Moving Along....

Since receiving our LOA, things have been crazy and moving a lot faster... As of today, our I-800 has been approved and was mailed off to us... Once received, we submitted a copy of our approval to our agency along with our DS-230 form. And we wait again... Almost there... We also "discovered" that Alexander has been moved from Hope in Beijing to Show Hope at his SWI in Jiaozuo City. While I am sure this must be so hard for him to understand, it just goes to show that they know we are coming ~ and soon...

LOA!!!!

We just received noticed that our agency has received our LOA ~ Letter Of Acceptance!!!!! If things keep moving like they are ~ we should be traveling for Alexander soon after Chinese New Year!

waiting....

Well things got a little exciting around here last week ~ but ~ that slowly faded....



We received an email from our agency informing us that we can start preparing our I800 and I864W forms - for as soon as our LOA is received, we will be needing to send in these two completed forms along with our signed LOA back to our agency so they can be submitted to USCIS...



Seeing how it was only 10 day into waiting for our LOA that we received this email, my stomach was doing flip flops thinking maybe ~ just maybe ~ we'll get our LOA next week....



Well as I stated before, that excitement slowly faded ~ for the CCCWA is closed this week due to China's National Day {holiday} so nothing will be coming from their office to our agency.

~ but ~

We are moving forward and counting down the days until we DO receive our LOA (which I am hearing can take up to 60 days).....

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ ~ LID ~ }}}}}}}}}}}}}}

LID!!!!!

We are LID as of September 21st!

Received noticed from our agency of our LID yesterday evening...Now we wait for LOA which I am hearing can take up to two months...

Hang on Alexander ~ we are coming!!!!!

~ DTC ~

After what seems like ~ forever ~ we are finally DTC on September 16th!

Now we wait for ~ LID!!!!!!

After what seems like a life time....

We finally completed our home study with our social worker & sent it in along with our application to USCIS on July 1st!

We received notice that USCIS received it on July 5th which is a very good thing ~

but ~

now we wait for our fingerprint appointments and than approval...

{which could take up to 90 days}

{another new photo and adoption update}

Here is a new photo of our precious son, Alexander {who is currently waiting for us in China}!

We also received a few updated medical reports on him and while what they are all stating is a bit scary {and trust me this is not our first scary diagnoses we have received over the past two months} ~ we knew what to expect. And we are moving forward....

~ but ~

at a very slow pace...

Looks like we hit a big bump on the road to Alexander...

Seeing how Alexander will be adopted through China's new "Special Focus" program, we are able to use a lot of our Dossier paperwork from Benjamin's adoption for Alexander. One thing we did need to do again was a complete home study and it was during this home study review where we hit this big bump.

While Keith was at the doctor's office for his medical exam, our doctor found "something" not right with his heart {later tests showed that only 40% of his heart is working}. So because of that scary {there it is again} diagnoses, Keith has been subjected to several additional heart tests. Thinking there might be a blockage or he had a heart attack in the past ~ we were so very worried and while we knew KNEW IN OUR HEARTS that Alexander was ours ~ we also knew this would be another delay in our process of bringing Alexander home...

So after two months of tests....more tests...and several doctor's appointments, we {and our team of doctors} found out that there is NO blockage or NO damage to Keith's heart! And while we still do not know why his heart is only 40% working, his team of doctors know exactly what he ~ we ~ need to do to live a healthy heart life! So with several changes made within his every day living and a few medications, we are able to move forward ~ not only with our lives as a family of five but soon as a family of SIX!

Two months later we get the approval we need from our doctor that we have been praying for. So all we need to do now is...

make sure our doctor gets that report in to our social worker....

our social worker gets the report written up and submitted for approval from our agency...

once we received the approved copy from our social worker, we than can submit it into USCIS {along with our application} and wait once again...

a little bit of LOVE from half way around the world...

{these a just a few of the photos I received from my dear friend Jen when she visited Hope in early May}


Seriously what can be better than getting a few photos of your precious little man who is waiting for his mommy, daddy, two sisters and brother half way around the world!

{just look at that face!}

THANK YOU Jen for making this Mother's Day extra special!

{and soon there will be SIX}

Yep, you are reading that correctly SIX!!!!


6!!!!!


SIX of us!


One Daddy...


One Mommy...


One six-year old little girl....


One three-year old little girl...


One three-year old little boy...


AND


One 15 month old little boy!!!!


YEP you guessed it ~ we are doing it again!


You know, I truly thought we were done. Even had family portraits taken this past Holiday because I just thought we were. Well, as my good friend Sara keeps telling me, "You may have made those plans but God just laughed at them!" And boy how right she is!


{I know I mention before about signing on for China's new Special Focus program that has become available to returning families (within the past year of a completed adoption) this past September}


Keith and I did talk about "doing it one more time" but with our agency telling us, it just might not happen, we figured it would just be the five of us. Now fast-forward to January 20, 2011 {while we were at Disney celebrating Francesca's 6th birthday}, our agency was trying to get in touch with us. While I hardly had my cell phone on let alone with me...I never got that call and once we arrived home, we were left with no power for 4 days (because of that snow/ice storm that hit on the 26th)!!!!


Saving every bit of cell phone & notebook battery I had, I was *trying* not going on the Internet at all. Half way through Day 2 with still no power, something told me to check my emails...so I did and there it was ~ an email from our agency. I knew even before I clicked on it that it was a referral. I quickly opened the email and called our agency.

I knew at first glance, this precious little boy would be better off with a family who could care for him like he needed to be cared for. With currently having two {of our three} children under going serious bowel surgeries and procedures, I knew what I needed to do to help this little boy (all the while being heartbroken & sick over it). I did have our team of doctors at Children's National review the file and within a few days (and our power restored), they confirmed my worst fears and after spending several sleepless nights, endless phone calls to my dear friend Sara and my mom, and endless talks with Keith, I called our agency.


Within one hour of making that phone call, my girlfriend (or as Keith calls her "my twin") Lori called asking me if I saw the little boy on our agency's web site that is post surgery bowel repair? I told her no and before I could get another word out (and explained to her what we just had to heartbreakingly do), she told me I must stop what I was doing and GO SEE HIM! So I logged onto our agency's site and there he was ~ our son! I felt it the moment I saw his face on my screen. I rushed Lori off the phone and called our agency to see if I could review this little boy's file. Within minutes, I had his file sitting in my mail box. I sat there on our couch just looking at the "inbox" page on my computer screen for I could not opened it. After getting a little {OK a lot} of emotional support from my good friends Sara & Lori, I opened it and I knew exactly why he is meant to be with us!


As the photos jumped across my screen, I noticed the paintings on the wall, he is currently being care for at Hope in Beijing (same place Annabelle was cared for too after her surgery) and this little boy is also from the same province (Henan) & same orphanage (Jiaozuo) as our Annabelle as well. I knew, just knew he is the one! I called our agency immediately and ask what do we do next. Than I called Keith and we waited...


{{{for you see he was not listed as a "special focus child" {even though he had several surgeries on his bowels already and is currently using a colostomy bag} so that would mean our agency would have to request the CCAA to make him a "special focus" ~ plus ~ it was the beginning of China's New Year Celebration so the CCAA would be closing for at least the following week}}}


...and waiting is what we did until 9 days later when our agency called and said that the CCAA has changed him to "special focus"! We than waited another 4 days for our pre-approval! It arrived on the 17th and while we were celebrating, our to-do lists came rolling in from our agency and social worker.


So this is where we are currently at...doing another home study, another I800A, and few other things to bring our fourth child home! Not sure when we will be traveling...my agency thinks it could be as soon as September, but after everything that happen during Benjamin's adoption, I am thinking next February. Only time will tell...


In the meantime, here are a few photos of our little boy...


ALEXANDER DAVID ZHE LEONARD (date of birth 11/30/09)