Big Brother in the Making

I love this picture of Connor. He was 20 months old. This was the night we were putting the finishing touches on our dossier that we were sending to China. He didn't understand it then, but we did explain that he would one day have a sister who was born in China. As the wait turned from 6 months to years, we always talked about it.  Our social worker came to the house many times, played with Connor, talked to him about having a sister. We have met many families who have adopted children from China, and play dates with these families have just been a part of Connor's life. Picnics, Xmas parties, parks, Chinese New Year, etc. When the wait became hard, or a set back was thrown our way, I would try not to talk about it too much in case it never happened.  Yet Connor would talk about her. If he saw  a webkinz she might like, or saw a Barbie in the doll aisle, he would talk about her. He is such a kind, loving boy, that I know he is ready. Ready to be that big brother. Ready to play with, protect, and yeah, even share some toys. Just don't touch bunny! or, Obi One Kanobi, or my monster trucks...and so it starts.  I can't wait!

Hurry Up and Wait!

So what exactly are waiting for now? Two things. One is a form called the I-171 from the USCIS which gives us the ok from the United States to become parents to a child from China. We have received this form 4 times already, paying to update every time. They must REALLY think we are good parents. We expect this form in the mail any day. We can't travel to China without it.

Most importantly we are waiting for our referral. Every month, China matches children with dossiers they have on file. If your number is up, kind of like the line at a bakery, your in! We have a Logged in Date (LID) of May, 24, 2005.  We were expecting to be  in the next referred group, but my agency said it is more likely next month.  So frustrating.  We really thought we were going to be seeing our daughters face for the first time, but as usual, we wait.

In the meanwhile we are busy decorating her room and walking aimlessly around Babies R Us. Not knowing how old she will be, it's hard to buy anything yet. But, it's fun to look! 

The Nitty Gritty

Paper. More paper. We have endured 4 home studies, 7 fingerprint appointments , and more delays than any LIRR commuter train. We applied to the China adoption program due to its reputation as being stable and reliable.  Sending in our application in December, 2005, our agency told us it would be a 12 month wait. Going unsuccessfully thru infertility treatments, this was music to our ears, for all we really wanted was a baby, to add to our family. After reading so many blogs of  people who had adopted from China, it felt like the most natural perfect fit for us. So far, the process has been stable , but reliably ssllloooww. We have been told so many reasons for they delay, the Olympics, earthquakes, swine flu, and also probably the biggest reason, China must deal with ramifications of the one child per family rule with a preference for boys. China is also trying to increase domestic adoption in their own country, dealing with a future generation of an inbalance of men to woman ratio.  We have also been told because of the economic boom in China, there are just not babies available to adopt.  Getting back to us, because it is all about us, lol, we have been busy raising  our son Connor.  As long as the program did not close, we felt it would happen. Years went by, paperwork updated, I think we are finally here.  Honestly, whatever brings us to our daughter, we'd do it. What's a few grey hairs!

The First One

This is it. The first one. My very first blog post. I am starting this blog to keep family and friends updated on our upcoming adoption and travel to China.  We expect our referral in about two weeks after waiting 4 years and 10 months. Our son Connor is six years old and is ready to be a big brother. When I put him to bed at night I always have told him I love him more than all the stars in the sky. We both say that somewhere in China, his sister sees the same moon. Join us here as we start our journey.