home study was sent to them and I had to call my Senator's office. After I made that call, it only took a week to receive it. Why does it take so long? Why does the US government not seem to care? Why is it that I explained our daughter will require surgery and we really need to get her home and we still don't have approval? Why is it that at the beginning of the year the wait times were only about 2 - 4 weeks and then they move? How freaking hard is it for them to get back on track? If I did my job like this, I would be fired. Do they not care about the fact that they are messing with children's lives? I am so tired of going to the mailbox and looking for that dang form. I have been really good about not whining at work too much up until now. I am so hormonal and just want to bring our daughter home before Christmas. I will be contacting our representative tomorrow. The sad part is that I requested an update on our case status on Monday. Today I received an email that said in the subject line "please send us a test reply and your answer will be in the automatic response". Well I did so and 30 minutes later I received the standard reply about what the form was, they don't do anything until the receive the homestudy and yada, yada, yada. They won't tell me anything about the status until it has been 60 days. UHHHGGGGGGGGGGG