Adopting a Boy

Realistic Expectations

In order to be as prepared as we can, to take care of our little guy, we have been reading and listening and watching and thinking and talking about all the different kinds of issues the children and parents of international adoption come across. I am sure there as just as many and complex issues to domestic adoption, but that isn't the room we are standing in, and so we will focus on what is known specifically about international adoption. Chinese International Adoption, to be precise. And also Chinese Toddler Adoption. There is a lot to learn.

Ten years ago we didn't have so many different avenues, experts, groups and conversations as we are finding today. We thought we were prepared. We did some reading. We weren't prepared. Plain and simple. If you know our little family than you know how much we lucked out. Still, there were some pretty tough months at first. Re-acquainting ourselves to the considerations of international adoption, and learning about the specific consideration of adopting a toddler, has reminded us of some of the things we experienced those first few hours, days, and months with our daughter, plus a whole lot more.

We didn't do such a great job on "educating"our family and friends about the journey we were embarking on ten years ago. We tried to explain it, but we didn't know exactly what we were explaining, and so that didn't work so well. I think a lot of people believed we didn't want to share and that we were over exaggerating when we spoke about attachment, etc.

We plan on asking our family and friends to join us, via blog, when we travel to meet our son and hope we can share those amazing and exciting days as we become a family of four.

So, we are posting some essays regarding some of the issues that we *may* be working with. *May be working with, the emphasis on *may*. Because any and all of the issues we are trying to coalesce into knowledge in our brains may or may not be something we need to work out. Nothing is black and white, all or nothing, and most likely the issues we will face will fall into a kind of spectrum. We can only prepare ourselves the best we can and help our family and friends understand as we learn as much as we can about the who, what, how, where, when and why of our littlest potato....

So we can love our son the best we can until he loves us back.

Here is a link to that explains things well...

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/adoption/realistic-expectations/

The Making of a Family.....

They say it all so.... eloquently.

September Poem

A beautiful chrysalis in our yard.

Monarch butterfly in the making. 

And we day 3 

of a 40 day wait for LOSC.

Everyday makes a difference towards transformation.

Butterfly and family.

Last week

Yesterday Evening

The Arrival Of Three More Little Letters

Our papers have been officially "logged in" to CCCWA's system. They now make their way laboriously through the "translation and review" process that leads to the official "Letter Of Seeking Confirmation", more affectionately known as those four little letters: LOSC. After our LOSC arrives (averaging about 8 weeks,  big sigh) we sign them and send a copy to the USCIS, and our very own Officer Williams, to start the I800 approval and then get our GUZ #, and then the NVC, and we also need to sign and return another copy of the LOSC to our agency to send to CCCWA in Beijing which generates Article 5, that leads to TA, which means Travel Approval, which leads to Family Day  (when we meet him) and then CA better known as the Consulate Appointment, which may be very near CNY or Chinese New Year.

Got that?

Of Missed Milestones And Waiting

We are waiting for China to tell us they have officially logged us in to CCCWA's database (LID)

Meanwhile, you are 2 and a half today.....

 How much have you changed in the last 4 months? 

Do you still have all that wonderful baby chubbiness?

 Maybe, with a little luck, we will see you before you turn three.

10 Years Ago Today

Our Family forever.....

Three Little Letters.....We Have Lift Off!

The papers have left the country....We are on our way to China!