Love is meant to be shared

"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." Author unknown

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2013

From our family to yours,

Scott, Winn & Charlotte Lee

34 LESS orphans in the world this year!

 "I did not give you the gift of life, But in my heart I know, The love I feel is deep and real, As if it had been so. For us to have each other, Is like a dream come true! No, I did not give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you."Unknown

I had to share this wonderful sight 34 children have been matched to their forever families in 2012! And if you look # 22 is our sweet baby girl Charlotte Lee Wei.

Our agency has been wonderful throughout the process and we would recommend them time and time again!  Thank you Children's Hope International for changing our lives and the lives of these precious children.


Click here to see the beautiful faces: THANK YOU CHI

Merry Christmas!

My Darling

My Darling

by Deserts Chang (Zhang Xuan)

My baby baby

I’ll give you a bit of sweets to let you have a good night sleep tonight

My silly kid my silly kid

I’ll make you laugh to let you like this world

Wa la la la la la la la la la my baby

When you are tired there will be someone there for you

Ai yay a yay a ya y a my baby

I want you to know you are the most beautiful

Charlotte Lee Wei you are no longer alone as your Mama and Baba are so close to coming to China.  We have waited patiently for so long!  We love you with all our hearts and we want you to know you are the most precious gift this Christmas and you are the most beautiful.

 

A "Lottie" surprise

 

 

Words cannot begin to explain our excitement on Friday December 7th we received an email from an adoptive family who we had been emailing as they prepared to travel to China to meet their son, who is also from the same orphanage as Lottie.  The "W" family from Georgia were recently in China meeting their son and during this life altering time they thought of us and our sweet baby girl.  The "W" family brought a photo of our sweet baby girl and asked the nanny's if they knew this baby.  Instantly the Nanny's knew who she was and brought the "W" family face to face with our Charlotte Lee. They found her in one of the playrooms.  The "W" family videotaped Charlotte and took the time to speak with her Nanny.

 

 

Scott and Winn,
    Hope you are well. We visited the Children's Welfare Institute on Tuesday. It was nice and clean. The children really seemed to interact well with their caregivers. We showed one of the directors the picture of Charlotte from you Blog and she knew who she was right away. She said her name is Wei.  She is absolutely adorable! She is in the same room as our son Yujiro and the Mangels son.I have attached a video and will send the second in another email.
Warm Regards

 

We look forward to our orphanage tour in February and cannot wait to pay it forward to some other families who are waiting to travel, especially our dear sweet friend Lynn Marie who is waiting for her baby Abby Rose.  The "W" family gave us the greatest gift of all!  We were able to see our sweet baby Charlotte moving and smiling and being loved on by her Nanny.  The video captured her Nanny saying her Chinese name and her nickname. We heard them say smile for your Mama and Baba. They know we are coming soon!  And during the footage the "W" family tell her Nanny's her American name Charlotte. It was the greatest gift we could ever ask for and something we will treasure and share with Charlotte as she grows older.

Lottie is LOVED

Momma with Godmother Kim & Godmother Janine

Well it goes without saying how LOVED Lottie already is, and besides her parents, grandparents (who by the way are beyond EXCITED), 2 uncles Dan & Todd, and 3 aunties Kelley, Anne, & Kelly, Lottie has 3 more VERY special people who LOVE her to the Moon and back. We feel beyond BLESSED to have them be a part of her life!  We followed the Sherwood tradition that each child has three Godparents depending on the gender, so Lottie has two Godmothers and one Godfather. 

Meet the Godparents!  Kim, one of our dearest friends in TX, she has literally been there since day one!  Janine, who is Winn's cousin and also "Godsister".  Her parents were chosen as my godparents, as mine were hers.  She is so ready to spoil Lottie Lee!  Keith, the Godfather who has been Scott's best bud for many years!

Daddy with Godfather Keith

Our I-800 has arrived!

Our approval for our I-800 was on 12/17/12 and the letter officially arrived on 12/22/12...So whats next?!

We are now awaiting our National Visa Letter and then everything heads back to China!

Her is some information about our next step!

You can use the following contact information to check on the status of your cable and to ask for the NVC letter by email once you have been cabled.

• Email: NVCInquiry@state.gov
• Phone: 1-603-334-0700
• Hours: Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 12:00 AM (Eastern Time)
• NOTE: Email is the NVC's preferred method of communication as stated on their website. It can take up to an hour to get through to the NVC by phone. Plus, a lot of the operators who answer the phone at NVC are not familiar with adoption cases and will give you incorrect information!

The NVC will email you a .pdf of your cable approval letter. There is somewhat of a science to this. Follow these instructions very carefully for the best results:
Here is the email I sent to NVC to check on our case. You can copy it if you like. I recommend that you try sending the email in the evening right before you go to bed so that they see it first thing in the morning.
Also, what you put in the subject line of the email is important. Something like this:
SMITH ADOPTION - DOB 04/15/1969 - Receipt Number SIM0983034989 (take it off your I800 approval)
In the body of your email, say something like this:
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to know if my visa petition has been forwarded to the appropriate Embassy yet. If so, please send a copy of the approval letter to my email address as soon as possible: smithfamily@cox.net (or whatever your email is)

Receipt Number: SIM080934398

Beneficiary's Name: An, ZhangHuan

Beneficiary's DOB:10/20/2006

Petitioner's Name: Mary Smith

Petitioner's DOB: 11/4/1969

NOTE: NVC may email you back and say that you are NOT cabled yet or in their system. If you receive this email, repeat this process again in a few days.

• Once you receive an email back from NVC that you are in their system and will be cabled shortly, it is important that you send ANOTHER email to NVC a day or two later replacing the receipt number in your email with your new GUZ# that NVC sent you. This is VERY helpful in obtaining your .pdf.

I-800 our next step

Form I-800 is your Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative. It's your approval from USCIS to adopt the child you were matched with specifically.

Approximately one week after sending your USCIS Form I-800 and all supporting documents to the address listed above, you will receive a Notice of Receipt from the lockbox in Texas. This letter will simply state that your application was received! It will list the date it arrived at the lockbox as well as your case number.
After that, your application will be forwarded to the National Benefits Center (NBC) where all I-800 applications are reviewed and approved!! Remember, you will not need to be fingerprinted for this application.
Important!
Keep a copy of all your USCIS correspondence for your records. You will need both originals and copies of these important documents when you travel to China. Never throw out, lose, or otherwise misplace any correspondence from USCIS.
What Is A Lockbox?
The lockbox is the location where USCIS reviews your Form I-800 application quickly to make sure there aren't any missing pages, unsigned sections of your application, etc.. They want to make sure everything is in order before they send the application to the National Benefits Center for approval.
Approval Timeframes
The current average approval timeframe is around 3 weeks.
Checking Your Status
NBC(National Benefits Center), Hague Unit (Missouri)

• Phone: 877-424-8374
• Email: NBC.Hague@dhs.gov

To check on the status of your case, contact the National Benefits Center (NBC) using the phone number or email address listed above. Ask to speak to the officer who is assigned to your case (usually the same officer who handled your I-800A application). Most USCIS officers are very willing to help and answer questions.

When You Get Your USCIS Approval
Check your approval notice carefully when you receive it. Make sure all your names are spelled correctly, birth dates are accurate, and that there are no mistakes on your form. If you find an error, contact your USCIS officer immediately.

LOA-Santa Claus came early this year!

December 3rd at 2:30pm we received the call China sent our Letter of Acceptance to adopt our sweet Charlotte Lee

LOA JOY

I have the most amazing daughter, she is beautiful and strong.  She has faced more in her short 14 months than I've faced in my 30 years. According to her Nanny's at the orphanage she is funny, loves bananas, & has a "ready smile". Today China sent us a letter that stated YES she is indeed your daughter.  Only a few more months until we are together forever, Charlotte Lee Wei, your Mama & Babba (Chinese for Dad) are on their way!

Now we begin the process of US immigration, Visas, and seeking Travel Approval.  We do not know the dates for travel and won't know exact dates but hoping in a couple months!  More details to come! 

All we want for Christmas is YOU

 

Come on LOA we are more than ready!  Day 98 since Log in Date and Day 63 since Pre-Approval.  We are patiently waiting, but decided all we want for Christmas this year is our LOA.  So Santa Claus if your too busy to deliver it on December 25th, we will gladly take it a few weeks early!