Saturday, November 27, 2010

And just like that . . .

Our dossier:  it looks less impressive than it actually is
. . . after five months of nearly non-stop work. . . our dossier is out of my hands and on its way to Holt.   I felt all trembly and nervous Friday afternoon as I finished up the photocopies and handed it over to be mailed.  Like, I can't believe this is it. . . my labor of love, in a sense, complete.  (And in a whole other sense, just beginning.)  Quite surreal, actually, to have conquered this task.  And I'm not gonna lie--I'm pretty darn proud of myself!  In case you're interested, here is what our dossier comprised:  

Family Information Form
Application Letter
Birth Certificate - husband
Birth Certificate - wife
Marriage Certificate
Employment Letter- husband
Employment Letter- wife (in my case, I had to write a letter stating that I am NOT employed...which I found amusing) 
Certificate of Financial Status
Certificate of General Physical Examination- husband
Certificate of General Physical Examination- wife
Police Clearance/Domestic - husband
Police Clearance/Domestic - wife
Adoption (Home) Study
Passport Page -husband
Passport Page -wife
I-797(this is approval of the I-800A application)
Photographs (several specific photos of our family in our home, properly attired, as well as photos of the front and back of our house)

Nearly every document on this list had to be notarized, then certified by the Secretary of State in the state where the document originated (we had a few Kansas and Florida documents mixed in), and finally, authenticated by the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. 

And hence, the massive collection of paper on my table.  The good folks at Staples are going to miss seeing my face.  [Fun fact:  we have spent $15.64 on photocopies so far.] 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

They're back!!!

Whoa, two blogs posts in one day!  Guess what came in the mail just now???  

An envelope from the Chinese Consulate in Chicago bearing my twelve documents, all sealed with the proper authentication.   In case you've been keeping track, I mailed them exactly two weeks ago, on November 10. 

I'd like to give credit (props?  a shout out?  a sloppy wet kiss?) to the good ole USPS who can, indeed, be trusted to deliver important documents hither and yon about the country.

DTC, here we come!  

Thankful

I thought I should probably blog, since it's been a while.  We mailed our documents off to Chicago exactly two weeks ago, so I've once again become a mailbox stalker.  Sigh.  Maybe today?

I'm thankful today for the community that adoption has opened to me.  I had no idea, when we began this journey, the connections we would make and the Kingdom perspective we would gain.

I have "met" dozens of lovely people through the Holt forums. . . beautiful, large-hearted souls who have helped and supported me tremendously through the difficult task of preparing our dossier.

I have six new local friends (three couples) whom we met in our adoptive parent training, and who, I hope, will continue to be part of our lives as we bring home our adopted children.

I have been blessed to be a resource for several other families just beginning their adoption journeys, and I see clearly now that adoption, for me, is more than just a means to add another child to our family.  It is my heart.  And dare I say, a CALLING, one that was nowhere on my radar until exactly one year ago.  We truly sense that this process, this journey, is going to forever change us and our family--our relationships, our activities, our bank account (ha!), our traditions, our worship. 

So on this day-before-Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my husband, who has whole-heartedly embarked on this wild ride with me.

And I'm thankful to God, who calls me His friend and daughter, who laid adoption on my heart in such a way that I was powerless to do anything but obey, and who will faithfully provide and equip us for all that lies ahead. 


Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. (Ephesians 2:7-10, The Message)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Giveaway fun!

One of my favorite bloggers is having a Giveaway extravaganza!  Click on the button to join in the fun. 
Ni Hao Y'all

In my own adoption news--I took all of our Missouri documents downtown this morning (thanks to my neighbor, Lori, for watching my girls so I didn't have to entertain three small children in the Secretary of State's office for over an hour) to have them state certified!  Huge progress! 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I-800A approval!

We received word this afternoon that our I-800A application has been approved!  In case you forgot, this is the "Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country."  So, it has been Determined that we are Suitable.  Hooray! 

Once we get the actual approval in the mail, we can finish state-certifying all the documents for our dossier, which we will then mail to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago for authentication.  And THEN...we send our dossier to Holt who will send it to China.

It is completely possible that we could be matched with a little boy. . .our son . . . by Christmas.  Wouldn't that be grand?!?