5/17/18

We were more than curious and a little nervous about this series of inspections that would bring a stranger into our home for the purpose of inspecting it.  I cleaned. A lot. And I prayed just about the same amount. I bought cinnamon rolls and made coffee. Sugary baked goods and caffeine make almost everything better.  Our house is already pretty kid-friendly and kid-proofed, so that was the easy part. But when you bring a baby home from the hospital, no one comes to your house first to make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector or a safe back yard.  

     It's amusing to see the parallels and non-parallels in the pregnancy/adoption processes.  When we were pregnant, we put together a crib, bought tiny diapers, had a baby shower, bought baby products, chose a name, went to doctor appointments, cleaned the house, talked to Ryon about becoming a big sister, chose a hospital, took time off work, etc.  

     Internationally adopting, we are not quite sure how old he will be when he comes into this home, so we put together bunk beds (keeping the pack n play handy), bought some t-shirts (wondering if he will need diapers or not), put together a website to fundraise and blog, downloaded Mandarin Chinese apps and made youtube video lists to learn some basic Chinese before trying to communicate with our new son, chose a name, went to doctor appointments, cleaned the house, talked to Ryon and Samuel about being a big sister again and a big brother, chose an adoption agency (and later book a flight), planned to take time off work, etc.  

I digress.

     Our home study consisted of 3 visits (varying in length from a few hours to about 6 hours each), and most of the hours were spent just talking about life.  Our prayers were answered, and any fear we had about the home study disappeared when we met Lori. She was so sweet, and we were able to be completely honest with her about our family, our motives, our faith, and our silly quirks.  Ryon had no problems having conversations with Mrs. Lori, and Samuel kept asking her if she wanted to play Legos with him in his room. After our adoption, we will have a few more visits from our social worker to allow us to ask more questions, to get more help, and to write a mandatory report to the Chinese and US governments that the placement went well, and that the child is happy and healthy.  

     With the homestudy completed, we are finally able to send in our i800A in order to receive our biometrics appointment so that we can finally receive a 797 number from the immigration office which will allow us to send our i800 form to Sacramento (but not before we send our documents to be Certified and Authenticated by the state of California--who knew red tape could cost so much!).  All of this will mean that we are cleared to adopt by the US government. Simple, right?

     When all this is done, our agency can send our dossier (full of original documents we have been compiling for 10 months) to China, after which China will send us a Letter of Approval (LOA) which will mean that we are cleared to adopt by the Chinese government.

     Some time after this, we will apply for the child's visa and we will get travel approval and flights and make an appointment at the consulate in China (People's Republic of China)

     Because so much of this is dependent upon the speed at which a file can move through international government offices, we have no clear date for our finish line.  We are guessing that we may go to China in September, but we cannot be sure. As promised, we will let you know! Seth, Ryon, and I recently watched “Find Me”, a documentary about families who have the opportunity on their China trip to visit their child’s finding place (where the child was recovered before being institutionalized).  In the future, seeing the place where his parents took care to leave him so that he could find immediate medical attention will be something special for us to share with Asher. We will be sure to take tons and tons of pictures and share as much with everyone as possible. This is sure to be a beautiful trip.

     We got updated pictures of our baby.  He’s 17 months old in the pictures, and about 18 months old now.  I am so anxious to see him in person. Seth knows that one of the ways I handle stress it to dismiss the thoughts that are stressing me out so that I don’t get all worked up and emotional about things I can’t control. It’s tricky in this situation because I can’t just stop thinking about this.  This adorable boy is about to be a part of our family. Every time I mail a document to Sacramento, my child is learning a new word that I don’t know, growing taller in clothes I didn’t buy him, taking steps I didn’t see, learning songs I can’t hear, and making memories I’m not in. I try so hard not to cry about this because I can’t do anything faster than I already am. I really want to see him before his second birthday though.  I missed his first one. I find consolation in “nesting” activities like setting up the boys’ bedroom, buying clothes that might fit him, and preparing for our trip to China. I wish you could hear Samuel pray for Asher every night and tell people about his new brother. It has been so difficult to document this journey, but we appreciate your love, prayer, support, and excitement. We love you so much. Really.

     So here’s an update as fresh as yesterday.  Submitting and processing our i800A and getting fingerprinted for this approval is supposed to take 60-90 days.  We told Ryon that if this process takes too long, that we may not be able to take her with us to China; if our trip is in the first month or two of school (August-September), she would need to stay home with her mom instead.  Well, last night, I opened a letter that is postmarked 29 days from my submittal of the form saying that our i800A was processed; our fingerprints were processed as well, and we are approved by the US government to move forward to the next step.   If that’s not another miraculous answer to prayer, then I don’t know what is. Our paperwork has been processed so quickly throughout this last ten months, it just feels obvious that this is all God’s idea, and we have nothing to stress about.

     One final request, please keep Asher’s health in prayer.  He was born with some congenital digestive issues, and we are suspicious that they may have gotten worse.  I cannot go into any detail, so please forgive my mysterious lack of explanation. We know that God is the only one who can do anything about it, so we are trying to put it completely in His hands.  If God cares about the birds and lilies, He will more than care for our concerns (Matthew 6). In googling this topic I came across a Catholic prayer that is so beautiful, “Father of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need. Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and free downcast spirits. May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and so join us in thanking you for all your gifts. We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed. Amen.”  God healed people who were missing body parts and made hurting people whole again; He is merciful and kind. This is the God I love and trust. Please hope and pray with us that our kiddo in China will be healthy and happy and protected. Thank you for being a part of this story, our community, and our family.

For you visual learners, here is a diagram I found on someone else's site that I found quite helpful: