Tuesday, August 31, 2004
A special package...
When I got home from work tonight, a package sat on my doorstep. Inside, I found a new bracelet, something I purchased from China Sprout (this is a great on-line store for anyone interested in purchasing things from or about China). I immediately slipped it onto my wrist. It's sterling silver with Chinese character charms that spell the phrase "mothers and daughters joined by the heart." It might sound silly, but this bracelet makes me feel closer to our baby. It's a constant reminder that she is out there somewhere, and although we don't know who she is, or where in China she is, that I am connected by this bracelet. We are already joined by the heart.
# posted by JDonnals : 10:10 PM
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Brett and Jennifer in front of their house on Mud Island. We sent this picture to China with our dossier.
# posted by JDonnals : 6:59 PM
"Why are you adopting from China?"
I was asked that question last night. In fact, we get asked that question a lot. I know most people are just curious, but sometimes the way it is asked is offensive. I've been asked, "why don't you have your own children?" or "why not adopt from the US or Russia?" I want to say, "mind your own business," but I know most people mean well.
The simple answer is, we are adopting a baby from China because we want to have a family. And while there are hundreds of children in China who are abandoned every day, we don't feel like we are saving a baby, but rather, this baby is saving us from a life without children.
The more complex answer is that China has a relatively easy adoption process, it is very reliable and the babies are relatively healthy. And since the babies are abandoned there are no birth parents in the picture to demand the baby be returned, as frequently happens in the United States. Also, US adoptions are extremely competitive (Remember Monica and Chandler on the final season of "Friends"?) We didn't want to go through all of that. While the "paperchase" phase took some time, it was nothing compared to months and months--sometimes years of waiting for an expectant mother to choose you out of thousands of other couples vying for the same honor.
So now that you know why we are doing this, we hope you follow us along on our journey!
The simple answer is, we are adopting a baby from China because we want to have a family. And while there are hundreds of children in China who are abandoned every day, we don't feel like we are saving a baby, but rather, this baby is saving us from a life without children.
The more complex answer is that China has a relatively easy adoption process, it is very reliable and the babies are relatively healthy. And since the babies are abandoned there are no birth parents in the picture to demand the baby be returned, as frequently happens in the United States. Also, US adoptions are extremely competitive (Remember Monica and Chandler on the final season of "Friends"?) We didn't want to go through all of that. While the "paperchase" phase took some time, it was nothing compared to months and months--sometimes years of waiting for an expectant mother to choose you out of thousands of other couples vying for the same honor.
So now that you know why we are doing this, we hope you follow us along on our journey!
# posted by JDonnals : 6:24 PM
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Welcome to Our Adoption Blog!
Welcome to all of our friends and family to our blog. This will be a way for us to record and explain our adoption experience. We hope you enjoy reading it. I wish I would have found this earlier, four months ago, when we began the adoption process. But, since I didn't, I will try to update you on what has happened so far...
On May 1, 2004, Brett and I decided to adopt a baby from China. This was not a quick decision. It was something that we pondered about for quite a few months. When we first decided that adoption might be what we wanted to do, we talked to our priest, Father Val Handwerker. He said he has never seen more adoptive famililes in a Parrish than at IC Cathedral. Fr. Val put us in touch with a terrific family, Jim and Suzanne Martin, and their daughter Grace. The Martins adopted Grace from China four years ago. They just returned LAST NIGHT from their trip to China with their second daughter, Isabel. The Martins came over to our house and met with Brett and me about their adoption experience. I really can't explain it, but after talking to them, doing a lot of research, and prayer, this just felt right.
A few days after meeting with the Martins, we received information and our application from Great Wall China Adoption (our agency). GWCA is based in Austin, Texas and only handles Chinese adoptions. We sent in our application, was soon sent a contract, and then the official "paperchase" began.
After four months of gathering documents (birth certificate, marriage license, letters of reference from family and friends, letters from our employers, criminal background checks, financial statements) and getting physicals and a home study completed by a social worker, we waited for the final approval from the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration Services (formerly the INS). We got that two weeks ago, I drove to Nashville to get everything certified by the Secretary of State, came back, sent everything to Washington, DC to get certified by the US Department of State (Colin Powell's signature is on these documents--along with someone else's) and to the Chinese embassy.
I am happy to say that they are now literally on their way to China--via our agency and FedEx! They should be there Tuesday and should be logged in with the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs sometime next week! That means the official countdown is on!
If all goes as it has been the past several months, we could get a referral as early as March! That means we could be back from China with our baby girl by May!
Well, now you are up to date. I plan to blog regularly, so I hope you check in to see where we are in the adoption experience!
On May 1, 2004, Brett and I decided to adopt a baby from China. This was not a quick decision. It was something that we pondered about for quite a few months. When we first decided that adoption might be what we wanted to do, we talked to our priest, Father Val Handwerker. He said he has never seen more adoptive famililes in a Parrish than at IC Cathedral. Fr. Val put us in touch with a terrific family, Jim and Suzanne Martin, and their daughter Grace. The Martins adopted Grace from China four years ago. They just returned LAST NIGHT from their trip to China with their second daughter, Isabel. The Martins came over to our house and met with Brett and me about their adoption experience. I really can't explain it, but after talking to them, doing a lot of research, and prayer, this just felt right.
A few days after meeting with the Martins, we received information and our application from Great Wall China Adoption (our agency). GWCA is based in Austin, Texas and only handles Chinese adoptions. We sent in our application, was soon sent a contract, and then the official "paperchase" began.
After four months of gathering documents (birth certificate, marriage license, letters of reference from family and friends, letters from our employers, criminal background checks, financial statements) and getting physicals and a home study completed by a social worker, we waited for the final approval from the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration Services (formerly the INS). We got that two weeks ago, I drove to Nashville to get everything certified by the Secretary of State, came back, sent everything to Washington, DC to get certified by the US Department of State (Colin Powell's signature is on these documents--along with someone else's) and to the Chinese embassy.
I am happy to say that they are now literally on their way to China--via our agency and FedEx! They should be there Tuesday and should be logged in with the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs sometime next week! That means the official countdown is on!
If all goes as it has been the past several months, we could get a referral as early as March! That means we could be back from China with our baby girl by May!
Well, now you are up to date. I plan to blog regularly, so I hope you check in to see where we are in the adoption experience!
# posted by JDonnals : 3:59 PM
