Day 75

Okay, it is time for our LOA. I have been very, very patient but I am not sure I will not be able to contain the whining if we reach day 80, which would put us at higher than the average wait for "our line" - meaning those who receive a referral , receive pre-approval, and then have their documents sent to China and logged in. I have seen people with 3/31 LIDs get LOAs last week and we have a LID of 4/2 so we should be next. I just would love for next to be NOW so we can be one step closer to bringing Pei Pei (pronounced Pay Pay) home!

A Care Package Update

So I emailed back the person sending the package and asked if she could tell me the size of the clothes she sent. And she wrote back with all the details I asked for and a huge apology for forgetting!

She is called "Pei Pei" and she is in FOSTER CARE! I suspected but didn't want to get my hopes up. Though I know she could have been receiving great care in the orphanage (that is where the paperwork I have says she is), if she is in a good foster care home she should be receiving more individual attention and perhaps, be better off for future attachments.

She is just shy of 20lbs and is 31.5 inches long. This means I am likely safe buying 18 month clothing because they will not be too small though she is probably in a 12 month size or smaller right now. She is in a size 5 shoe which is where Brynn started at so we have those too! She is growing as expected compared to her previous measurements.

I am a happy camper!

Care Package #3

I had asked my agency to get an update in Jin Pei for us... I am so wanting to know her height/weight so I can pick up a few items and the last reports we have are now 11 months old. I got a "we will try" response and have heard nothing else (I haven't been very patient so it really hasn't been long) so I decided to send another care package through the company we used in March, this time with clothes. I asked the sender if she would let me know Jin Pei's size, whether she is in foster care or the orphanage, and what they call her, figuring that at least her size would have to be asked anyway for the clothes. I was optimistic because I know she has gotten updates for other families but didn't want to push my luck asking too much, even for more pictures.

I ordered the package last Saturday and all week have been looking for an email with information. This morning I got a picture of the package but nothing else except a note saying Jin Pei should get it this weekend. The picture was attached to an email from March's care package we sent so now I don't even know if the company saw my new information request. Then again, the letter in the package from us (under Hello Kitty) is the new one (I can only see how we signed it but we signed it differently this time) and that was sent in the same email. I am keeping my fingers crossed that perhaps next week I'll hear more but I would think that any information gathered was done so already and would have been included. Oh well.

The care package we sent had standard content (the Hello Kitty toy, blanket, camera, candy, and pajamas) but I did add in a book, hairclips, and an outfit and Price was near me when I ordered and insisted on the caterpillar. He enjoyed helping me decide what to include.

We are on day 65 of the wait. The last group in our agency waited 73 day for LOA with the two groups before them waiting 78 and 70. We are definitely getting close!

Welcoming JinPei

We have been slowly getting things prepared for JinPei to join us and we have been blessed by others who are sharing in the journey, be it by lending a sympathetic ear when the wait seems to drag, asking how the process is going and about our upcoming trip, calling or writing to make sure JinPei was not affected by the devestating earthquake in China, showering her with gifts in anticipation for her arrival, and/or remembering her in prayer. Thank you to each and everyone of you for being a part of our journey.

The ladies of the Jr. Woman's Club surprised me with a basket full of goodies for Jinpei (a few of the many things are in the pictures), including books, stuffed animals, Baby Signs materials (which were a hit during Brynn's adoption with Brynn and all my kids and a huge help with communication), cute outfits, diapers, picture frames, cups, spoons, a car safety mirror and much more! I couldn't even make the meeting due to a conflicting ballgame that I was specifically asked to attend by my son and I felt bad about that. We all had a great time looking through the stuff. What a great group of women!

The ball in the picture above was selected by Brynn. My suitcase to China will be jingling! I was in the local drugstore planning on picking up one or two things and Brynn started filling the basket with things for Nyah. She is just so excited to have a sister, for now at least. I hope she feels that way the first few months Nyah is home but I am a bit worried about that. For right now, it is cute how much she talks about her.

The peg hook above was my own purchase. Brynn got one as a gift for her adoption and I wanted her sister to have a similar one. I haven't bought much yet. I keep hoping for a size update for more clothes. I predict a shopping trip once we get our LOA.

We also got our visas for China today! Yippee!

Kate

Day 57... Thankfulness and Whininess (is that a word?)

Gee, guess what day it is in the wait?

Two years ago, on the 57th day after our documents were logged into China, we received our Travel Approval for Brynn (back then the LOA step did not exist). We were just about at the average wait for TA’s at the time and I received the call while on a field trip with Caleb. Just 24 days after that I was holding Brynn.

Things are slower this time and there is the added LOA step. The whole timeline is so much more unpredictable this round. It is hard to tell what the current “average” waiting time is as the numbers are everywhere and all over.

I am thankful that now more “waiting children” are finding families - two years ago many children with minor needs sat on lists with no inquiries. The long line for families seeking to bring non-special needs children home is leading many families to consider the special needs route and the wait has slowed to bring home children. The CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) also appears to be pushing for those logged in for non-special needs children to switch over and has made many changes recently (since January) to promote this. There seems to be so much focus on getting more people over to special needs the new way that I am sure it pulls resources away from those of us who started the process before a few months ago… the last of the “old way."

Sometimes I get bothered, selfishly, by these changes, even though inside I know that many children are finding homes who may not have otherwise and that many adults are realizing that bringing home a "special needs" child is really not that big of a deal (being a good parent is the big deal). Some days I just have a harder time with the wait. It is hard to look at a picture for over 6 months now and feel helpless. It is also hard to not have much information about how she is doing - we have pictures from her 1st birthday in March but no other information about her since our initial reports from last July. I think also because Brynn’s transition went so well and she was in foster care, I worry more about JinPei’s and the fact that she is in an orphanage.

I wish the process was more defined, predictable, and quicker for all involved.

I expect the LOA in the next couple weeks, then TA up to 4 weeks after that. That puts us due to travel right smack in the middle of the Olympics. Just another big question mark in the journey.

Okay, Friday I promise a fun post - LOA or not!

Kate

6 months ago...

Six months ago today was the day our agency sent out a password to view children on their newest Waiting Child list and the first day we saw our daughter, had a few giggles about her hairstyle, and prayed for guidance.

It seems the wait is going to be just as long, if not longer, as the wait was from the time we first saw Brynn's picture until the time we met her in person (9 months). I'm trying to look on the bright side.

Within 4 months we will have Jinpei in our arms!

Still waiting... Day 37

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."

~ Thomas Edison

In typical "S" family fashion we are taking care of the hustling part with our crazy lives while we wait for LOA. And really, we don't want "everything" - just JinPei please! Come on CCAA... we're doing our part keeping busy!