PA for Little Man

We got Pre-approval (PA) for our little man! It was issued yesterday (10/19) and was sent to us this morning. Since we don't have LID yet we have 6 months (until April 19, 2012) to get our dossier complete and sent to the CCCWA. My hope is to have it out the door by the end of December as we submitted our I-800A on September 26 and are scheduled for our biometrics on 11/1 (we are "sneaking" over to USCIS on 10/24 to see if they will do them for us early-fingers crossed).

We are very excited.

We got X-rays for little lady...

Received an email today that contained two x-rays of little lady's right leg. With my very untrained eye it is obvious she is missing her fibula (the thinner of the two bones in the lower leg) and her tibia has a bow to it. She also is missing two of her toes (has the all important big toe, though). So Fibular Hemimelia (FH) is probably the culprit. What is FH and how is it treated/managed you ask?

Fibular Hemimelia or longitudinal fibular deficiency is "the congenital absence of the fibula and it is the most common congenital absence of long bone of the extremities." It is the shortening of the fibula at birth, or the complete lack thereof. There are a few different means to treat FH mostly dependent upon the percentage of difference between the two legs, as well as other factors. Lifts added to the sole of a shoe is one option as well as the possibility of a prosthetic for inside the shoe. Limb lengthening under certain circumstances (which is multiple surgeries over the course of many years) is possible as well as amputation and use of a prosthetic.

We sent the x-rays off to our IA doc at CHoP and wait for her to consult with their FH specialist to rule out another condition they were concerned about (but not too concerned as it has never presented itself with a foot anomaly like little lady has).

Hope to hear in the next couple of days what they think and will keep you posted.

A little bit about our man...

The "little man" is just a bit over two years old now and like his big brother William, is missing his lower right arm and hand. Also like his brother, he likes to suck his fingers when he is sleeping, which they say he is a moderate sleeper (at least he's not a light sleeper). He's got a good appetite and is not choosy about his foods. He likes to play games, listen to music and is talkative. His favorite game is hide and seek and his favorite toys are the ones that make noises (just what we need more noisy toys!). In his pictures he looks like such a serious man so we hope to get him home, shower him with love and get him to crack a smile or two.

One LOI down, one to go...

This morning our agency submitted our LOI for a little BOY who is just two. We didn't now that this little fellow was even out there as his file had been on a 72 hour lock but his file popped back up on the shared list on Tues., our agency took one look at him and sent his file for us to take a look at. We looked, consulted our IA Doc and said yes! He has the same limb difference as William and we know that he can do just about anything.

Next week we hope to get X-rays on Marin's leg and then will be able to our LOI out the door for her too.

It's all very exciting!!

New meaning for Two China We Go?...

Originally when we thought of a name for our blog we went with TwoChinaWeGo since we were going back for a second trip for our second child.

If, and it's a BIG if, a file for a little lady is returned tonight from a 72 hour lock with another agency and our WC manager is able to get her file locked, it will mean that when we travel to China this time around we will be bringing home TWO beautiful girls.

What our wish is, is that she comes home, regardless if it to join our family or another as she more than deserves all the love, hugs and kisses she can get.

Home Study Approved...

Got word that our Home Study has been approved by GWCA, the final touches were added by our HS Agency and the notarized copies have been dropped in the mail this morning! Things are moving along quite nicely and with any luck I'll be able to get the Fed-ex to USCIS out the door on Friday or Saturday and start the count down for the I-800A. We understand that the average wait time for I800A approval is 60-90 day, plus I don't know where our Federal fingerprinting appointments come into play with these dates either. However, there is still quite a bit more for us to do before our dossier can go to China, we get a Log in Date (LID) and for them to consider us for adoption, What is this I-800A, Home Study, Dossier and LID you ask, well allow me to explain.

Home Study: A social worker compiles a report about your lives covering everything from your up bringing, parenting abilities, financial security, mental and physical health, your home, social life, activities, your reason for wanting to parent, reasons for wanting to parent an adopted child, you knowledge and understanding of possible issues, how you plan to care for the child and so much more. You have to be an open book and share just about everything from the time you fell off your bike when you were four to current days experiences. You must get a physical for you and each member of your family to ensure your in good physical health, get fingerprinted, they must come and inspect your home, meet your kids (Lord knows I prayed they would be the little angels they are), interview you together and then independently. It's intrusive but part of the process. A Home Study can cost between $1500. and $4000.

I-800A: This US Govt. form, accompanied by by the Home Study is sent to USCIS and they review all the information and determine your eligibility to adopt per US standards/requirements. Once approved, this as well as the Home Study goes along with all certified and authenticated Dossier materials and is sent as a complete Dossier to China by our adoption agency.

Dossier: This is the total package that is compiled that goes to China once a family passes their Home Study and gets approval from the US Government to move forward with a foreign adoption. The forms, letters, reports, documents, etc. that are contained within the Dossier have to go to various US Govt. and State Agencies that have to review the information and certify and authenticate them. These same items also need to go to the Chinese consulate for the same type of process. Some of the items included are copies of forms and others must be current originals. Items like birth certificates, marriage licences, letters of reference, State and Federal criminal background and fingerprint checks, local police department letters, letters from your employer verifying your income and work status, family photos and much, much more. The Dossier is used by the CCCWA to determine if you meet the qualifications to adopt and will either approve or deny you once they translate and review the items contained with in. The fee to submit a Dossier to the CCCWA is between $670 and $1190.

LID: The LID or Log in Date is super important,. It is the date that the CCCWA officially puts our completed Dossier into their system to begin their review and determine if they will allow us to adopt from China. After our file is logged in, it will be translated, then reviewed and then they will render their decision on our viability as an adoptive family.

Some Updated Info...

We did get some updated information this AM on "our" girl. They say she is active, lively and clever. Much to our surprise she's been moved to a foster family where they hope "she will feel the warmth of home and it will help her adjust to new family easily if she is adopted by foreign family" I do hope they allow her to stay with her foster family for a bit after we submit our LOI so she isn't moved around again so suddenly. I can only imagine how all these changes are affecting her and know that more await. The report also states her health condition is good and is seldom sick and has made progress in her language development. She can feed herself, stack blocks, scribble with a pencil and put objects in and out of a container and turn pages of a book. She also gets along well with other and is sociable.

What we didn't get were the photos, Xrays and head measurements the IA Doc was looking for to better assess her growth (the reports from a few months back have her head a bit on the small side) and prepare for her Ortho needs when she comes home. I did ask for them again and will see what happens.

Very excited to have this new information and will be touching up our LOI, so it is just right and the CCCWA thinks she is as perfect for us as we do.