Missing Mia tonight

That's it for tonight. Just missing my little girl.

Traveling, traveling papers....

We received notice that our I800 was approved by USCIS, Yeah!! This document approves us to adopt a specific child -MIA CAILI BRANNON- !
Now the approval is sent to New Hampshire to NVC- National Visa Center then onto
the US Embassy in GZ China. This should take about 4 weeks to for the papers to travel to these offices for approval. Keep um moving!!!

Oh the places I have seen

Where Oh where have our adoption papers traveled...and back and forth ...and still going...

It would have been interesting if I could have attached a micro camera to SEE where and who was looking at these precious papers and my precious baby girls face?!?!

I800

You would think by now I have this adoption paper work thing down but I too am still learning the ropes. Perhaps because the ropes keep changing. We recieved our LOA ( letter of acceptance) from China on day 60 of a wait. As things go, not too bad. Then this is what it looked like next for our papers...
Day 61 or day 1 of new wait-
Fedexed LOA back to Oregon (to our adoption agency)
Fedexed copy of LOA, I800 application to USCIS (homeland security) to a lock box in Dallas, TX. There the paperwork sits in the dark, lonely lock box until someone opens up the box....that would be day 6. (I guess the papers were not lonely since there were other adoption families papers in there too.) I guess I assumed that the persons who reviewed the files were in Dallas, in the office of the mysterious lock box. The new thing I learned this week is - after the lock box is opened, the papers are sent to Missouri to be processed. Can you understand why in the world they are literally sent throughout the US???
So now on Day 11, our paperwork is in Missouri. Waiting to be processed, hopefully approved without a glitch and sent back to us. Then we send it back to our agency , then they send it to the US embassy in China... Oh wait i am getting ahead of myself...Let me just rest in knowing that our papers are out of the lonely, dark lock box and are sitting on someones desk (maybe with some pretty flowers on it) in Missouri.
Shouldn't there be a better way ?

LOA-letter of acceptance!

So we received of LOA. It took exactly 2 months for China to translate, process and approve the documents. I might add a tidbit of info that although the US did NOT have to translate our documents it took the US over 3 months to process the papers and send out our approval. Humm,,govt red tape, lack of productivity at it finest. I hope nobody from that agency is reading my blog since if you can believe this-the process is now we send back the Chinese approval notice -LOA- to the same US agency (USCIS) and they have to approve us again. Honestly what a waste of time, man power and tax dollars. So at this point this is what it looks like...
LOA sent to Dallas to USCIS...
USCIS sends us back the approval...
We send it to our adoption agency...
They send it to the US embassy in China....
China gives us our travel approval (dates)...
US embassy gives us a consulate appt. ...
We travel...!!!!
I ((think)) this should take about 3 months. So it looks like we may travel the end of May. Mia's birthday is May 3rd, would be sweet if we can celebrate it with her, but right now I just feel so blessed to be at this point in the process.

Happy Valentine's Day

Priceless. Nothing else needed!

Waiting

I know I have said that I am waiting before. That seems to be the natural state of affairs in international adoption. And I have really tried to be true to "God's timing is PERFECT" This Sunday in church our pastor was teaching on just that, God's perfect timing. We may question, get angry, get sad, get impatient, but God's timing IS perfect because He is perfect and He loves us. Over and over again in the bible we can now see "ohhhh that is why God's people had to wait, so that and that could happen first ..." Same thing in our lives.
So we are on week 6 waiting for our LOA (letter of acceptance) from China. Nothing can proceed in as far as paperwork and/or traveling without the LOA. So yes we are waiting. I just really wanted to give you all an update.
Oh yeah...this is one more thing I have been waiting for....

Krispy Kreme Valentines donuts...they are back and well worth the wait...like so many other things in life.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

What a fun busy weekend! We had our adoption playgroup here yesterday, Chinese New Year Celebration today and violin recital this afternoon. Good night sleep tonight!

Year of the Dragon

For the next two weeks or so there will be tons of celebrating in China. Families reunite after many months of seperation, due to working away from home towns. Homes are swept clean of the past and lots of food is shared by all. I am sure that the celebrations have changed through the years, just as China has changed so quickly. I am sure the older generations try to hold on to traditional customs and the younger generation tries to fit into the history of China and the China of today. If you have ever traveled to China the contrast between young and old is remarkable. Literally there may be an older man carrying his goods on a wagon or on his back on a bike and next to him a zooming Porche whizzes by. The gap between rich and poor is huge.
The one child policy for the past 30 years or so has, I would assume changed family celebrations as well. No longer are there tons of grandchildren running around their grandparents feet, listening to stories of the good ole days. So many fewer children to pass on the stories of their ancestors. Wonder what the older generations think. Is it good or bad to them?

Kisses from Kate

If you look on my blog list , I added a new one that you may like to read. It is written by a young Christian woman who is her early 20s. She is serving God by living in Uganda and becoming a mother to 13 orphans. Check out her blog "the journey" and her book "Kisses from Kate "