This entry is based on an e-mail/letter that was sent out to many of you in October 2006.
Many of you know the process is long, arduous, and seemingly stressful, but looking back and looking forward we couldn't imagine doing anything less for such a special person.
Picking an Adoption Agency
In January 2006, we decided on our adoption agency, Adoptions Together. http://www.adoptionstogether.org/
Deciding on a Country from Which to Adopt
There are many countries to adopt from and each country has their own procedures, policies, fees, schedules, etc. As you know, Chris and I eventually chose China. Why? Some of our reasons were (in no particular order): China's adoption program is well-established, stable, and predictable; the children being placed from China are relatively healthy and young; the time required in China when adopting is relatively short. In the end, adopting from China just felt right to us and we've been filled with the anticipation of a new addition to our family.
Home Study
Basically, a home study is a report written by a social worker on the adoptive parents (us!) that reports our biography as well an evaluation of our physical, mental, and financial condition for adopting a child. We started our home study in January 2006 and received the final home study report at the end of March 2006.
Dossier
The dossier is the packet of documents that is required by and sent to the China Center of Adoption Affairs in Beijing (CCAA, http://www.china-ccaa.org/). Along with the home study, there were 11 other documents we had to compile, most of them requiring notarization and certification at the state level.
China's Process
Here's the basics: First, CCAA logs in our dossier. Second, all the documents in our dossier get reviewed and (hopefully) get the stamp of approval. Third, our dossier goes into a "matching room". In the "matching room" our dossier gets matched with a child in an orphanage and a "referral" is arranged. A referral is the information CCAA sends to our adoption agency that provides information, both developmental and medical, on what child has been matched with us with as well as pictures of her (95+% chance it will be a girl). Right now, the time from the dossier log-in date to referral is 16 months and it is possible it will increase throughout our wait. Based on this information, we might not travel until 2008. Wah!! (Must think positive like DH.)
DTC & LID
Our dossier-to-China (DTC) date was June 12, 2006; that's the date it arrived in China. Our estimated log-in-date (LID) is July 3, 2006. These dates are important because they are used to track progress and get an estimate of how far along our own dossier is in the process. For example, as of 12/21/06, dossiers logged in before February 2006 have been reviewed and dossiers received before 9/8/2005 have been assigned a referral.
Our Wait
As we are ever so patiently waiting for our referral, we're learning about what we might experience when we travel to bring our baby girl home, what to do to facilitate the bonding process with our daughter, and what it will be like to become a transracial family. We've been learning through seminars provided by our adoption agency, magazines, and books. And we are definitely enjoying our time as a couple sans children (with two dogs)!
So here we are, waiting and learning, learning and waiting. And every few weeks Chris is checking out cribs and strollers. We couldn't be more excited and we're happy to be able to share our excitement with you.
Many of you know the process is long, arduous, and seemingly stressful, but looking back and looking forward we couldn't imagine doing anything less for such a special person.
Picking an Adoption Agency
In January 2006, we decided on our adoption agency, Adoptions Together. http://www.adoptionstogether.org/
Deciding on a Country from Which to Adopt
There are many countries to adopt from and each country has their own procedures, policies, fees, schedules, etc. As you know, Chris and I eventually chose China. Why? Some of our reasons were (in no particular order): China's adoption program is well-established, stable, and predictable; the children being placed from China are relatively healthy and young; the time required in China when adopting is relatively short. In the end, adopting from China just felt right to us and we've been filled with the anticipation of a new addition to our family.
Home Study
Basically, a home study is a report written by a social worker on the adoptive parents (us!) that reports our biography as well an evaluation of our physical, mental, and financial condition for adopting a child. We started our home study in January 2006 and received the final home study report at the end of March 2006.
Dossier
The dossier is the packet of documents that is required by and sent to the China Center of Adoption Affairs in Beijing (CCAA, http://www.china-ccaa.org/). Along with the home study, there were 11 other documents we had to compile, most of them requiring notarization and certification at the state level.
China's Process
Here's the basics: First, CCAA logs in our dossier. Second, all the documents in our dossier get reviewed and (hopefully) get the stamp of approval. Third, our dossier goes into a "matching room". In the "matching room" our dossier gets matched with a child in an orphanage and a "referral" is arranged. A referral is the information CCAA sends to our adoption agency that provides information, both developmental and medical, on what child has been matched with us with as well as pictures of her (95+% chance it will be a girl). Right now, the time from the dossier log-in date to referral is 16 months and it is possible it will increase throughout our wait. Based on this information, we might not travel until 2008. Wah!! (Must think positive like DH.)
DTC & LID
Our dossier-to-China (DTC) date was June 12, 2006; that's the date it arrived in China. Our estimated log-in-date (LID) is July 3, 2006. These dates are important because they are used to track progress and get an estimate of how far along our own dossier is in the process. For example, as of 12/21/06, dossiers logged in before February 2006 have been reviewed and dossiers received before 9/8/2005 have been assigned a referral.
Our Wait
As we are ever so patiently waiting for our referral, we're learning about what we might experience when we travel to bring our baby girl home, what to do to facilitate the bonding process with our daughter, and what it will be like to become a transracial family. We've been learning through seminars provided by our adoption agency, magazines, and books. And we are definitely enjoying our time as a couple sans children (with two dogs)!
So here we are, waiting and learning, learning and waiting. And every few weeks Chris is checking out cribs and strollers. We couldn't be more excited and we're happy to be able to share our excitement with you.
