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Well, I found out that when you pray, sometimes you get answers right away. After my little rant in the last post I went to bed praying for God to just get us our background checks by the end of the week. I was awakened the next morning by my homestudy agency calling to tell me the state had FINALLY cleared both of us as that morning!!!! All of the phone calls and explaining the situation over and over again, playing the "medical need card", just plain being a pest and refusing to give up were worth it. I was beginning to think it was going to take an act of Congress to get that one stinking piece of the puzzle complete! The neighbors probably heard me shrieking with joy and praise to the Lord after that wonderful start to my day :)
Our application to USCIS was receieved on the 8th. Now we just have to wait to get another letter asking us to come to an appointment to be fingerprinted again to be checked by the FBI. When that letter arrives, if we are very nice, we can just show up in the office and ask to be printed that day rather than waiting for the official appointment time. After that is done, I've been told, it takes about 48 hrs. to process those prints and be given our official approval document. Once that is in our hands, we will take the remaining dossier documents to the Secretary of State to be apostilled (a.k.a. fancy stamped). Next, we overnight the whole dossier to a courier in D.C. to have our documents authenticated at the Chinese Embassy. THEN, our dossier can be translated and go to China. Once it reaches China people have been waiting an average of 5.5 months to travel to get their children. This is as close of a guessimate as we can get for now. We are continuing to pray that China will expedite Malia's case.
When you adopt internationally it is very helpful to get to know other families in the process. The internet adoption community is a tremendous wealth of support and information. I was able to find a yahoo group that was specifically for families that have adopted from the city in China that Malia is in. I also discovered that there is a program at her orphanage that gives some of the children special one on one attention with an "auntie" each day. I was able to contact someone affiliated with that organization and confirm that Malia IS one of the very blessed children that is enrolled! I've also been very blessed to "meet" some very special ladies that have met my little girl...and they took pictures! Malia will have baby pictures from when she was 5 months old! These are a priceless treasure. I am so thankful and excited that my baby is getting special attention. That someone is spending time with her and making her feel special and loved. Those of you adoptive parents out there know what a difference this can make for attachment and bonding...it could make our bonding with Malia much smoother.
I know that what most of you have been waiting for is pictures. I have finally been given permission to post them. Would you like to meet our precious little one?
Please keep praying that all of our documents are done perfectly and that they will all be processed quickly! Pray that Malia's heart would be prepared for the changes that are going to take place. This is going to be terrifying for her this little girl. Orphanage or not, this is her home, and these nanies and children are her family. This will be traumatic for her. She will grieve, the loss is very real. Pray for our family that we would know just how to respond to her needs and her loss. Adoption is wonderful! We gain a daughter, she gains a family. But, it also comes with great loss and great sadness. God continues to remind me that HE is in charge of this and that we are doing what He has asked of us. We didn't misunderstand, we heard correctly :) Thank you so much for your support.
