Log In Date/ Shared List / PA

Well I haven't had time to catch up with all that is going on but here we go..... We received our log-in date(LID) of April 16, 2009. This is an important date for many as the non-special needs adoptions are referred by this date. For us, this is not going to matter. Since we started this adoption, our hearts were opened to the idea of adopting a child with minor special needs. Each week new children show up on a list that our agency watches. One week ago, on June 6, 2009, we found our daughter on the shared agency special needs list. This process is very complicated and emotional. We locked in her file the same day but had to have our physician review her medical records so that we better understood her specific condition. We had 48 hours to make a final decision and have the paper work, letter of intent, (LOI) into the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs. Our agency representative gave us until 2:30pm on Monday to give the final permission to submit the documents that were required to move forward with the adoption. If you do not get them in on-time, then you lose the opportunity to adopt the child. Lets just say, in our hearts we knew that she was our daughter on Saturday, but our minds had to catch up and make sure that we knew her condition and were ready for whatever we might encounter. After receiving a great report from our doctor at 12:30pm on Monday, we submitted our final documents to the CCAA at 12:51pm US Central Standard time.

We have found our daughter and she is absolutely beautiful! One of the most precious children, I have ever laid eyes on. She is described as being timid, shy and sweet. She has a beautiful smile and a sparkle in her eyes. We are overjoyed and thankful to God for blessing us throughout this emotional decision. He has given us a great peace in this process and we know that He continues to do so each day. There is nothing like seeing your child for the first time, whether you see them at their birth or at their birth into your family. There are no words. She is in Taiyuan City which is 300 miles southwest of Beijing. The boys love her and think she is so cute. They keep asking when she will be home.

They have told us that it may take 6-7 months before we can travel to bring her home. We are praying that we will have her home before Christmas! We were also told that the next step is that we would receive a pre-approval (PA) from the Chinese government and that this usually takes 2-4 weeks. Well....last night at around 5:45pm we received our PA from China! Only 3 days after petitioning - which we think is very quick! We are hoping that the remainder of the process will move quickly but know that there will no doubt be some obstacles to overcome. We will now wait for our documents to move through the review process and we will receive the Letter Seeking Confirmation (LSC). Once this is complete (they say it takes 30-60 days to receive), then we will be waiting for our TA (travel approval) and visas from both governments. Please pray that this moves quickly and smoothly and pray that her health continues and that she is doing well. I think of her often and wonder what she is doing. It is about a 13 hours difference in time, so when we are going to bed, it is morning for her. Such a strange thing to think that she lives a day ahead of us. We can't wait to get her home and introduce her. I will post pictures as soon as I am allowed to do so and keep you all updated on the process!