LID Received Today!

We got our LID today!!! Our China Case Manager emailed me (not long after posting my previous blog entry) to let me know that confirmation of our log-in arrived in their (CWA) office today. It was logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs computer system on February 13, 2009. So…..we are actually 10 days into the 90-120 day countdown from LID to LOA. Awesome! Updating the calendar math, our best guess on travel is now late June (with receipt of our LOA in mid-late May).

What this all means is that our dossier is being sent for translation, then reviewed, and then approved for Letter of Acceptance. This part of the process takes about 3 to 4 months.

We’ll be celebrating tonight!!!

Put a LID on it!

Another week has passed and still no Login Date (LID). We were really hoping that it would happen by the end of last week, but ‘twas not to be. Interestingly, I received an email from another adoptive family who recently received notice of their LID two months after the actual LID. Perhaps we already have an LID but just don’t know it yet? Wishful thinking more than likely, but it is a possibility. Since the wait from LID to Letter of Acceptance (LOA) will likely be in the 90-120 day range, it would be nice to suddenly get our LID and realize that it was a couple weeks ago, and thus we’re 10+ days into the LID-LOA wait. Hey, we can hope for a scenario like this, can’t we?

We were notified by our China Case Manager several weeks ago that we would be able to get an update on our little guy in a few weeks. We sent her an email this morning requesting this update. It is our understanding that it should include current measurements (height, weight, etc.), as well as feedback on what his response was to our initial care package. We are hopeful for an updated picture and whatever additional information we can get, especially on his personality and interests.

Angie was surprised on Thursday when she went to work and her co-workers presented her with a gift that was totally unexpected, an English Chinese Translator! Since language is such a big initial barrier with older adoptees from China, this is a great tool to ease the communication barrier and transition. Families who have already traveled to China strongly recommend having one, and we had planned to purchase one at some point in the future. This is the model most often recommended (AM101). You can type a phrase in English or Chinese and it will instantly convert it on the screen, or you can have it speak it in the other language. It’s awesome! Angie and I are so appreciative and grateful to the German Corner FBO team she works with and their incredible generosity. You guys are awesome!

We spent a lot of time this week getting information and learning more about home schooling, as this is the path we want to follow with our little guy. A fellow Hope Project parent who, by chance, lives about an hour away and home schools, was kind enough to email me some information on some Tulsa area home schooling resources. Thanks, Susan! Angie is getting more and more excited about home schooling our little guy, although we still have a great deal to learn since this is all new to us.

Angie and I had the pleasure to attend the launch of a good friends church planting in Claremore yesterday. It was the first time I had ever attended church in a movie theatre, complete with popcorn! No kidding! Ricky is one of the most genuine and down-to-earth Christians I know, and we wish him all the best as he follows this calling. Angie and I both commented to each other at what an awesome job his team did at their launch. We have no doubt The Well will become a pillar of the community, and reach every nook and cranny in town to demonstrate the love of Christ. Our prayers are with you Ricky, Amy and The Well team!

Life is Good!

It has now been two weeks that we have been waiting for our LID, not including the week of the Chinese New Year. We had hoped that we would hear something as early as the end of last week, but it appears that it will be a bit longer. Since the next few months will be a relatively slow period as we wait for our LOA, I will probably only post to the blog once a week unless something significant occurs.

Our son is part of a program called the Hope Project. As one of three participating agencies included in this program, Christian World Adoption accepted responsibility for finding “forever families” for 24 orphans, many with special needs, who were residing in the #2 Children’s Welfare Institute in Beijing (BCWI). Thus far, all but 4 of these children have found their families, although the families are in varying stages of completing their adoptions. One family has already returned from China with their new daughter, while two other families are currently in China uniting with their new children and completing the adoptions.

Many families set up blogs to document their adoptions both during the planning stages as well as while they are in China. The family which has already returned with their daughter, and one of the two families currently in China, have created blogs that we have been following. We are finding this quite beneficial, as we are not only able to share in their joy, but also to learn and better prepare for our own “Gotcha Day” and the acclimation of our son into his new family.

A few things have already arisen which seem to indicate trends. The bio’s originally posted on the CWA website invariably noted that an individual child was not a picky eater. While this may be true for authentic Chinese cuisine, it appears that there is a great deal of adjustment toward Western (or Westernized) food. Apparently, however, both KFC and Pizza Hut are very popular in China. In fact, it was noted that there are more KFC’s in China than in the United States! We might be frequenting the one’s in Claremore and Owasso on our return. The orphanage children also seem to have quite an affinity for sweets. Good thing we sent our little guy some in his last care package!

Since today was President’s Day, Angie did not have to work as the bank was closed in observance (miss ya, Dutch!). We decided to do some shopping for our new son, and hit quite a few good deals. Due to not having accurate information on his measurements, we are trying to get clothes that are adjustable or versatile to wear, preferably at deep discounts so we’re not out much should they not be adequate. We happened to stop by Sun ‘n Ski and, lucky for us, they had quite a sale going on. A lot of their kid’s stuff was in the 70-80% off range and of good quality (Columbia, North Face, Sierra Designs, etc.). Most of the shorts have drawstrings so we can adjust them as needed, as our little guy is fairly small. We also got a pair of really cool cammo shorts at a consignment shop, a pair of nearly new Old Navy khaki shorts for $2 at the Goodwill store, and an OSU cammo hat for $2 at TJ Maxx. What little guy doesn’t like cammo? This should tide us over quite well while we’re in Beijing and until we’ve had a chance to shop more “fittingly” (groan!!!) upon our return!

We also happened on a neat bedroom set for his bed that fits in with what we’ve already done to his room. It included a comforter, sheet set, pillow shams and bed skirt. His room is now nearly complete. All that remains is a coat of paint (we’ve already picked out the color) and installation of a ceiling fan. Of course, I’m sure it will look completely different once he’s put his mark on it with various toys and knick knacks which more closely mirror his personality and interests.

We’re fervently praying that our LOA is expedited, as the wait is killing us!!!

The Last Long Wait Begins

Our crazy weather continues. It’s supposed to be in the upper 60’s to low 70’s for most of the next week. For us, that’s significantly above average for this time of year, when daytime highs average in the mid-50’s. Hey, we’ll take it! For those not from Oklahoma, Spring brings the stormy season, including tornadoes. No, it’s not Spring yet, but Angie and I both noticed that the air felt that way yesterday for the first time this year. Most of our really bad storms occur from around April through June. With the days getting longer, the warmer weather is quite welcome, although we’ll inevitably get zapped with some more cold weather before long. In fact, I split several wheelbarrows full of firewood and restocked our garage supply in anticipation of the next cold front.

Two years ago, we were entertained all Spring by a family of foxes that had taken up residence below our bluff. Each morning before daylight, they could be found frolicking in our front yard. As they got a bit older, they would venture out periodically during the day. I snapped the picture above while doing some yardwork. This particular juvenile fox decided he wanted to play, and grabbed one of the work gloves I had set down on the ground. Fortunately, he dropped it when I gave chase!

On Thursday we were notified by our China Case Manager that the orphanage in China (#2 China Welfare Institute) had received our care package. So…….our little guy should know by now that he has a family in the process of adopting him. We wish we could have been there to see his response. What were his thoughts as he looked through the photo album we sent him?

The next few months will be quite slow in our adoption. With our dossier to China on 1/22/2009, our next step is to get a Log-In Date (LID). This should occur in the next week or two if all goes well. Then, it usually takes the CCAA 3-4 months to issue the Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Waiting for this is the “dead period.” However, once we get our LOA, a great deal happens in a short period of time, and our travel dates should be around 6-8 weeks after getting our LOA.

In the meantime, we are doing lots of homework to prepare. CWA has enabled all the Hope Project families to get in touch with each other. In fact, a Yahoo group has been set up to do just that. One family has already returned with their daughter, representing the first Hope Project child through CWA to return to the States. Another family is leaving this Wednesday. We look forward to following their blog as they experience their “Gotcha Day” and getting acclimated with their new child. We have also joined a couple Yahoo discussion groups that are proving to be quite beneficial. One is for those adopting children from our particular orphanage (#2 CWI), while the other is for those adopting older children. It is quite enlightening to hear about the experiences others have had and how they have dealt with certain behavioral and other issues. One common thread of advice seems to be to “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” Needless to say, the personal histories of these children have shaped who they are to this point, for better or worse, and it may take lots of unconditional love, understanding and well-thought out behavioral modification techniques to fully acclimate them to their new lives.

More Progress

Our I-797C arrived in the mail on Thursday, exactly 2 weeks after mailing it in. What is an I-797C? It is an approval from the US Immigration Service (CIS) to adopt a child within the characteristics spelled out in our Home Study. We had originally been approved for a child up to 24 months of age. However, since our little guy is currently 9 years old, we had to update our Home Study and submit a revised application to CIS. Once we mailed it in, we kept our fingers crossed that it would be processed quickly, as there are a multitude of stories about how long the wait can be with CIS. Our China Case Manager had told us it should be in the 2 week range…..how right she was! We are ecstatic that things are finally moving in our adoption process. Next up? Getting our Log-In Date (LID) from the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA). With everyone in China back at work this week after the Chinese New Year, we are hopeful this will occur expeditiously.

We have acquired a Chinese language program from a professional acquaintance and friend, and have begun the laborious task of learning Mandarin Chinese. Both Angie and I took the first lesson yesterday, then spent the rest of the day saying words and short phrases to each other. Needless to say, we’ve got a long way to go! We really like the immersion techniques the program uses, and are strongly considering using the Chinese-to-English version as a tool to help our son learn his new language as quickly as possible upon his arrival in the States.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. I will be enjoying the game at my in-laws, enemy-territory since they have Pennsylvania roots and will be cheering for Pittsburgh. I, however, am rooting for Arizona, as Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt was a player at my alma mater, Georgia Tech back in the early 80’s while I was there. Coach Whisenhunt is the only 5-year letterman in Tech history, and was a walk-on to boot! Oh yeah, he was also born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, where I spent several years while at the Medical College of Georgia as a Physical Therapy student. Go Cards!!!