"You Look Like My Daddy..." - 6/27/2004

I was standing backstage at Disneyland today during my event when a little chinese girl came up to me and said, "You look like my daddy!" I asked her if she looked like her mommy and she replied "No, she looks like you too...but she is a mommy."

Then, without provocation she blurted out that she was 'dopted. I asked her name and she said it was Mai-Ling (pronounced my-ling)and she was 9 yrs old. I told her that my wife and I were going to adopt a little girl from China and she told me that we were very nice and she knew that we would get a cute little girl just like her!

I found the group leader and asked about the little girl and was told that Mai-Ling has known she was adopted since she was old enough to understand and has no problems telling anyone who will listen. She was too cute for words and I thought everyone might like to hear this story...

Still in delaysville!

Something To Watch - 06/22/2004

We know, we know: it's all fine and well to talk about this oddessy we're on, but how does it end?? What actually happens?
For a firsthand look, tune in (or set your VCRs & TiVos) to MSNBC this Saturday, June 26 (Jeff's Birthday, coincidentally) at 8pm ET for an encore of "China's Lost Girls" by National Geographic. Lisa Ling (from "The View") travels to China with a group of parents on the way to get their adopted daughters. It also discusses China's growing (and alarming) gender imbalance, why boys are preferred, and the girls themselves.

Very informative- bring Kleenex.

As We Come To A Screeching Halt 6/18/2004

Well! We thought we were on the move, and couldn't understand all these "delays" we read about on the adoption bulletin boards. We are now in Delayville.

I met with Karen, our Social Worker, on May 20something for our final visit. She went over the Homestudy (we passed with flying colors), and informed me that she just needed to type it up and I should get a proof via e-mail in about 3 weeks. Once it was approved, she would send us 3 copies: one to keep, 1 for the INS, and 1 for US Asian Affairs (USAA) our facilitators. The proof finally arrived on June 11. Along with a request for information on our volunteer activities. On June 14, we got a request for an additional years Tax info. So, we still don't have final notarized copies of the homestudy. Which means we still can't submit the I600A to the INS and begin the 6-8 week wait for approval.

Today I talked with Tracy from USAA, who informs me that there is a cut-off date each month for Dossier To China (DTC) submission. If we manage to get all our paperwork (including the I171-H form which is INS approval, which has only been given after the FBI ok's our fingerprints, which can only be done after we have filed the I600-A, which we can't do until we have a final Homestudy)in by the 5th of August, we would be DTC in Sept. The reality here is that Aug 5th would be pushing it. We are more likely to make the Sept 5th cutoff, which would make us DTC in Oct. I have been reading on the Adoption bulletin boards that some people have been getting referrals at about 6 1/2 months, but Tracy says that right now it's been running at about 8 months, but it is always subject to change. That timeline would mean we might get a referral next June, and would travel to China sometime next summer.

Welcome to the beginning of Hurry Up and Wait.