So, to say it has been a while since I last posted would be an understatement....so to those of you who have asked me directly to post an update.....and to those of you who have sent messages to me indirectly....this post is for you :) So, so sorry for the delay.

MUCH has happened since I last wrote an update. I think I left off with the completion of our home study. Following the home study process, we submitted our initial paperwork to USCIS - our official request to the US government for permission to adopt from China. As part of this process, Greg and I took a quick trip from West Plains to St. Louis for our biometrics (fingerprint) appointment in the federal building downtown. We drove up three hours to spend 10 minutes getting fingerprinted and then drive three hours back. We did get to enjoy a lunch with my family and good friends....but overall the day was LONG.  Approximately two weeks after this trip, we received our approval!

We then had various documents notarized, sent to the MO Secretary of State's Office for certification.....and then most recently.....sent to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago for authentification.

In the meantime - we have been told over and over to expect a long process. Even the USCIS staff in St. Louis told us to expect a five year process (for a healthy girl).  So, my mindset was at least two years for a child with a special need.  That was my expectation until a week and a half ago....when we received a call out-of-the-blue that we potentially have been matched with a child. I'll be honest and say I had a moment of internal panic - expectations plus reality equals FREAK OUT! 

In one single moment - it hit me...we're actually going to adopt a child.  No longer was it process and paperwork...it was going to be reality.

So...here is the scoop......
Our "potential" little girl was born in March of this year in China's Henan province.  She has a unilateral cleft lip and pallate, but it otherwise healthy. We do not know if she has had the surgery to correct this or not....we're working on gathering more information.  We were given pictures but have been asked not to share them until we are officially matched...which is in process. Once we are officially matched, it will be at least six months before we can travel to China to pick her up.

There is much more...but I'll save it for another post, and I promise to be more prompt!

For those of you who patiently check the blog for updates - I'm so sorry for the lag. I tend to get caught up in the day to day and I space providing an update...even when there really isn't one to give. I know there is much interest in the process and time line. My hope is to do better.

So - the good news - we have completed every aspect of our home study. The home study is comprised of one joint interview, one separate interview and one home visit. This, of course, was supplemented with all of the information I mentioned in a previous blog entry. 

We also had to complete "parental training". This should be completely renamed. At first, I thought - parental training....I have three kids....I think I'll manage, but it is so much more. Our adoption agency, fortunately, provided the training all online....which made it so convenient. It is very nice to do this in the comfort of your own home...in your jammies if you want!  The training covered issues such as what your child will experience in the transition, the grieving process for both you and your child (I'll try to cover this in another entry), handling difficulties when they arise and a crash course on Chinese history and culture. It was excellent and I'll probably review several sessions before we meet our daughter.

Back to the home study - Now that all of the interviews are complete, our social worker is compiling the report. I'll be honest and say that I'm a little impatient....I would have liked the report on the same day as our home visit.....but seeing as it will take her 10 to 20 hours of solid typing time, I can't be too demanding :)  Our home visit was last Monday morning and our social worker told me earlier this week that she plans to have our report by the end of next week. First major hurdle will be crossed.

Then what you ask?  Once we receive the report, we can send in form i800-A to Unites States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Once USCIS receives this form, we will be sent our fingerprint cards...and after that is complete, we should receive our approval from the United States government to adopt.  After talking to officials with USCIS, this process is running around 45-60 days at present, but is subject to change. USCIS does not expedite this paperwork, unless you are adopting a child who is about to age out (14 years in China) or requires an immediate, major medical treatment (transplant, etc.).

Since filing our initial paperwork we have scurried to obtain all the necessary paperwork...and now we wait.

This week started off on a disappointing note - frustrations with timelines, etc. - and gradually improved. Each day we received word that some document that we needed to complete our home study or dossier was on its way to us. We even asked if one agency could expedite our request (their paperwork is six weeks behind) and they agreed - we should have it next week. Our hope now is that our home study can be complete by the end of June and subsequently, we can send our paperwork to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). This will start the longer wait (60-90 days) but at least our paperwork compliation for the most part will be complete - until we the get the approval :)

Then documents that were notarized (virtually all of them) need to be certified by the Secretary of State of the state the notary signature was acquired in......once those are certified (for a price of course), they then need to be authenticated by a Chinese Consulate's Office (for a price).....then they are ready to be sent with photographs, fees, etc. to our adoption agency.  But, at least at this point the documents are all completed...they are just getting approvals at all levels.

Persistence and asking the right questions (I'm learning) are key.

It has been some time since my last post. It hasn't been due to lack of content or laziness. The root reason for my absence is the adoption itself....well the paperwork involved I should say. I have come to realize that this process is all about perseverance. In some ways, I'd compare it to running a marathon. You get into a steady stride only to come across a pot hole or a drink station....and you have to either stop or at least slow down. The process of adoption is not for the faint of heart!

If you have ever once considered adoption, I strongly recommend asking someone who has what to expect. My personality likes efficiency and timeliness.......nothing about this process is either. I would like for someone to hand me an entire list of everything that I need to accomplish by a certain time and then go to work. It seems that this process is more like peeling an onion.....once I get below one layer...there is another...and then another....and so on.

In the last two weeks.....I have spent my evenings coordinating the following:

- Applying for MO State Highway Patrol background checks.
- Applying for background checks in Virginia and Florida where I worked briefly in college.
- Applying for Missouri's Family Care Safety Registry check.
- Copying our 2009 Federal income Tax Return.
- Obtaining birth certificates for every member of the family.
- Locating and copying our marriage certificate.
- Physical exams for all three kids we currently have.
- Physical exams for us.
- Local police checks.
- Writing a multi-page, multi-question autobiography (mine was five pages single spaced...Greg's was much shorter)
- Completing a diversity tool questionnaire...again multi-page, multi-question
- Savings/Checking account verifications
- Retirement fund verification of amounts
- Verification from health insurance of when a child will be covered by insurance
- Complete list of expenses vs. income for a typical month
- Pet vaccinations verifying up-to-date status
- Verification of life insurance amounts
- Employment letters - verifying date of hire, amount of pay, etc.
- Writing our adoption petition
- Writing a financial statement
- Notarizing documents
- Coordinating documents to be sent to the Missouri Secretary of State's Office for certification
- First home study visit
- Scheduled the second and third home study visits.
- Obtaining three sets of visa pictures
- Starting the process of taking three pictures of us as a couple and then eight pictures of our family with friends, neighbors, etc.

I'm sure there were other things along the way as well.  And, you'd think with all that work....I'd be nearing the end...but no...we have a way to go.  Sadly today, I found out that once we have completed all of the documents and can submit our I-800a form (yeah, I had no idea what that was until we started this process) to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.....it will then be a 60-90 day wait. Ugh. So, if I can get it coordinated by mid-July....pending the state depts. get their paperwork in......we're looking at September before we can even submit our dossier to China. 

Never did I realize how much patience played a role in perseverance....until now.

Today we celebrated the accomplishments of our graduating seniors at church. They are stepping into a new phase of life - going from the old, familiar ways of doing things into the new, the unknown. For some the unknown will be college, for others basic training and for others...undecided. No matter where they end up, life as they've known for the past 18 years will be different and more will be expected. All must decide if life beyond the familiar is a risk worth taking.

While I am far beyond my high school years, the same question applies to me today. Is the risk worth taking?

Many have asked why adopt? The root thoughts behind that question usually are....you have three children of your own - three educations to finance, mouths to feed, bodies to clothe. You could have more little ones, if you wanted. International adoptions are expensive. And, all of these concerns are valid.

Adoption carries a level of risk - Who will be adopt? Are we fully prepared? What could his/her medical condition(s) be? Can we handle that? How will our family dynamics change? Etc. Etc. The answer to most of these questions is "unknown" but we are no different than the seniors that we honored today.  We, like them, have to decide if the risk is worth taking.

As a family, we have had a heart for orphans in China - stemming all the way back to a high school civics class where I'd first learned about China's one child policy....and its impact on Chinese culture. Our plan had always been to have two biological children and then adopt - that was until we had twins :)! Adoption plans halted for a while until we had the opportunity to travel to China in April to volunteer at an orphanage. We took this time to again think and pray about an international adoption.

Almost from the moment we set foot into Shepherd's Field Children's Village, we knew that for us.....adoption was a risk worth taking.  The unknown will always be there.....but so will God's soverignty.

Our five-year-old decided to take one and a half hours to eat half a cup of corn tonight! This process was of course accompanied by a long series of excuses, whining, a trip to her room and an extensive discussion with her dad. My frustration was evident - it was a simple cup of corn....sweet corn no less! Just eat it! But - oh the drama. The mountain made over a molehill. The tears wasted.

Later it hit me - how often do I get fixated on my own cup of corn? The molehills of life.  So often I focus on the insignificant.

Each night little boys and girls go to bed - on dirt floors, hungry, cold, dirty, sick, alone or among many , scared, confused, lost - orphaned. I go to bed - on a comfortable mattress, have an overwhelming array of food choices, a thermostat to ensure I always can maintain the perfect temperature (heaven forbid I'm uncomfortable), a warm shower, access to health care (even if it is just Walgreens), and a loving family.

Thus our adoption journey begins with the orphan - in 2008, UNICEF estimated there were 132 million orphans - a child who has lost one or both parents. Of the 132 million, 13 million were without both parents. (Perspective - Missouri's population is around 6 million.)

Thirteen million go to bed each night....without someone to call mommy or daddy in less than desireable conditions....and I complain about my cup of corn.

So, I had a few friends give their opinion of the blog - look and content - and I got a thumbs up...so gulp, it looks like I'm going to make it official to the world. And, if you are reading this....something must have worked right. There are a few glitches to be worked out and I haven't attempted to put pictures in....but they are coming. I'm blogging it one step at a time!

The big news on our end - we received word from our adoption agency - Chinese Children Adoption International - that our official application has been approved! Yikers....approved.  That means we formally can start the home study and our adoption dossier (all the paperwork the Chinese and US governments need). If you don't know, China places a lot of restrictions on who can adopt. For instance you have to be older than 30, have a certain Body Mass Index (that was a fun one to figure out), maintain a certain income, etc.

Over the coming weeks and months, we hope to answer many questions that we've been asked...such as why adopt? Why adopt from China? What is the process? How are you funding the adoption? What is Shepherd's Field Children's Villiage? Etc.  We also want to use this blog as a way to chronicle all of the events, thoughts and emotions we experience along the way for the newest member of our family.....whoever he or she may be!

We have other exciting things going on behind the scenes.....that we're not quite ready to unveil....but hope to in the next week or two. So, stay tuned.......