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.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A file to Review...
Wow!!!!! That's about all I can say. GWCA saw a little one from their upcoming new Zhongshan Hope Camp and thought they would be a good match for us so we are already reviewing a little one's file. As a matter of fact, just got off the phone with CHoP for the medical review with the same IA Doc that did William's. Sent a list of requested info, tests, etc. from the IA Doc to Stephanie to shoot over to the orphanage with the hopes they can accommodate us so we have a broader picture of the kiddo's needs, abilities and developement and treatment options once home.
Also, we have the extra luck that GWCA staff is going there on Monday for a 12 day trip to assess the kids they were assigned so we have a really good chance that they will be able to meet "our" little one and give us their impressions and details as well.
Our final homestudy visit is tomorrow so we really need to keep the ball rolling to get it approved with GWCA and then off to CIS for the I800 authorization to get the dossier complete and in the CCCWA's hands much sooner than later.
Two months to the day of starting this wonderous journey again and already have a little one to consider, how lucky are we?
Also, we have the extra luck that GWCA staff is going there on Monday for a 12 day trip to assess the kids they were assigned so we have a really good chance that they will be able to meet "our" little one and give us their impressions and details as well.
Our final homestudy visit is tomorrow so we really need to keep the ball rolling to get it approved with GWCA and then off to CIS for the I800 authorization to get the dossier complete and in the CCCWA's hands much sooner than later.
Two months to the day of starting this wonderous journey again and already have a little one to consider, how lucky are we?
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
The #1's
Dossier Mailer #1: Well, my hopes of having Dossier mailer #1 out the door within a week didn't happen. My husband's Doctor, well he writes like a Doctor so... when I looked over the form after it was signed and notarized, some things weren't all that easy to read so with that we had to get the form filled out again (more neatly this time), get an appt. to see him to get it signed and arrange for the notary as well. The logistics took a little bit of time with everyone's schedules but it got done!
Our Dossier Specialist confirmed that it was recieved yesterday and that she was preping it to go out for the necessary Certifications today.
Home Study Visit #1: We had our first home study visit with our new Hauge approved agency on August 4th. We were a bit nervous with this being our first time using this HS agency and Social Worker but all went well. As a matter of fact we have our 2nd meeting tomorrow, at the house this time, so we are moving right along there. Hopefully we can do our individual interviews/meetings the following two week and with any luck have the home study complete and approved by GWCA and out the door mid-Sept. to USCIS with the I-800 application to get that portion of the Dossier underway.
Our Dossier Specialist confirmed that it was recieved yesterday and that she was preping it to go out for the necessary Certifications today.
Home Study Visit #1: We had our first home study visit with our new Hauge approved agency on August 4th. We were a bit nervous with this being our first time using this HS agency and Social Worker but all went well. As a matter of fact we have our 2nd meeting tomorrow, at the house this time, so we are moving right along there. Hopefully we can do our individual interviews/meetings the following two week and with any luck have the home study complete and approved by GWCA and out the door mid-Sept. to USCIS with the I-800 application to get that portion of the Dossier underway.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Dossier Preparation Package has arrived and Home Study
On Wednesday of this week we received the Dossier prep package from GWCA. As of today, we have all the required documents except our medical forms completed/signed as we are awaiting the results from the required blood work. So next week we should be able to get Dossier Package #1 out the door. Less than one week from receipt to mailing back!! I have to say I'm pretty impressed with myself if I can actually pull it off.
I have all but the personal references to our home study agency so we are moving along there as well. Our first meeting will be on 8/4 and then hopefully once every one to two weeks there after for the remaining three with the hopes of having the home study complete and approved by the end of September to ship of to USCIS with the I800.
For those of you asking, how in the name of Sam Hill could we do that, this is how. Since we've been down this path before, as soon as I hit send on the application to GWCA I ordered all Birth and Marriage Certificates through VitalStat. After that I pulled our files from Will's adoption and wrote all the required letters we would need to sign and templates to get out to everyone who needed to provide some form of documentation for us. The next AM I contacted the home study agency for their application and turned that around the same day with most of the document copies that would be required as well as copies of our first home study and our last post placement report so they would be ahead of the curve and more familiar with us before we even walked in the door. I have scanned and saved every document and form so when a copy is needed of any of the million pieces of paper you have to produce, I have them all right at my finger tips.
Now I just have to get all the government agencies to cooperate. Here's hoping!!!!!
I have all but the personal references to our home study agency so we are moving along there as well. Our first meeting will be on 8/4 and then hopefully once every one to two weeks there after for the remaining three with the hopes of having the home study complete and approved by the end of September to ship of to USCIS with the I800.
For those of you asking, how in the name of Sam Hill could we do that, this is how. Since we've been down this path before, as soon as I hit send on the application to GWCA I ordered all Birth and Marriage Certificates through VitalStat. After that I pulled our files from Will's adoption and wrote all the required letters we would need to sign and templates to get out to everyone who needed to provide some form of documentation for us. The next AM I contacted the home study agency for their application and turned that around the same day with most of the document copies that would be required as well as copies of our first home study and our last post placement report so they would be ahead of the curve and more familiar with us before we even walked in the door. I have scanned and saved every document and form so when a copy is needed of any of the million pieces of paper you have to produce, I have them all right at my finger tips.
Now I just have to get all the government agencies to cooperate. Here's hoping!!!!!
Friday, June 24, 2011
We're Going for Two
Very, Very early this morning (just after midnight), we hit the send button on our application for adoption number two. For those that are saying it outloud and we know you are, No we haven't gone crazy (ok maybe a little more so), it was just the right time for us. We've been home with William for a little over a year and half already and our three other kiddos are growing by leaps and bounds.
We received conformation late AM that they are in receipt of the application and will be doing their review process and should let us know in a few days if we are approved to move ahead.
Assuming we'll be getting the green light, I've already started working to gather some of our dossier documents, written some of the letters we need notarized and Len even had his physical last week and had the form and letter written by the Doc. Now I just need to find a home study agency in NJ that is Hague accredited as the folks who did our last one are not and it is required with the new rules.
We received conformation late AM that they are in receipt of the application and will be doing their review process and should let us know in a few days if we are approved to move ahead.
Assuming we'll be getting the green light, I've already started working to gather some of our dossier documents, written some of the letters we need notarized and Len even had his physical last week and had the form and letter written by the Doc. Now I just need to find a home study agency in NJ that is Hague accredited as the folks who did our last one are not and it is required with the new rules.
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