Angie got a call first thing this morning from our adoption agency representative who informed us that our Letter of Acceptance had been received. In fact, with an LID of March 14th and a date on the LOA of April 15th (32 days total), the agency said this was the shortest amount of time for any of their families.
Once Angie got off work she drove to Tulsa to pick up the actual LOA, went over our I-800 (Immigration) forms with our agency representative, drove back to Owasso for me to sign several documents, then went to UPS to have it overnighted to USCIS. Our I-800 approval should come back in 2-3 weeks.
In a nutshell, the LID to LOA wait was the biggest variable in determining when we would likely travel, as they had been taking as little as 5 weeks and as long as 10-12 weeks to process. Now, with our LOA in hand, it is looking more and more likely that we will be traveling in July barring any unforeseen setback.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
We Are Now LID!
We found out on Friday (March 18th) that we had our Log-in Date (LID) and that it was the prior Monday (March 14th). Our dossier had been sent to China on Thursday, February 24th, and was received in China on Monday, February 28th. So, exactly two weeks from arrival of our dossier in China to LID, and 4 days for that information to make its way from China to us.
Now we wait for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China. As of a few months ago, it was taking ~6 weeks or so from LID to LOA, but we’ve heard a few rumors that this part of the process has been going considerably quicker for some folks lately. That would be a very welcome surprise. As it stands right now, though, I’m sticking with the timeframe posted in my last blog entry, which puts our travel in the late-July to early-August neighborhood.
We watched The Amazing Race last night since it was taking place in and around Kunming, China. Since this is where Mackenzie currently resides, we were anxious to watch the show to look for some sites we had already gotten familiar with by other families. Sure enough, the show had the contestants spending time at the Stone Forest, one of the sites we want to visit while we’re in Kunming. In addition, the episode ended in a place in the city called Green Lake, an urban lake/park with lots of restaurants, entertainment areas, walking trails, gardens, etc. This happens to be the park directly across the street from the hotel we are asking to stay at (Grand Park Hotel – Kunming), as the hotel has come highly recommended from other adoptive families due to its location and amenities.
Not much new on the home front other than ongoing home renovations and a nearly complete reshuffling of how we store things…..not nearly enough storage capacity in this circa ~1970 house, especially with another child entering the picture, so I’m having to be creative with additional garage storage.
Now we wait for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China. As of a few months ago, it was taking ~6 weeks or so from LID to LOA, but we’ve heard a few rumors that this part of the process has been going considerably quicker for some folks lately. That would be a very welcome surprise. As it stands right now, though, I’m sticking with the timeframe posted in my last blog entry, which puts our travel in the late-July to early-August neighborhood.
We watched The Amazing Race last night since it was taking place in and around Kunming, China. Since this is where Mackenzie currently resides, we were anxious to watch the show to look for some sites we had already gotten familiar with by other families. Sure enough, the show had the contestants spending time at the Stone Forest, one of the sites we want to visit while we’re in Kunming. In addition, the episode ended in a place in the city called Green Lake, an urban lake/park with lots of restaurants, entertainment areas, walking trails, gardens, etc. This happens to be the park directly across the street from the hotel we are asking to stay at (Grand Park Hotel – Kunming), as the hotel has come highly recommended from other adoptive families due to its location and amenities.
Not much new on the home front other than ongoing home renovations and a nearly complete reshuffling of how we store things…..not nearly enough storage capacity in this circa ~1970 house, especially with another child entering the picture, so I’m having to be creative with additional garage storage.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
A Long Overdue Post
A new blog post is long overdue! Suffice it to say that I have been extremely busy working three different jobs, 7 days a week. It actually works out quite well, but leaves me little time (or energy) for keeping this site updated. Nevertheless, I will attempt to make up for that with this post.The biggest news, of course, is that we have accepted the referral of a beautiful little girl from the Waiting Child list. Her name is Du Hongmei (Mackenzie Grace Hongmei Hamel) and she is from the city of Kunming in Yunnan Province, located in Southwestern China. We received three initial pictures of her, then 2 additional pictures followed soon thereafter at our request. She has been living with a foster family since July 2010, and is a perfect match for us in so many ways. We are beyond thrilled to be adding her to our family, and eagerly await the time when we can finally travel to bring her home, most likely late July or early August.
At the time of my last blog post on October 10th, we were still putting our dossier together, completing the Home Study, and awaiting our immigration appointment. Since October, all of those steps have been completed. Our fingerprint appointment with USCIS was on January 10th, we received our I-797 (Pre-Approval) from USCIS on February 14th, and our dossier was completed and sent to China on February 24th. The day the dossier is sent out is referred to as DTC (Dossier to China) day. Here are the remaining timeline steps and guesstimated timeframes from each preceding step:
DTC: February 24
LID (Log in Date): 2 weeks (~March 10)
LOA (Letter of Acceptance: 6 weeks (~April 21)
I-800 (USCIS Approval: 3 weeks (~May 12)
Article 5 Letter: 2-4 weeks (~June 9)
TA (Travel Approval): 3 weeks (~ June 30)
CA (Consulate Appointment: 2 weeks (~July 14)
Depart: 3 weeks (~August 4)
It looks like we will probably travel alone rather than with other families. This has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, we have much more say in which hotels we stay in, what activities we do, where we eat, and what timetable we are on day-to-day while in-country. While in China we will be in 3 cities: Beijing (2-3 days), Kunming (5-6 days), and Guangzhou (6-7 days). We will arrive in Beijing first and will not yet have Du Hongmei, so we have already requested to go to Cameron’s orphanage as well as visit a hutong. It is highly unlikely that we will be allowed in the orphanage, but we want Cameron to show us those places he visited or spent time in outside the orphanage (his school, local shops, etc.). In Kunming, we definitely want to go to the Stone Forest, even though it is a 2.5 hour drive away. However, from Kunming through the rest of the trip we will have Mackenzie with us, so that is where our focus will be with our daily planning and, as you can imagine when uprooting a young child from the only life he/she has ever known, it can be quite difficult.
Now to get caught up on other things……a week ago we completed Cameron’s readoption here in the States. This will allow him to get an American birth certificate and passport, both of which he will need in the near future. He continues to do quite well in school, although he likes studying about as much as I like the Georgia Bulldogs (NOT!)! Good thing he’s a quick learner. He continues to like all things football, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are his favorite team. He even wants to paint his room orange for his birthday! He achieved his first Hapkido (martial arts) belt a couple months ago and will be going for his next one in May. He will be celebrating his 12th birthday in early April and his top gift request is…….a power drill! What 11 year old kid wants a power drill for his 12th birthday????? I might have to install an electric fence around the house to keep it safe from Cameron’s experimentation!
We are in the midst of many house changes as we get ready for Mackenzie’s arrival. We are transitioning from 2 bedrooms and a man cave, to 3 bedrooms. I am less than thrilled at my loss of personal space, but Mackenzie is well worth the sacrifice. We are completely remodeling one bathroom and partially remodeling another. Add to that all the handyman projects of multiple ceiling fans being installed, additional storage going up in the garage, etc., and the house is going to look quite different when all is said and done.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention or include a picture or two of the epic winter weather we experienced earlier this month. Claremore, Oklahoma averages about 7 inches of snow a year. The previous high for a day was 12 inches and for a season was 22 inches. Within a span of just over a week we got three snowfalls: 20 inches, 4 inches, and 10 inches. For the first time in its existence, the Tulsa World did not have home delivery, and didn’t have it for 4 days. The physical therapy clinic where I work was closed for four days…..it took them that long to finally clear the parking lot. The snow was so high that most vehicles, including many 4-wheel drive vehicles, were too low to the ground, and thus acted like snowplows regardless of their traction. On top of that, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Oklahoma was achieved in a town a mere 20 or so miles from our house as the crow flies……31 degrees below zero in Nowata, so I’m sure we were within a few degrees of that at our house. Our cove was frozen solid and, one morning, there were a couple coyotes wandering around the middle of it!
That’s it for now! I’ll try to post more regular updates, especially when each of our remaining timeline milestones get met.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Another Step Completed, One to Go!
It’s been a rather eventful week. Suffice it to say that things are moving along much quicker on our second adoption as compared to our first. On Wednesday I got an email from a Dillon representative informing us that we could go ahead and begin gathering our final Dossier documents. This is a huge step, as this and the I-800A Pre-approval are the final elements which need to be accomplished to allow Dillon to begin looking for a potential match for us on the Waiting Child list.
What are the documents that go in our Dossier? A Letter of Application to the People’s Republic of China. A copy of our Home Study. A Copy of the Birth Certificate for both parents. A copy of our Marriage License. A Certificate of General Physical Examination for both parents. A Letter of Employment for both parents. A Certificate of Financial Status form. A Police or Sheriff Letter for both parents. A Certification form with a copy of the original USCIS approval (pre-approval) notice attached. Copies of the Photo/Signature Page of the Passport for both parents. Each of these documents must be Certified and/or Notarized, and are time-sensitive (must be dated within the last 4 months or so). Since we had already been working on some of these items, we had virtually everything done by Friday with the exception of my Letter of Employment which, for some unknown reason, takes 3+ days to travel from Tulsa to Owasso via interoffice mail (Argh!). Nevertheless, one way or the other we will have this Letter of Employment by Monday (tomorrow) and Angie will be turning it in to Dillon International tomorrow. Once Dillon receives these documents, they then process them to get translated copies made as well as getting them Certified by the Secretary of State of Oklahoma. At any rate, as of tomorrow, this big step of submitting our final Dossier documents will be completed.
We are hoping that our final Home Study document is completed this week. If so, we will then send it in with our I-800A (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country) application. Once that goes in the mail, we wait a week or two to get a response from CIS (Immigration) informing us of our fingerprint date and time in Oklahoma City, usually a month or so in the future. A week or two after that we will officially receive our Pre-approval to adopt a child. In a nutshell, as of tomorrow when we turn in our dossier documents, the CIS step just outlined is the final piece of the puzzle…..at least until accepting the referral of a child. Once that happens, the paperwork chase begins anew!
On a lighter note…..as you can see below, Cameron played paintball for the first time yesterday and had a blast. The family of a boy in Cammo’s class owns a large paintball facility in Collinsville, OK, and celebrated their son’s birthday there. A good time was had by all.
Cameron is really starting to ask a lot of questions about the second adoption and seems much more accepting and, dare I say, excited about it now. It has taken a lot of reassurance on our part to convince him that he neither needs to feel threatened about his place in the family, nor will he be expected to assume responsibilities toward his sibling that are more appropriately shouldered by the parents. It has taken quite a while to get to this point, but he’s been a trooper about talking and working through his feelings related to this second adoption.
What are the documents that go in our Dossier? A Letter of Application to the People’s Republic of China. A copy of our Home Study. A Copy of the Birth Certificate for both parents. A copy of our Marriage License. A Certificate of General Physical Examination for both parents. A Letter of Employment for both parents. A Certificate of Financial Status form. A Police or Sheriff Letter for both parents. A Certification form with a copy of the original USCIS approval (pre-approval) notice attached. Copies of the Photo/Signature Page of the Passport for both parents. Each of these documents must be Certified and/or Notarized, and are time-sensitive (must be dated within the last 4 months or so). Since we had already been working on some of these items, we had virtually everything done by Friday with the exception of my Letter of Employment which, for some unknown reason, takes 3+ days to travel from Tulsa to Owasso via interoffice mail (Argh!). Nevertheless, one way or the other we will have this Letter of Employment by Monday (tomorrow) and Angie will be turning it in to Dillon International tomorrow. Once Dillon receives these documents, they then process them to get translated copies made as well as getting them Certified by the Secretary of State of Oklahoma. At any rate, as of tomorrow, this big step of submitting our final Dossier documents will be completed.
We are hoping that our final Home Study document is completed this week. If so, we will then send it in with our I-800A (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country) application. Once that goes in the mail, we wait a week or two to get a response from CIS (Immigration) informing us of our fingerprint date and time in Oklahoma City, usually a month or so in the future. A week or two after that we will officially receive our Pre-approval to adopt a child. In a nutshell, as of tomorrow when we turn in our dossier documents, the CIS step just outlined is the final piece of the puzzle…..at least until accepting the referral of a child. Once that happens, the paperwork chase begins anew!
On a lighter note…..as you can see below, Cameron played paintball for the first time yesterday and had a blast. The family of a boy in Cammo’s class owns a large paintball facility in Collinsville, OK, and celebrated their son’s birthday there. A good time was had by all.
Cameron is really starting to ask a lot of questions about the second adoption and seems much more accepting and, dare I say, excited about it now. It has taken a lot of reassurance on our part to convince him that he neither needs to feel threatened about his place in the family, nor will he be expected to assume responsibilities toward his sibling that are more appropriately shouldered by the parents. It has taken quite a while to get to this point, but he’s been a trooper about talking and working through his feelings related to this second adoption.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A New Day Dawns
It was little more than a year ago that we returned home from Beijing after completing our adoption of a wonderful little guy named Dang Niu, whose adopted name became Cameron Niu Hamel. The last year has been extremely challenging, yet intensely rewarding, and we have truly been blessed beyond our expectations. Those of you have adopted internationally will know just how loaded, yet accurate that last sentence is.
Ever since Angie and I first discussed the possibility of adopting, we always envisioned two children. After hitting the one year mark following Cameron’s adoption, we had a chance to reflect a bit and decided the time was right to begin the process anew. We emailed a group of 50 or so individuals (family and friends) in mid-August informing them of our plans and, since that time, I have intended to both update the blog and begin posting regularly once again.
Here’s where things stand as of October 3rd……. Since we transferred our original dossier to another agency to complete Cammo’s adoption, we have had a file with Dillon International that we had two years to reactivate, thus saving both time and money with the process. Once we reactivated his file in early August we had to update all of our information (still a rather lengthy process). We completed that about a month ago. Then, we had a series of 4 Home Study sessions to complete spread over a month or so, whereby we met with our Social Worker (Rebecca) both individually and together to go over everything imaginable. Our last Home Study meeting was yesterday. Now it will take Rebecca a couple weeks to write up our Home Study, at which time we will send in a copy along with our I-800 Preapproval application to USCIS (Immigration). Then we will get a letter back from CIS informing us of when our appointment is in Oklahoma City to get fingerprinted. Following that appointment and a week or two wait, we will receive a notice that CIS has preapproved us to adopt a child. We anticipate all of this will be completed sometime around the end of 2010. Until that time, we are just completing paperwork and waiting, but that all changes once we get our Preapproval.
For our second adoption we are on the Special Needs track. This means that we have completed a detailed medical form and spoken at length to our Social Worker about what types of Special Need we are comfortable with in any child we might adopt. China has what is called a Waiting Child List that is updated online about once a month. Dillon representatives will go through this list and, combined with our detailed medical form, information from the Home Study, what they know about us, and much prayer, they will look for a good match. Once they think they may have found a match they will call us with some basic information about the child. If we are still interested, a more complete medical file, photographs and other information is made available to us for several days and, during that time, we can review the file ourselves and/or with medical professionals. If we are still interested, we can accept the child, at which point we begin the arduous process of completing the months-long paperwork process before traveling to bring our new child home. We hope to travel back to China for this second adoption sometime next summer, but this is merely a ballpark timeframe at this point. For now, we wait!
A quick update on the family…….Cammo is now 6 weeks into his first year of school in America. Hard to believe he knew virtually no English a mere 14 months ago, yet is now making all A’s and B’s, including high A’s in both Science and Math, in the third grade at a very rigorous private school. What’s more amazing is that he has aced his first 6 Spelling tests and is one of the top three kids in his class with his AR (advanced reading) status. He still struggles with some specific areas, but is well on his way to adjusting to his new academic environment. He hates homework, but what kid doesn’t??? He continues to take weekly Karate lessons and is still enamored with all things football.
Angie and I are pretty much occupied with our jobs, helping Cammo with schoolwork, and working toward this second adoption. There is very little time for much else!
I will plan to post updates to this blog every week or two now!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Return of the Pelicans
What a title for a blog entry. What does it mean? Well, every spring and fall brings a large migration of pelicans through Oklahoma which is a great indicator that the season is about to change. Last weekend we saw the first of the fall pelicans from our deck, and there are even more in our cove this weekend. Looks like fall is upon us.
It has been an eventful week for Cameron. While visiting his cousins on Thursday (while Dad was watching his beloved Yellow Jackets get trounced by Miami) he decided on his own that he was ready to ride a bike without training wheels. He promptly got on his cousins old bike which is very small and proceeded to just take off on it. Since it is so low to the ground, he can easily bail out when he’s about to crash. So…..we have now raised the seat a bit and he’s riding it all over the place. As you can see from the picture, it is clearly a girls bike, but he couldn’t care less. He has loaded the basket on the front with a newspaper, mail and his football. He likes to ride by the mailboxes out front and pause briefly to deliver the mail. Very cute! Soon he will be riding his own bike.
His swim lessons continue to go well. He is really enjoying them and is beginning to put the pieces together. It will still be a while before he is actually swimming, but his progress is noteworthy. He ought to be swimming like a dolphin by next summer!
This week he had another dental appointment. At this appointment they fixed his front tooth that was partially decayed. This was obvious to see every time he smiled, so now he has a wonderful smile with no blemishes.
This week he went to his first Pep Rally at his cousins’ school and evidently had a great time. Afterwards, he and Angie went shopping at a local consignment store and came away with a great deal on a Halloween costume for him…..Spiderman! He has really enjoyed donning this for everyone to see, and is so proud of it that he has it hanging on the wall in his bedroom. He loves putting it on and then acting like a fierce fighter, mostly with martial arts type noises and moves (he has yet to learn of Spidie’s actual superhero powers, although I doubt it will make a difference.......he'll be inclined to stick with his Chinese version of Spiderman!).
Tuesday was a very busy day. We had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor concerning his feet. We got some good baseline weightbearing radiographs, and are in the process of setting up an appointment with a doctor who specializes in the care of club feet. We are doubtful anything will need to be done right now, as his feet cause him no discomfort or limitation, but want these contacts in place should anything need to be addressed down the road. Following his swim lesson Tuesday evening we finally stopped by Wally World and got him a new MP3. It is at least comparable to his old one in features, but the data we lost on his old one is irreplaceable and priceless. Nevertheless, he seems to like the new one just fine. This one also has an FM radio built in, so that’s something he enjoys. The language can be changed on the MP3, so he has it switched to Chinese. We really like this, as it helps us in encouraging him to retain his mother tongue in reading, writing and speaking. As if Tuesday wasn’t busy enough, we also stopped by the local library and got him his first library card and books to read. Part of his daily schooling now includes reading, although these are the most simple of books…..it’s a good starting point. He especially likes Dr. Seuss!
We are currently following the blogs of two families we have come to know who are currently in China completing the adoptions of their Hope Project children. Our experiences while in China adopting an older child seem to mirror theirs quite closely, both the joys and struggles. Cameron currently talks with 2 of the other Hope Project children who have returned to America, while we are planning to call the third for the first time tonight. Cameron looks forward to calling the 2 children in China upon their return to the States in a couple weeks, which will make 6 children in all that have returned so far. Additionally, there are a few more families traveling next month, including one family who lives about an hour away who will be returning with 2 Hope Project children. It is heartwarming to see and listen to these children talk to each other and compare experiences and situations now that they are with their new families.
All is continuing to go quite well with Cameron’s homeschooling. His math has gotten much better, and he now breezes through the flash cards quite quickly. The alphabet and Pledge of Allegiance are now memorized. He is reading simple sentences, although comprehension is still fairly low. His vocabulary is steadily increasing, as is his written ability.
It has been an eventful week for Cameron. While visiting his cousins on Thursday (while Dad was watching his beloved Yellow Jackets get trounced by Miami) he decided on his own that he was ready to ride a bike without training wheels. He promptly got on his cousins old bike which is very small and proceeded to just take off on it. Since it is so low to the ground, he can easily bail out when he’s about to crash. So…..we have now raised the seat a bit and he’s riding it all over the place. As you can see from the picture, it is clearly a girls bike, but he couldn’t care less. He has loaded the basket on the front with a newspaper, mail and his football. He likes to ride by the mailboxes out front and pause briefly to deliver the mail. Very cute! Soon he will be riding his own bike.
His swim lessons continue to go well. He is really enjoying them and is beginning to put the pieces together. It will still be a while before he is actually swimming, but his progress is noteworthy. He ought to be swimming like a dolphin by next summer!
This week he had another dental appointment. At this appointment they fixed his front tooth that was partially decayed. This was obvious to see every time he smiled, so now he has a wonderful smile with no blemishes.
This week he went to his first Pep Rally at his cousins’ school and evidently had a great time. Afterwards, he and Angie went shopping at a local consignment store and came away with a great deal on a Halloween costume for him…..Spiderman! He has really enjoyed donning this for everyone to see, and is so proud of it that he has it hanging on the wall in his bedroom. He loves putting it on and then acting like a fierce fighter, mostly with martial arts type noises and moves (he has yet to learn of Spidie’s actual superhero powers, although I doubt it will make a difference.......he'll be inclined to stick with his Chinese version of Spiderman!).
Tuesday was a very busy day. We had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor concerning his feet. We got some good baseline weightbearing radiographs, and are in the process of setting up an appointment with a doctor who specializes in the care of club feet. We are doubtful anything will need to be done right now, as his feet cause him no discomfort or limitation, but want these contacts in place should anything need to be addressed down the road. Following his swim lesson Tuesday evening we finally stopped by Wally World and got him a new MP3. It is at least comparable to his old one in features, but the data we lost on his old one is irreplaceable and priceless. Nevertheless, he seems to like the new one just fine. This one also has an FM radio built in, so that’s something he enjoys. The language can be changed on the MP3, so he has it switched to Chinese. We really like this, as it helps us in encouraging him to retain his mother tongue in reading, writing and speaking. As if Tuesday wasn’t busy enough, we also stopped by the local library and got him his first library card and books to read. Part of his daily schooling now includes reading, although these are the most simple of books…..it’s a good starting point. He especially likes Dr. Seuss!
We are currently following the blogs of two families we have come to know who are currently in China completing the adoptions of their Hope Project children. Our experiences while in China adopting an older child seem to mirror theirs quite closely, both the joys and struggles. Cameron currently talks with 2 of the other Hope Project children who have returned to America, while we are planning to call the third for the first time tonight. Cameron looks forward to calling the 2 children in China upon their return to the States in a couple weeks, which will make 6 children in all that have returned so far. Additionally, there are a few more families traveling next month, including one family who lives about an hour away who will be returning with 2 Hope Project children. It is heartwarming to see and listen to these children talk to each other and compare experiences and situations now that they are with their new families.
All is continuing to go quite well with Cameron’s homeschooling. His math has gotten much better, and he now breezes through the flash cards quite quickly. The alphabet and Pledge of Allegiance are now memorized. He is reading simple sentences, although comprehension is still fairly low. His vocabulary is steadily increasing, as is his written ability.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
A Long Overdue Update
It has taken me way too long to get this blog post out, but with all the additional demands on my time, it is difficult to find the time to sit down and write uninterrupted, especially with my tendency to write lengthy posts. If you are only interested in viewing updated pictures, please scroll down to the bottom of this post, as I have uploaded a couple dozen.
We have now been home for about 5 weeks, and all continues to go remarkably well. That is not to say that we have not had any challenges to face, but rather that things are following a “best-case” scenario. Cameron is a remarkable little boy, with loads of personality and charm.
Cameron is adjusting to his new home and family life fairly well. He continues to be very affectionate, always ready to jump on your lap to see what you are doing or to just snuggle. He is also very helpful; if he sees you doing some menial task, he jumps right in to help without being asked. He does best with a fairly busy schedule; if there is too much dead time he gets bored quickly. There are not too many toys he likes playing with. He prefers either video games or anything mechanical. A week or so ago he bought a little remote controlled helicopter with his own money and he has enjoyed playing with it outside. He does not care for any organized sports at this point. While initially quite afraid of water, he loves to play at almost any pool now, and is set to begin swimming lessons at the YMCA this week. We have even taken him out on our Sea Doo a couple times and he really enjoys it.
The initial barrage of medical and dental testing is nearly done. So far he has had 4 teeth pulled and is set to have two more capped or filled at his next appointment. The dentist says this should set him up nicely for when his adult teeth come in. His dental hygiene is getting much better, and he now brushes twice a day, uses mouthwash, and is even flossing a little. I’m sure this is quite a change from his hygiene in China. He still doesn’t know what to think of the Tooth Fairy, and he had to write her a note to make sure she didn’t take his teeth when she visited. For some reason, he also seems to think that Mother has something to do with the Tooth Fairy. Hmmmmm……Christmas and Santa Claus may get interesting this year!
Medically, he has had his initial checkup and it only required him to get one immunization shot. We have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor next week to take a look at his feet, mainly just to get a good baseline at age 10 in case he develops any feet-related problems down the road. He is quite healthy and has not had a single incidence of sickness in the 7+ weeks he has been in our family. A couple weeks ago he was able to “tell” us through the translator and gestures that he was 5 years old when he had his feet operated on. For those who are unaware, Cameron was born with bilateral club feet but, following surgery, has no limitations (running, jumping, etc.). He proceeded to walk around the living room a few times to show us how he walked up until his surgery. With his feet drawn in he was walking on the outside edges of his feet (similar to a position one gets in with an inversion ankle sprain). Up until that time, we were unaware of how old he had been when his surgery occurred, as it was not included in any of his medical file documents. He also has another scar on the outside aspect of one thigh. He related to us that this scar was caused by a burn when he came in contact with some sort of heater or radiator, also at about 5 years of age.
Angie began homeschooling Cameron several weeks ago and, after some initial difficulties, he seems to be settling in with the concept just fine. He knows his ABC’s and has begun “reading” simple words and phrases with some assistance. His vocabulary continues to grow by the day, and communication is not too difficult anymore, with the exception of anything requiring more detailed explaining or more conceptual thinking. We seldom use the handheld electronic translator anymore. He is currently counting to upwards of forty, and we are working on simple addition and subtraction with him right now. He has really improved on this in just the two weeks or so that we have been working on it. Angie has also been working with him on more everyday needs with communication such as time (he only knew digital time), money, directions, body parts, and household objects. We have also joined a local Homeschooling Cooperative in Owasso which is a valuable resource to use and provides many opportunities for extracurricular events, social gatherings, etc. It remains our intention to homeschool Cameron this year and then enroll him in private school (hopefully at Lincoln C.S.) next year.
Cameron has experienced a number of firsts since moving to the States. A couple weeks ago I took him to the Will Rogers Fly-in, and he enjoyed a morning of watching airplanes taking off and landing up close, climbing in/over a fire truck and ambulance, and playing on a Jupiter Jump. He has also experienced his first ice cream truck (I would have loved to know what he was thinking when that happened!), and now it’s our summer Sunday evening ritual to await the sound of the approaching ice cream truck so that Cammo can choose his treat for the week. One funny first that happened about a week after our return was when (unbeknownst to us until it happened) he encountered his first water fountain at the YMCA. He looked up at me like the water fountain was the strangest thing around, and we were crazy for slurping water from it. Upon reflection, though, it became apparent to us that due to a lack of drinkability of tap water in Beijing, he had probably never encountered a water fountain before. Now we point them out to him all the time, but he still won’t drink from them yet.
Cammo seems to think he’s some sort of fashion guru. He is adamant about selecting his own clothes, although his matching abilities could use some practice, and he can primp with the best of them. He takes great pride in his ability to apply gel to his hair and get it looking just right, especially with a swirl in the front. He will then put on his sunglasses and flash a peace sign to Angie and I like he is quite cool and proud of himself. He’s going to be a handful when he’s old enough to date! And when he starts belting out music and begins furiously playing an air guitar, it’s a sight to behold! I’ll have to catch that on video for posterity.
Cameron keeps his room impeccably clean and neat. He even dusts off all the surfaces! I’m not sure I’ve ever known a 10 year old that kept their room so clean…..it’s the cleanest in the house. He is also tremendously helpful. If I’m out mowing the lawn, he wants to be out raking and edging without being told. If I’m below the bluff clearing and burning debris, he has to have his own little burn pile, bring me the tools I need and bring water periodically to keep me from getting too hot. If Angie starts to clean the house for guests, he jumps right in and starts washing windows, vacuuming floors or putting things away. Once again, all without being told. Friday evening he decided on his own that he was going to clear the grass from all the cracks in our driveway. He worked on it for an hour or so, then said he’d finish the next day. Sure enough, the next morning, before he had even changed out of his pajamas and without the slightest reminder from either Angie or I, he went out and spent another hour pulling up the rest of the grass and then sweeping the whole driveway. Quite an amazing little guy. He kept telling us that the dogs needed a bath, so we had to bathe them outside this past Saturday. The dogs were rather indignant as you can see from the pictures, but Cammo had a blast!
A couple times over the last week or so he has become sullen for seemingly no reason. At first Angie and I thought he was upset at us but, come to find out he was thinking of his orphanage friends. He has had several good cries like this and Angie and I just hold him, cradle him, shed tears with him and provide whatever comfort we can while he grieves this loss. Sometimes at these times he will have us get the notebook he came home with which had entries from his classmates so that he can go through it with us. He points to his eyes, makes a hand gesture for crying, and points to specific pages to convey to us for who and why he is sad. It is truly heartbreaking. Nevertheless, as many more of his orphanage mates return to the States with their new families he will be able to keep in touch with them by phone as he has with a couple already. In fact, the families who are adopting this specific group of children are already making tentative plans for a reunion next summer.
Yesterday we had some friends over who have adopted two daughters from China. Cameron was so excited all day as he knows them well (we have already gotten together with them several times over the last few weeks). He played the perfect host…….cleaning the house, getting the sunroom and patio ready, helping with the grill and Tiki lamps, getting the silverware ready, arranging the music, and generally helping out any way he could. Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon and evening, and the full moon rising over the cove was a breathtaking end to a day spent with good friends.
I have included about 20 pictures below……..needless to say, lots to document in pictures over the last 5 weeks. Enjoy!
Life is good!
We have now been home for about 5 weeks, and all continues to go remarkably well. That is not to say that we have not had any challenges to face, but rather that things are following a “best-case” scenario. Cameron is a remarkable little boy, with loads of personality and charm.
Cameron is adjusting to his new home and family life fairly well. He continues to be very affectionate, always ready to jump on your lap to see what you are doing or to just snuggle. He is also very helpful; if he sees you doing some menial task, he jumps right in to help without being asked. He does best with a fairly busy schedule; if there is too much dead time he gets bored quickly. There are not too many toys he likes playing with. He prefers either video games or anything mechanical. A week or so ago he bought a little remote controlled helicopter with his own money and he has enjoyed playing with it outside. He does not care for any organized sports at this point. While initially quite afraid of water, he loves to play at almost any pool now, and is set to begin swimming lessons at the YMCA this week. We have even taken him out on our Sea Doo a couple times and he really enjoys it.
The initial barrage of medical and dental testing is nearly done. So far he has had 4 teeth pulled and is set to have two more capped or filled at his next appointment. The dentist says this should set him up nicely for when his adult teeth come in. His dental hygiene is getting much better, and he now brushes twice a day, uses mouthwash, and is even flossing a little. I’m sure this is quite a change from his hygiene in China. He still doesn’t know what to think of the Tooth Fairy, and he had to write her a note to make sure she didn’t take his teeth when she visited. For some reason, he also seems to think that Mother has something to do with the Tooth Fairy. Hmmmmm……Christmas and Santa Claus may get interesting this year!
Medically, he has had his initial checkup and it only required him to get one immunization shot. We have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor next week to take a look at his feet, mainly just to get a good baseline at age 10 in case he develops any feet-related problems down the road. He is quite healthy and has not had a single incidence of sickness in the 7+ weeks he has been in our family. A couple weeks ago he was able to “tell” us through the translator and gestures that he was 5 years old when he had his feet operated on. For those who are unaware, Cameron was born with bilateral club feet but, following surgery, has no limitations (running, jumping, etc.). He proceeded to walk around the living room a few times to show us how he walked up until his surgery. With his feet drawn in he was walking on the outside edges of his feet (similar to a position one gets in with an inversion ankle sprain). Up until that time, we were unaware of how old he had been when his surgery occurred, as it was not included in any of his medical file documents. He also has another scar on the outside aspect of one thigh. He related to us that this scar was caused by a burn when he came in contact with some sort of heater or radiator, also at about 5 years of age.
Angie began homeschooling Cameron several weeks ago and, after some initial difficulties, he seems to be settling in with the concept just fine. He knows his ABC’s and has begun “reading” simple words and phrases with some assistance. His vocabulary continues to grow by the day, and communication is not too difficult anymore, with the exception of anything requiring more detailed explaining or more conceptual thinking. We seldom use the handheld electronic translator anymore. He is currently counting to upwards of forty, and we are working on simple addition and subtraction with him right now. He has really improved on this in just the two weeks or so that we have been working on it. Angie has also been working with him on more everyday needs with communication such as time (he only knew digital time), money, directions, body parts, and household objects. We have also joined a local Homeschooling Cooperative in Owasso which is a valuable resource to use and provides many opportunities for extracurricular events, social gatherings, etc. It remains our intention to homeschool Cameron this year and then enroll him in private school (hopefully at Lincoln C.S.) next year.
Cameron has experienced a number of firsts since moving to the States. A couple weeks ago I took him to the Will Rogers Fly-in, and he enjoyed a morning of watching airplanes taking off and landing up close, climbing in/over a fire truck and ambulance, and playing on a Jupiter Jump. He has also experienced his first ice cream truck (I would have loved to know what he was thinking when that happened!), and now it’s our summer Sunday evening ritual to await the sound of the approaching ice cream truck so that Cammo can choose his treat for the week. One funny first that happened about a week after our return was when (unbeknownst to us until it happened) he encountered his first water fountain at the YMCA. He looked up at me like the water fountain was the strangest thing around, and we were crazy for slurping water from it. Upon reflection, though, it became apparent to us that due to a lack of drinkability of tap water in Beijing, he had probably never encountered a water fountain before. Now we point them out to him all the time, but he still won’t drink from them yet.
Cammo seems to think he’s some sort of fashion guru. He is adamant about selecting his own clothes, although his matching abilities could use some practice, and he can primp with the best of them. He takes great pride in his ability to apply gel to his hair and get it looking just right, especially with a swirl in the front. He will then put on his sunglasses and flash a peace sign to Angie and I like he is quite cool and proud of himself. He’s going to be a handful when he’s old enough to date! And when he starts belting out music and begins furiously playing an air guitar, it’s a sight to behold! I’ll have to catch that on video for posterity.
Cameron keeps his room impeccably clean and neat. He even dusts off all the surfaces! I’m not sure I’ve ever known a 10 year old that kept their room so clean…..it’s the cleanest in the house. He is also tremendously helpful. If I’m out mowing the lawn, he wants to be out raking and edging without being told. If I’m below the bluff clearing and burning debris, he has to have his own little burn pile, bring me the tools I need and bring water periodically to keep me from getting too hot. If Angie starts to clean the house for guests, he jumps right in and starts washing windows, vacuuming floors or putting things away. Once again, all without being told. Friday evening he decided on his own that he was going to clear the grass from all the cracks in our driveway. He worked on it for an hour or so, then said he’d finish the next day. Sure enough, the next morning, before he had even changed out of his pajamas and without the slightest reminder from either Angie or I, he went out and spent another hour pulling up the rest of the grass and then sweeping the whole driveway. Quite an amazing little guy. He kept telling us that the dogs needed a bath, so we had to bathe them outside this past Saturday. The dogs were rather indignant as you can see from the pictures, but Cammo had a blast!
A couple times over the last week or so he has become sullen for seemingly no reason. At first Angie and I thought he was upset at us but, come to find out he was thinking of his orphanage friends. He has had several good cries like this and Angie and I just hold him, cradle him, shed tears with him and provide whatever comfort we can while he grieves this loss. Sometimes at these times he will have us get the notebook he came home with which had entries from his classmates so that he can go through it with us. He points to his eyes, makes a hand gesture for crying, and points to specific pages to convey to us for who and why he is sad. It is truly heartbreaking. Nevertheless, as many more of his orphanage mates return to the States with their new families he will be able to keep in touch with them by phone as he has with a couple already. In fact, the families who are adopting this specific group of children are already making tentative plans for a reunion next summer.
Yesterday we had some friends over who have adopted two daughters from China. Cameron was so excited all day as he knows them well (we have already gotten together with them several times over the last few weeks). He played the perfect host…….cleaning the house, getting the sunroom and patio ready, helping with the grill and Tiki lamps, getting the silverware ready, arranging the music, and generally helping out any way he could. Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon and evening, and the full moon rising over the cove was a breathtaking end to a day spent with good friends.
I have included about 20 pictures below……..needless to say, lots to document in pictures over the last 5 weeks. Enjoy!
Life is good!
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