Bountiful Blessings..we are adopting from Haiti

Happy Thanksgiving to our family & friends

We wanted to share our latest news we are at the very beginning stages of adopting from Haiti.

We are thrilled to watch our family grow once again.

Haiti’s adoption process is very different from China, the process is longer but we know this is where our family belongs & look forward to sharing our journey with loved ones. 

This process will take years to complete, but knowing our support system & how many loved ones surround us, we know we are well equipped for this process.

Thank you for your love & support.  We are blessed & give thanks for all we have been given.

Wishing you & your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Sharing the Joys of Adoption

"Our words are like seeds dropped along the road.  We may never know what beautiful things will take root and blossom because we were there. But we can be sure that something good will grow"

Recently we were asked to share our story with our Adoption Agency, Children's Hope International, and have been thinking long and hard about how we might put into words such an emotional and powerful experience.  We have so much to tell others who ask us about adoption- it's hard to describe in words alone- but here it goes.  We always knew we would adopt, and it mostly came down to timing.  After a sudden death in the family we realized life was too short to postpone our dreams.  Three months later we applied for the China Special Needs program through Children's Hope International.  Looking back it seems so long ago, we were so excited and so very naïve. Oh, but what a wonderful time and part of our story that we will cherish. First time parents- dreaming about the day we would meet our daughter, knee deep in paperwork and wondering how we could afford the cost.  We remained determined and focused.  Although it wasn't easy and delays were inevitable, looking back this was the easiest part of our journey.

After seeing our daughters face for the first time, life changed forever.  It would never be the same. We waited 5 months before we could travel to meet her, and we only had 3 photos.  This was when it became HARD.  How do you wait patiently to get your child?  I am sorry, but only others who have been there done that- truly can understand this period of adoption.  IT IS HARD.  All your thoughts are consumed in wondering and praying if your child is being loved, fed, and taken care of while you wait to travel.  It is heart wrenching to wait and know they are growing older, they are alone without a mother and father, in an orphanage across the world.  There is nothing we could do but TRUST.  Those 5 months were challenging but gave us many life lessons.  This is a standard with international adoption - after a referral, the paperwork in both countries takes some time.  For us this stage was the HARDEST.  But like many of life's challenging experiences- looking back we think it wasn't that bad- we could do it again in a heartbeat.

The most joyous part of adoption...holding our baby for the first time. That day will forever be engrained in my memory- like any mother meeting their child for the first time.  There are no words to describe the overwhelming feeling of love. Our story has been easy ever since, Lottie was able to adapt to her new lifestyle immediately.  She was strong and obviously well loved in her orphanage.  We experienced attachment and bonding almost immediately.  She was healthy and happy, and with our love began thriving even faster.  She has been a joy to be around even on her toughest days, whether it be recovering from surgery, or sick with a double ear infection.  Yes, we are biased, but she is one amazing child.  We are so blessed to be her parents, and not a day goes by that we don't think about the gift we have been given.

One story that comes to mind, was after her lip repair about 4 months home from China we had been using signs to help Lottie communicate, one sign we were using constantly was I love you, we said it all the time and always showed her the sign.  Even after 36 hours whirlwind of surgery and recovery, driving 4 hours home, Lottie was so happy to be home.  She was exhausted, heavily medicated, and weak as she hadn't eaten much in the past few days.  We laid her in her crib and hovered over as she smiled at us, we were admiring her new look.  We told her how brave she was and how happy we were to be home, we said I love you.  Honestly, like a scene from a movie, this tiny hand reached up and signed  I love you,  then closed her eyes as was fast asleep.  It took our breath away- like that moment you can't feel your legs, might pass out, overwhelmed by love, this can't be happening moment.  This tiny being reached out to us told us she loved us, never in my life will I ever forget that moment, EVER.

Although, our story has been seamless after meeting Lottie we cannot simply forget about her past or the millions of other children who remain in orphanages around the world.   Adoption changes your life, it touches your soul to realize the depth of raising someone else's child as your own,  and we are so grateful we were chosen to raise Charlotte Lee.  Our lives will forever be changed by our adoption, as it has made us more thoughtful, gracious and giving individuals.  So many people tell us how lucky Charlotte is to have us as parents, to become a US citizen, and to have proper medical care, but honestly we are the LUCKY ones to be blessed with this precious, strong, and loving child.  We are confident she is going to change this world for the better, we look forward to the honor of being her parents and watching her grow into an amazing woman.  We are so very lucky.  In the end, we would do this a million times over again, the reward is so much greater than the struggles.  We WILL adopt again and again.  We will spend our lifetime trying to make a difference in the orphans lives around the world, most important teaching our children about God's love and compassion for those in need.  We will continue to share our story, in hopes it will inspire others to choose adoption to build their families. 

Re-Adoption in the Lone-Star State

Today was the FINAL step of our adoption!  Whew, feels so good to say that, if you are in TX  at 10:00 am you might have  heard our joyous celebration!  "Texas Administrative Code allows for a Texas court to authenticate the adoption papers of a child adopted from abroad. The adoptive parents can then submit a court order for the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics to issue a “Certificate of Foreign Birth” for their child."  Although our international adoption was finalized back in March, we decided to adopt Lottie in the Lone-Star State in order to make her life a little easier when it comes to legal documents.  Now she has a Texas birth certificate in place of her Chinese birth certificate-no need for extra adoption paperwork, or lugging around the several documents and translations that prove her adoption. The resulting document looks similar to a Texas birth certificate but will not indicate Texas as the place of birth. Many families feel that obtaining a Texas certificate of foreign birth will be helpful for local purposes (school and sports enrollments, etc.)  With her TX birth certificate, there are no questions, requests for more information, or hassles.  "It appears that the key to this process is locating a judge who is willing to find “that all of the prerequisites of the law have been fully complied with by petitioners and that said order of adoption was and is legally valid and of full force and effect under the laws of the United States of America and of the State of Texas." Today we met with our lawyer & Judge Andrews at the Georgetown Municipal Court, and Lottie shining in her burnt orange and white we finalized this very last step!  Tonight we plan on celebrating with some ice cream! 

Red Thread Sessions

We were so blessed to be connected to the non profit organization The Red Thread Sessions- read more here: http://www.redthreadsessions.com.   Red Thread Sessions was started in 2011 by two custom photographers in Texas and Maryland, both whom added to their families through adoption. Feeling the need in their communities to celebrate the beauty of adoption through photography, Red Thread Sessions was born. Soon after, many other photographers throughout the U.S. felt moved to donate their time as well. Red Thread sessions not only captures family portraits of new families, it also capture the precious, happy, confusing, exciting, exhausting, traumatic, life-changing time that is so often brief and fleeting in the life of an adoptive family.

 

"The Ancient Chinese Proverb is a commonly-used saying within the adoption community. It symbolizes the bond that all adoptive children have with their adoptive parents, even before they meet. An invisible “red thread” connects them to the people they are destined to meet. Although this Proverb truly relates to all people, it has a particularly strong connection to adoptive families and seemed like the perfect name for this organization."

 

In January we connected with Sarah from Sincerely, Sarah Photography http://sincerelysarahphotography.com We met in person and spent hours chatting about adoption while sharing stories over coffee.  At the time we were anxiously awaiting Travel Approval so it was nice to relax for a few, while longing for my sweet baby.  Fast forward four months later here we are!  Due our crazy illnesses we rescheduled our Red Thread session a few times!  Thankfully Sarah was so understanding!  We finally captured our family of three this May.  The photos are truly beautiful and we will cherish them always!

 

Thanks to Sarah & the Red Thread Session!

 

Article 5 Pick up-Officially waiting for TA

We have been waiting for this for a while and it feels surreal to actually be at our final step of our adoption!

So after the LOA is signed and USCIS sends the petition to adopt, and NVC sends letter for visas, all of these pieces make up the Article 5. This is what we have been working towards since we signed our LOA on December 4th.  To explain what the Article 5 is a letter from the US Consulate stating our Lottie Lee qualifies for a visa so the adoption can be completed!  This specific letter states that we have met all the adoption requirements and ALL of the paperwork! Now the CCCWA will formerly invite us to finalize our adoption, we now await TA-Travel Approval.  Currently TA is taking anywhere from 9-21 days.  We are really hoping for a quick TA wait so we can solidify our travel plans and go get our sweet baby!  Emotions are high..this is what we have dreamed, hoped and prayed for...its finally here!

Last night we received the formal e-mail from the US Consulate in China, the closing in their e-mail made me cry..so close!

We look forward to meeting you and your new family member when you come to the Consulate for your visa appointment!

Best regards,

Adopted Children's Immigrant Visa Unit (ACIVU)
U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou

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 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!