When we began the paperwork for our baby, the wait time was 9-18 months. Now, families going to get their babies have experienced a 4+ year wait. A year ago, not feeling much hope about the whole process, and bounding towards my 40th birthday, I filled out a "waiting child" form with my adoption agency. A waiting child is a child with special needs, ranging from very mild to very severe. I have to admit there were very few special needs that I could bring myself to check, but club feet was one. I didn't know much about that particular disability except that if treatment was performed early on, club feet could be corrected, somewhat easily. If several castings and a brace is what you could call easy. And for our family... it is!
Summer break was in its third week, VBS was behind us, just lazy days by the pool and a week-long trip to the beach were what the next 2 months held. I was happy.
On Monday night, June 21, at approximately 10:00 pm, Brian was on the phone and got another call beeping in from Austin, TX. Brian was kind enough to yell and ask if I knew anyone in Austin that may be calling me, as we usually chalk unknown numbers up to solicitors, but I said no and he didn't answer it. Well, at 10:30 pm, Austin, TX calls back. Still with no recollection of anyone from there...hey, it's been 4 YEARS... I decide to answer anyway. Hey, if it's someone wanting me to help send the Brownies to Gatlinburg, I can hang up, right?
I'm sure you've already guessed... it was our adoption agency... saying that they had matched our family with a 5 mos. old baby girl and for me to look at her picture on an email she'd just sent me. WHAT??? The first picture to come up was just a tiny little picture, looked like a passport photo, and she couldn't have been more than a month or two old. But I could already tell, she was beautiful. Of course, I still couldn't wrap my head around what was happening, again, it's been 4 YEARS, but as I scanned over her other photos, the xrays of her tiny feet, and her medical report (not all in Chinese, thank goodness) I got so excited and hopeful. After getting off the phone, there was actual jumping up and down.
We have a baby bed--- in a box. We have the full and complete collection of Daisy Garden from Pottery Barn Kids, down to the matching night light. I have 2 Chinese baby dolls in the closet. But over the course of these past 4 years, I'd gone days at a time without thinking about these things and whether they would ever be put to use. But here I was, on this random Monday night- 11 pm- hopeful again.
Stephanie at my agency told me that I had 48 hours to have a doctor review the baby's medical file, make a decision and get back with them. No, I didn't sleep that night. And the next day was just a whirlwind of calls and emails and soul searching and anxiety. I could tell that Brian would be on board, although he is not the "jump up in the air" kinda guy. But the man loves kids. Owen was saying, "NO, I just want to be an only child now". But I told him that since he brings no income into the home, he gets no vote. I know my child and I knew that he would be on board in no time.
I think he'd just given up. My seventh grader was only a second grader when we began this process.
After talking to Dr. Chambers at UAB (I love her!), talking to Brian and our family, that Wednesday night I let the agency know that we were full steam ahead and got busy with the needed paperwork. Let me tell you, there is paperwork involved in international adoption. Wow. I sent our letter of intent to China. We got our pre-approval from the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) back in 2 weeks, had some more paperwork to send off, then we got our formal letter of acceptance, called an LSC or LOA, back in just a week. (Accronyms...another characteristic of international adoption. Brian never knows what I'm talking about.)
Sooooo, this is where we are now. We signed our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) Tuesday, July 13 and overnighted it back to Texas on Wednesday. Now, we are waiting for our travel approval. Hopefully, we will be traveling to China, my mother in law and I, in September.
It still seems surreal...I'm getting my baby girl.
What a difference a day makes.
Gina
We received our LOA (letter of Acceptance) on Tuesday, July 13th. These are photos of my family appeasing me by posing with said document. I don't know what all that Chinse writing said, but the LOA is the official response from the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) stating that they are approving our adoption of Jameson. The wait time for families to receive this document was told to me as 30-100 days-- we got it in 11 DAYS! I'm hoping and praying that this is setting a precedent with all things adoption. Pray for our baby girl and that we are able to bring her home as soon as possible.
