LOA Today!!

We got out LOA today! It's official and we are so happy.
Now that China has approved us,
I hope we get there soon to pick
up our little Maleia!

We have a referral!

We've got our referral!!!! He Zhen Zi (meaning adorable and precious) was referred to us and we accepted :-) Just waiting for China to approve and send their official Letter of Approval.

Here is a picture - I can't wait til she is our little girl!

YES! We got our I-797 approval today! Less than a week after our fingerprints! This is the last piece of the puzzle for our dossier. Then it gets sent to China and we wait.....We are so excited! We made a drink and had a toast!

Tuesday is our fingerprinting appointment in San Francisco! This comes during a packed week preparing for John's graduation festivities. It is the perfect time to focus on happy events. We should receive our Notice of Approval about 2 weeks from our appointment. The last piece of the puzzle for our docs to go to China (sort of - such a paper infested process!)

John is reading a great book about a father's experience adopting his daughter from China: "China Ghosts, My daughter's journey to America, my passage to Fatherhood."

Can't wait for our I797 Approval!

Step by Step

We finished the final modules required for our Parents In Process courses. It was very informative and brought up many issues that we have not discussed. Waiting for our fingerprint appointment and to get word that our dossier has been sent to China...both should be happening VERY soon!

April is here! March went by so fast - I am excited that our home study is approved, the I800-A has been sent to the Dept. of Homeland Security (how scary is that?) - We are crossing our fingers that USCIS will be pleased with our documentation as the first step to make our daughter a U.S. Citizen. We are trying to see if we can plan a summer trip to Maui, as it may be our last for a little while. Hoping that USCIS is sending good news our way and that our dossier is being prepped for the Chinese Government to receive in about 10+ days. Think good thoughts for a quick referral! :-)

We are in the final draft stage of our home study, which our social worker has approved! Within the next few weeks, all documents will be sent to the Secretary of State for their stamp and seal of approval for China. This is an exciting time, as we keep wondering which child will be chosen for our family. We talk about it a lot, and how we need to do some serious child proofing!