ADOPTION IS FINAL!!!!!!!!!!

This morning (Tuesday morning) we went back to the civil affairs office to finalize the adoption. Of course, my camera battery died half way through. No problem, I got out the small back up camera. But for some reason, those pics won't upload to my computer. So, these are all we have to share right now.

In the van on the way there.

This is the exact place where we met yesterday! (Her grumpy face is amusing to us, b/c she never looks like that unless the camera is out). The first thing we did at the civil affairs office was take a family picture.
Next, we went in front of an official for an interview. They asked us a couple of questions to verify we knew she is considered special needs, and has some medical diagnoses. Eric and I put our red thumbprint on top of our signature, and Tessa did her right handprint on the paper. When we were done with that, they said, "It's final-She's yours!!!". That was definitely a moment I never want to forget.
Then we went in front of another official for a notary. The pics of that are on the other memory card, but that was cool b/c we were at a big round table with other families. Numerous officials sit on the inside of the table, while many adoptions are finalized. It was so neat to watch families being made!!!

This pic is in the van on the way to Carrefour.(Walmart)

Itinerary

12/1 0710am-Leave Charlotte

12/2 3:40pm arrive Beijing.

12/3 and 12/4 Tour Beijing

Dec.04 Flying from Beijing to Changsha (flight arranged by family themselves)

Staying at Dolton International Hotel

Dec.05 Meeting the child

Dec.06 Registration and Notarization

Dec.07 The Provincial Museum

Dec.08 The Embroidery Museum

Dec.09 The Yue Lu Academy

Getting passport

Flying to Guangzhou by CZ 3166 (1940/ 2050)

Staying at Shifu Holiday Inn in Guangzhou

Dec.10 Photo taking, medical check and TB test

Dec.11 The Yuntai Garden

Dec.12 Getting the medical report

The Six Banyan Temple

Dec.13 Visa application and Oath-taking

Dec.14 Getting visa

Going to Hong Kong by train T 819 at 18:20

12/15 Victoria's Peak in Hong Kong

12/16 Leave HKG, arrive Charlotte at 7pm.

TA!TA!TA!TA!

You read that right, we received our TA in 8 days!!!!!! That's super duper short in the grand scheme of TA waiting. We could theoretically go to China the last two weeks of November. But, we already have plans and plane tickets to go to Buffalo for Thanksgiving, so we are going to stick with that original plan. We won't be doing any traveling with Tessa for a while, so we really want to take this trip while we can. We are likely leaving December 1st. We've made a request for a consulate appointment on December 13. I hope to have a finalized itinerary by the middle of next week. We are so excited and pretty prepared for the trip. Tessa's stuff is organized and packed. I have Eric and I organized (by lists) but we can't pack until we return from Thanksgiving in NY.

Now to finish buying Christmas presents, and get some wrapping done! Oh, and put up fall decorations and get out all the Christmas decor!

Where is Tessa?

A little pictorial for you all. Eric and I will fly into Beijing. Look to the top and right of China. After a day of sightseeing there, we will fly to Changsha. Look below Beijing, a little over halfway to the bottom of the country. See it? That's where our girl is! We will spend 6 days in Changsha. Then, we go to Guangzhou. Look even further south, and then more to the right. See that one? That's where we spend the last 5 days, in the city where the American consulate is. We'll probably take a van to Hong Kong and fly out of there.

We are still waiting on Travel Approval, and I don't expect it til next week at the earliest. As soon as we get it, we can book a consulate appointment and AIRFARE TO CHINA!!!!!!!!!!

Eric and I are both going. The boys are staying here, which hurts my heart. But I know it's the best decision for them, for us, and for Tessa. Her room is pretty much finished. Pics to come later. Her bed is covered in suitcases. The packing has started. I've been obsessing over my packing list, but have recently started to chill out a little about that.

I've gotten a really good start on Christmas shopping:-) Now, to wrap it all. Still gotta get Tessa a carseat. She's gonna LOVE being strapped in that, seeing has to how they don't even have carseats in China.

Paperwork uPdate

This lovely post brought to you from our new iPad, which we are getting fine tuned for our trip. Our article 5 should be picked up this week (wed) and then we wait on TA. Thats travel approval!!! We are still hoping to go the first two weeks of december. Tessa's room is coming along beautifully, and I promise to share some pics once it's finished. No other news here, we are just crazy busy!

I800 and cable!

Our I800 approval came in the mail last Friday! I was so happy to see that piece of paper! I emailed the NVC (National Visa Center) on Monday, and got an email back on Tuesday saying we'd been cabled. Woo Hoo! That means they've sent the info for Tessa's US visa to the consulate in China. It is yet another big step! Now we are waiting on our Article 5, which takes exactly two weeks from drop off to pick up. We are hoping and anticipating getting our travel approval in mid November. We are hoping and anticipating traveling the first two weeks of December. We are getting even more excited, if that's possible.

I had a dream about her a few nights ago, that I was holding her. Oh my, my heart is just aching to hold her now. The dream was SO real. Eric and I were just talking a couple of nights ago, about how sad I'll be if she only attaches to him at first, and not let me hold her or touch her.

Her room is painted, and the furniture is delivered. We are working on the decorations now. I dropped her linens at the monogram store yesterday, and hope to get those back by the weekend.

Travel is approaching very quickly, and my to do list is quite long. I've become a professional delegator! I'm giving people jobs left and right. Before we know it, we'll be home and celebrating Christmas as a family of five. We can't wait!!!

I800

Our I800 application was approved, according to our officer on the phone. I spoke with her on Monday, and was thrilled to hear that news. Hopefully we'll get the paper notice of approval soon. Now, we wait on that approval to be sent to the National Visa Center, who then cables the info to China after putting in into the computer system. I hope to have that done by the middle of October. There's not really anything for us to do, but just try and keep track of it all:-)

After that gets cabled to China, we wait on Article 5, which takes exactly two weeks. I hope we have that done by the end of October.

Then? We wait on TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!! Woo- Hoo!!!! We hope to have travel approval by the middle of November, and be gone to China December 1-15. I guess we'll see soon enough what God's timing is. I can't wait to see it revealed! Eric and I still aren't sure what the best timing will be for us to travel. I hope it's the beginning of December, but we'll see! In other news, Tessa's room is starting to come together, and I love it!

Say it with me: L---O---A!!!!!!!!!!t

Yesterday was a phenomenal day. Our Fedex package with our LOA came! And to top it off, so did a package of hairbows for sweet Tessa, from her cousins McCall and Baylor! This Mommy had a lot of fun opening packages yesterday. So last night I got to work in the office, having Eric sign everything, and me triple checking every document. This is the last big round of paperwork. Now all the work revolves around getting her room ready and preparing for travel in a few months. THEN, the real work begins. We have the honor and privilege of parenting this sweet child.

A little inspiration in the office:

See this folks? This is the long awaiting LOA! This means China has reviewed everything we've sent and we have been officially approved by their government to be Tessa's forever family! BIG news!

Sweet girls passport sized pics to go along with her US visa application. This was her original photo in her referral file.

Did I tell you we finally decided on her full name?

Tessa Ilene Qiaohui Kirsch

Ilene is my maternal grandma's name, and we are so excited for Tessa to share her name. She died when I was in 9th grade, and we were extremely close. I know she's smiling down from heaven as we walk on this journey. We are keeping Tessa's Chinese name as a second middle name. We feel that she should always have that part of her heritage. (I know all you southerners are freaking out about how we'll monogram. It'll just be the first two names. Tessa Ilene.)
This is also being mailed today. It head to the US government to officially approve our family for Tessa. It's kinda like step two to something we did back in April and May.

Another shout out for our agency!
All of the above is being overnighted today. Next: Mine and Eric's visa applications to travel to China. This actually has nothing to do with the adoption, it's something all visitors to China need.
So, What's next?

The I800 takes around 3 weeks to get approved. They then cable the info to the NVC (National Visa Center), and our Article 5 can be dropped off in China. That takes two weeks, and we'll then begin the wait for our TA. (Travel Approval) Once we get that, we can make our consulate appointment and book flights! We are still looking at December or January:-)

LOA!!!LOA!!!LOA!!!

Wouldn't you know that less than 3 hours after my last post, I got an email from our coordinator Xiaoqing.....and our LOA is on it's way!!! That's amazing news, and it's coming earlier than expected. We now have our official Letter of Acceptance from China, to be Tessa's forever family. I can't wait to have our baby girl in my arms. Now onto more paperwork. Lots of it. Immigration applications, our Chinese visa applications, her US visa application. The list goes on. The good news it that it all has to end eventually:-)

We're coming Tessa!

In other news, I'm freaking out a little. The boys aren't moved in together yet, and Tessa's room isn't started. I hardly have anything for her. I'm sure once I unpack all these bags and boxes, I'll discover that I do indeed have plenty for her!!!

Waiting...

Still waiting on LOA. About 45 days in. Some get it around now, some wait 120 days. AVerage is around 60. I'll just keep trusting the God's timing is the perfect timing.

LID and Care Package!

On July 22, our dossier was logged in to the Chin@ Adoption Aff@irs, which means it's being translated and reviewed. Now we wait for our LOA, which is truly a LSC, a letter seeking confirmation. This is the last long/big step we wait for. It's taking an average of 2 months after LID. I'm hoping to get it mid September. Some folks get LOA in as early as 40 days, some it takes 100 days. That's a wide variety, but I'm hoping for the average 2 months if not before.

When we get our LSC, we sign it and send it back to our agency. From there, the remaining steps are short ones, 1-3 weeks per step. There are many of them, and on average they all together take 8-12 weeks. There is still a chance we could travel the beginning of December and be home by Christmas. That's my hope of all hopes!

On a different note, I've collected a care package to send to our sweet girl. I'm waiting on the address of the China coordinator, and then can get it into the mail. We are sending our package, plus emailing a letter to Tessa, and ten questions for her orphanage/foster home. That all gets translated and delivered with her package.

We are also ordering through the care package company- a camera and two rolls of film. We should hopefully get that film back when we get Tessa in China. I hope it shows part of her life in her foster family.

The final thing that goes with her care package is an "Adoption Celebration" cake. The company I'm using contacts the orphanage, and delivers it on a day when Tessa's foster family can bring her in to the orphanage. They will email me pictures of her with her cake, and hopefully the answers to our ten questions. And also: MEASUREMENTS!!!! That's huge, b/c then I'll be able to shop.

I'm thinking about 3 weeks. One week for everything to get to China, and they say 5-10 business days for the pics and info. And her being in a foster home can lengthen the process a little as well.

I will take some pictures of her goodies we are sending, and share that soon!

WE WERE DTC TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

That is, Dossier to China! The last months of paperwork have all been sent across the world, and now we wait about two months for the official approval from China. Travel ranges 4-6 months from sending the dossier over. I'm praying for 4!

So the last time I posted, I had just been told (via phone) that our immigration application was approved. It took a few days to get here, and I sent it off to NC to be authenticated. Well, they still (after a week) hadn't sent it back. That was quite unusual. I called, and they told me they'd sent it back b/c I failed to send in a check (for $10) with it. I never got that back, so I went and got another copy notorized, and mailed it to NC. Then, two days apart, both arrived back here. And both were authenticated. Go figure, b/c I never sent in payment for the first one.

I then needed to send it to DC to our courier, and wouldn't you know she was on a rare vacation the week I finally had it back and ready to send to her. So Eric had his secretary send it, and she sent it via UPS instead of Fed Ex. Not normally an issue, but our courier picks up the super expedited stuff at a strictly FedEx office. So it got sent back here. Actually, it got sent back to the Staples store Eric's secretary shipped it from. So, Saturday Eric finally got it from Staples. His only job was to go to Fed Ex and overnight it, for a Monday arrival.

On Saturday afternoon, I got called into work, and his wallet was in his car, that I had driven. So he had no money. So, now, a MONTH after we planned to be DTC (dossier to China), we will finally be DTC. And that's assuming there are no snags this week in DC. And, with the way things have gone for this one little document, I expect a snag.

So there you have it. A bunch of run on sentences to tell you about the craziness of one little document, and the last month. I will be sure to update if we are actually DTC this Friday:-)

Yippee skippee!

It is FINALLY HERE!!!!!

We have our approval from immigration! It's not in my hands yet, but I did get to talk to an immigration officer earlier today who told me we'd just been approved this morning.

I am beyond excited. That was a LONG two month wait.

I finished our collage of family pictures today. As soon as Eric gets me some passport sized pics, I'll send those two things to our agency.

I really think we can be Dossier to China (DTC) next Friday.

Here's to hoping!!!

Adoption Process

I get many questions about the process and timeline. The steps are listed below, thanks to a really nice man named Tim (from the China adoption community online.)

We sent our LOI in late Feb.

Got our PA beginning of March.

And now we are still waiting on number 3, thanks to the USCIS.

It's estimated to be about 4-6 months from number 4 (dossier to China), to when we can go get our girl!!

1 - LOI (Letter of Intent)
2 - PA (Pre-Approval)
3 - I800A (US government agrees you can adopt a child)
4 - DTC (Dossier to China)

5 - LID (Log in date of dossier)
6 - LOA / LSC (Letter of Acceptance / Letter Seeking Confirmation)

7 - I800 (US government agrees you can adopt specific child)
8 - NVC (I800 approval cabled to US Embassy)

9 - Article 5 (US government certifies that child meets Hague criteria)
10 - TA (Travel approval, issued by CCAA in Beijing to come to China)
11 - Gotcha Day (A day like no other)
12 - CA (US Consulate appointment)

13 - Home (A new life begins for your child)

Baby steps

I sent our marriage certificate BACK to St. Thomas today. They screwed up the first certification of it. So, try and try again.

I mailed a large stack of documents to the NC secretary of state today. I hope to get them back by Friday or Saturday. Next Monday at the latest. And then off to our courier in DC by the middle of next week.

We got a letter from USCIS today giving us the date of our scheduled fingerprinting. It's mid May, but we'll be walking in this week sometime, to get it done early. That hasn't been helping families lately, but has in the past. I'll try anything.

Once we get back everything from DC, and our immigration approval, our dossier can be sent to our agency. Our fabulous and amazing adoption coordinator, Xiaoqing, sends groups of dossiers every Friday. I am still holding out hope that we will get ours there in JUNE!!!!! Please say some prayers with me that this will happen. We are still hoping to travel approximately 5 months from sending our dossier. This Momma's heart will be SO happy to get Tessa home for Christmas and her birthday.

Tuesday Update

I have one FABULOUS agency. I asked a couple of weeks ago about expediting any part possible. And do you know they are reviewing our homestudy in LESS than a week, rather than the standard two weeks!!!!! I love them!!!! I still don't know about expediting any of the rest of it, but every day counts. It's one less day Tessa has to spend without her forever family loving her to pieces! I'm shooting for having the notorized homestudy by Friday, and mailing out our application to the USCIS on Friday or Saturday.

A couple of weeks after the USCIS gets our application, they will send us a postcard with an appointment date and time to go get fingerprinted. There is an office here in Charlotte, and those fingerprints are used for our FBI background checks. It's common for families to "walk-in" rather than wait for the actual appointment, and we'll definitely be doing that. On a popular message board I visit, a family got their approval ONE day after fingerprints. That is HUGE folks. A major speed up in the process:-) I hate to let myself get hopeful, but I am. I just really want our girl home before Christmas.

In the meantime, we continue to collect and perfect our documents needed to be authenticated. I hope to send the big pile to NC next week. Once those return, the entire stack will go to DC via a private courier. I am a woman on a mission to get this dossier done!

I had a little fun today, in the midst of the paperwork. I went shopping for Tessa! SO much fun! Even the little girly socks are stinkin' adorable!!! I bought a couple of dresses, some PJ's, and a few shirts. And the socks of course. I love Kohl's return policy. I don't normally do a ton of shopping there, but you cannot beat their returns! I can take what I buy now back a year from now, with receipt, and get cash back. And since we don't know, and won't know what size Tessa is, I have to buy a variety. We'll do shopping for her while we are in China, to get us through a couple of weeks, and then do the rest after returning home.

This tired Momma needs to go send yet another email to harass someone about a paper we need, and I'm off to bed early:-)

PS. Enjoy the music. I love these two songs. They really speak to me about this whole process and our sweet girl.

PS. Heard something on the radio yesterday: "If something breaks your heart, that may be God's way of calling you to fix it." That really hit home. Sweet babies without a family has always weighed heavily on my heart. I can't change the world. But I can change Tessa's world.

Where we are...

Still waiting for an update about where Tessa is, orphanage or foster home. We are praying she is in her foster home!

Still waiting to hear if we can expedite any part of this super long process.

I have my SC birth certificate sent to the SC secretary of state for authentication. We should have Eric's birth certificate by the end of the week, then I can send it to the NY sec of state.

I have my employment verification letter, and it's notorized!

We have two criminal background checks.

Two medical reports.

One marriage license on the way from St. Thomas. Of course, it has to be sent right back to St.Thomas, for the Lt. Governor to authenticate the certification. (I can't make this stuff up people. No, they couldn't do it all at once.)

Our application letter printed and ready to be notorized.

Our homestudy is done, and we should have the rough draft emailed to us about Wednesday. We hope to have a hard copy by early next week, and have it overnighted to our agency in California. They take two weeks to review it.

Once I get the official, notorized, approved homestudy back, I send it to the US Citizenship and Immigration along with our I800a application, and a few other things. And then, I wait. And wait. Approximately 45-60 days. Not a happy Momma about that one, I have to admit.

So, in the midst of the paperwork, there are bits of fun. Like thinking about her room. I can't wait to decorate a little girly room! The boys are moving in together, in what is now Eli's room. It's the bigger of the two, and it has two closets. Perfect!

Drake's room gets primed, painted, and decorated, and I can't wait!!!!!!!! I particularly can't wait until it's occupied by our sweet girl! I have no idea what I'll do with it yet. I do have some cute ideas for the boy's room.

I don't have a whole lot to say on this blog right now, since it's so early in the process. I do enjoy coming here to celebrate our paperwork achievements! And of course, if we get any updates on our sweet girl, you can read all about it here.