PAPERWORK...Pregnant...

In the adoption world when your paperwork is done you are "paperwork pregnant" and believe me with the stress of the paperwork and the weight that I believe I have gained due to the stress of the paperwork...I feel a little BIG! What feels even bigger is my heart...it is beginning to feel REAL! Last Thursday I picked up mine and Ellie Lu's passport photos and made copies and then after work took our dossier to the UPS store and mailed it to our agency...this was of course after having created 3 duplicates of it. One to send with and 2 for safe keeping here.

What a relief to have the paperwork done...NOW WHAT...

Our dossier will be reviewed and hopefully pass and then it will be mailed on to China...this is called DTC. Our file will then be reviewed in logged in and then we will be LID. These are both big miles stones as once we are LID then it could be 60-90 days until we receive our LOC...Letter of Confirmation which invites us to China.

Once we receive that there is another round of paperwork and VISA applications etc and waiting and then in another 60-90 days travel to China. Of course at any time anything can change, but this is generally how this will happen in the program we are now in. So say a little prayer that our paperwork is in good order and that it is processed expeditiously and that soon we will be on our way to bring "Ladybug II" home.

Ladybug II...some details

Our little Ladybug II is from one the most scenic and beautiful places in China...Guilin. You can learn more about Guilin here.

• She is in foster care since 9 months of age.


• She was born on November 17, 2007 which was a Saturday...so she is 78 days younger than Ellie Lu.


• Her Chinese name means "talent girl"


• At birth she was 19.7 inches tall and weighed 7.4 pounds


• At 1 year old she was 26.6 inches tall and weighed 16.5 pounds


• "You Jingjing is a beautiful girl. She has bright and black pearl-liked eyes. She likes glance this way and that and is interested in everything."


• At approximately 18 months old she was 27.6 inches tall and weighed 17.6 pounds and had 8 teeth and a tiny size 4 foot...she is a tiny little sprout.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY MEAN?
MONDAY:
Monday's child is fair of face.
You are good-looking, especially when you smile!
You are beautiful inside and out.

TUESDAY:
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
You have many talents, and are fun to be around.
You dance through life!

WEDNESDAY:
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
You are a serious person, and try to change things that seem unfair.
You make the world a better place!

THURSDAY:
Thursday's child has far to go.
You have many ideas, and you want to do them all.
You will go far in life!

FRIDAY:
Friday's child is loving and giving.
You are caring and sharing. You are kind,
you love people, and people love you!

SATURDAY:
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
You are ambitious, enjoy work, and like to accomplish things.
You know what you want!

SUNDAY:
But the child born on the Sabbath day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay.
You are sunny, fun, and loving.
You bring much joy to other people!

Getting Closer...as far as paperwork is concerned

We just received the majority of our dossier back from the Chinese Embassy...still waiting on document from Houston Chinese Consulate and Chicago Consulate and then we can submit our dossier...hopefully by weeks end. Ellie Lu talks about baby sister "Ladybug II" also known to Ellie Lu as "Jing Jing" nearly daily. Just when you think she might not remember she may say..."Jing Jing in China" or "Pray for Jing Jing" or "Ellie Lu has baby sister"...just warms my heart...it is starting to feel real almost like a "growing belly", but in our case a growing stack of papers. At times I let myself wonder what our little "bug" is doing and it nearly breaks my heart that she is in China and we are here...but there is not a thing we can do but get our paperwork processed and hope it is processed quickly...a little peak into our "mound of paperwork".

Is it Different?

So many people have asked..."Is it different this time...the waiting?" and it is different. When we waited for Ellie Lu we had waited what seemed an eternity, prior to waiting had lost 2 biological babies, undergone the intrusive process of fertility treatments and were overdue as far as wanting to be parents. We started a process that we were told was 6-9 months and completed a process that took 3 years...so yes it was different...and did I mention our home was empty we had no children...it seemed all we could do was wait....at at times barely live. Also during that wait we always wondered...would it even happen? Nothing compares to being childless and wanting a family.

That doesn't mean it is not hard now...it is hard waiting. We have a picture of a child that will be our daughter...she is growing and changing every day...yet the photos show her at 12 months and 18 months...yet we wait. We know who she is...we know where she is...but we have to go thru the process which is lengthy and involved and involves the passage of time. I have always wondered how families who were part of this process where you get a picture first and then wait...how they coped and now I know...

Most families who receive that picture up front are not first time parents...most have a least one child at home and others may have many children. My point is they are very busy...they are parents...they aren't waiting to be parents. Either way it is still hard...this time I feel guilty that I don't have endless hours to document every minute waiting...it doesn't mean that I anticipate this journey less...I just don't have endless time. We have photos of Ladybug II in our home, we talk about her at meals, we pray for her and yes we have shopped a bit for her too.

We also wonder...about her health, is she growing and developing...what have we missed? We can't dwell on the things we just can't control we can only anticipate what is to come...we anxiously wait for the day the FedEx man arrives with our LOA and we are invited to come to China to complete our family....we still have several months ahead of us...preparations to make, and much time to wonder and anticipate this new addition to our family and yes it is different...most things are the 2nd time around...not less special, not easier or harder...just different.

• August 31, 2009 received our I797c...
• Dossier almost ready for sending to China...

Fingerprinting Appointment...

I had a hunch that we might get this very special piece/pieces of mail today...our invite to be fingerprinted. With our first adoption we were fingerprinted a total of 3 times twice in Nashville and once in Atlanta as they kept running out every 14 months...I am hopeful this will be a one time thing and hopefully they get good prints the first time...we are scheduled in Atlanta for the 3rd Thursday in August at 8 am....one more thing will be completed and then we wait for approval and at that point we can get our dossier authenticated and sent to China. That is when we really can start counting the days until Ladybug II comes home.

Flooding in Southern China...

Currently there is flooding in Southern China in Guangxi province where little Ladybug II resides. I will put 2 links to information and it appears currently the area of Guilin where Ladybug II resides has not been affected...at least I find no reports of that area being affected. Please keep the people of China in your prayers as you will see in these reports, many had to be relocated and some have perished. You can read the reports here and here.

Progress...

Well this adoption process has been very different than the one for Ellie Lu...first our lives are so busy I find myself up late a night trying to get the paperwork done. Next the process has changed since the Hague came into affect.

Finally yesterday I was able to send off our I-800a application all 9 pages of it with the fee and our supporting documentation....me oh my... now we wait for a fingerprinting appointment then approval. Some wait months and others I have heard jump thru this hurdle pretty quickly...I hope we are one of those...cross your fingers and say a prayer. Meanwhile other paperwork is being sent off to Nashville and Texas, Michigan and Kentucky to get state authenticated and then once that is all done we need to get authenticated in DC....I hope so much we can be DTC in September and then it would be 6- 8 months until travel.

Everyday our little Ladybug II is growing and changing and we just can't wait to hold her in our arms and look into her eyes and tell her how much she is loved....