Here's the Story

More than three years ago our dossier was sent to China and given a log in date (LID) of March 29, 2006. The dossier, in which we requested a nonspecial needs girl age 3-7 years old, works its way through the system based on that LID. Eventually the dossier arrives in the Matching Room where it is matched to the paperwork of a specific child.

Although China changed the requirements for all dossiers logged in after May 1, 2007, our dossier was grandfathered in under the old requirements and the program has remained constant. Over the years, there have been changes made to the paperwork process for the special needs program, also known as waiting child program. There were times when we submitted paperwork for specific children in the waiting child program, but, happily, those children always went to the families that were intended to have them. Most recently the waiting child program included something called a multiple agency list. Those lists of waiting children are updated periodically, and profiles of those children are available to a number of adoption agencies at the same time. In order to be considered for a child on the waiting child list, we would have had to submit paperwork to our adoption agency for each special need diagnosis we felt we were capable of managing, including how the child's medical, educational, etc. needs would be handled. When a child is going to be placed on the multiple agency list, agencies can contact a family that has submitted paperwork for the specific special need diagnosis based on the family's LID and give the potential parents the opportunity to decide if they would like to have the child's file locked to review the information about that specific child. As the months went on and we crept slowly closer to getting our referral, we chose not to submit paperwork for the multiple agency waiting child program because we felt that we were close enough to getting a referral through the nonspecial needs program. We had grown comfortable in understanding the way the process worked, and we would follow the course we were on to being matched with our child.

Throughout our long wait, there have been many things we have learned. Most certainly we have learned that we are not in control. We have always put our trust in the fact that this would happen in God's time not ours. Well, His time came as a complete surprise.

The Stork Has Landed. We Have A Daughter!

Our Seeking Confirmation Letter arrived today at 3:04 p.m! This is our official referral. We have a daughter! We were notified yesterday that it was going to come today so I took off work, got up early to walk the pup, took a quick shower and plopped myself down on the front porch bench at 7:50 a.m. to wait for the UPS delivery. There was no way we were going to wait inside to hear the doorbell ring. They are too quick to drop and run. One or both of us was out on that porch all day long. The videocamera was on the tripod and the digital camera was ready to be attached to the tripod so we could jump into the shot. Sitting out there we looked like we were waiting for a parade to go by or that we had a beef with the neighbors about the mailbox or something and were waiting to catch someone in the act of doing something because the videocamera pointed in that direction all day. We went through a variety of weather changes in the course of 7 hours on the front porch from multiple layers and blankets to T-shirts and back again.

We jumped at anything that sounded like a truck. Four rounds of school buses, garbage truck going up one side of the street and down the other, landscapers, and even Fed Ex. But no UPS. Finally, at 3:04 p.m., I shouted, "Truck. It's here," and we sprung into action. T turned on the video, and I hopped down to the truck with the camera shouting to the two drivers, "Our daughter is in that package!" We told them we had been waiting 38 long months for that package. I hugged each of them twice. They were so happy for us and happy to get in our pictures. I know it made their day. It certainly did for us.

Shout it from the rooftops. We have a daughter!

First Look

It's Positive!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Our little darling is 8 today. What a wonderful girl she is, and we are so blessed to have her in our family. Her English Cocker cousin, Zoe, had her 2nd birthday yesterday, so we celebrated with brownie sundaes topped with bone-shaped sprinkles. None for the pups, but I know they were delighted watching the humans enjoy them.

Happy Birthday, LaLa! We love you.

Where is Here?

On Sunday, I was at church talking with a few people during coffee hour when I noticed a couple I'd never seen before, so I went over and introduced myself. They told me they were visiting from another state and were in the area due to a death in the family. During the conversation, they asked me what sort of programs were available for children during the week. I told them I know there is a preschool but beyond that I'd be happy to get someone else who would be able to answer their questions more precisely. I told them I didn't have any children in the programs right now, but that we are waiting on an adoption from China and after our child arrives I'm sure I'll be able to answer that question myself. The man looked at me with a furrowed brow and asked in a stern voice, "Why would you go to China when there are so many kids to adopt from here? It's a matter of taking care of our own."

Over the course of the three years we've been waiting, we have sometimes been asked "Why China?" and have always been happy to answer that question. We'd read an article in a magazine about empty-nesters opening their homes to children who were waiting to be adopted, we called one of the agencies listed in the article and happened to speak with the person about whom the article was written, we attended one of the agency's meetings, etc., etc., and now here we are. But, this time the question was different because it pitted here against there. Without hesitation I told him that we believe "here" is the planet, that we are all God's children, and, if there is a child who needs a family, it makes no difference where "here" is. The Bible has a number of passages about our obligation to care for orphans, one being Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows. It never mentions that they have to be from "here."


Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries - Truman Capote

April Referrals

April referrals have arrived and they include Log in Dates of March 7 and 8, 2006. Families that received their referrals yesterday waited 37 months from their Log in Date. Even though they only moved two days this month, March 7, 2006, was a very large Log in Date and many people are glad that they moved two days instead of one day. Our agency, Children's Hope International received referrals for 8 families. The next Log in Date for Children's Hope families is March 10, 2006.

There are now 21 calendar days ahead of our Log in Date of March 29, 2006. Already looking forward to see what May will bring.