Timing is everything

Timing is so important and especially tough when it's out of your (my) control.

I'd say that has been the hardest part of this. I can say that now because I know the really hard part is still coming - we haven't done much at all yet besides collect paperwork, do trainings, have appointments and pay some money. A lot of time and energy without much to show for it.
Anyway, at every step of this process, there is a time estimate: 2-4 months for this and 1-3 weeks for that. When we started this process, we weren't quite ready. We had waited 10 years and were comfortable waiting. We were told it would take 1-3 years and that was just fine with us. We needed time. In January 2017, I (Kassie) went to Brian & asked him if we could start the process. I had done some legwork already, so I felt a little prepared as to where we would adopt from and how we would pay for it. Brian agreed & we started the process fully ok with it taking awhile and not in any sort of rush.

Now we are here and our flights are booked. We will travel in 6 weeks. Tomorrow is one year to the day that I questioned Brian about starting the process.

It's funny how everything has moved faster than expected up to this point, yet our travel is now delayed from the usual 10-21 days after travel approval, for a full 6 weeks! It's twice as long as expected due to the government offices shutting down for Chinese New Year in February. At first, I was very disappointed, but I now see how lucky we are! We have time to plan and time to book halfway decent flights with minimal transfers and seats that are together. We have time to get our dogs healthy (both had recent bouts of diarrhea...eew!) and get our jobs and time off in order. We have time to arrange Suzie's medical appointments for when we return and we have time to learn a little bit more Mandarin and practice using our translator and apps.

My heart still aches because it's another month that this little girl doesn't know what a family is or that people accross the world love her and desperately want her. It's another month that she misses in preschool and a month of therapy that is lost. Time spent in an orphanage has been directly correlated with growth delays. One month of height growth is lost for every 2-3 months spent in an orphanage. I mourn that she will be almost 10 years old before she spends more time out of an orphanage than in one.

But, she will have one more Chinese New Year Festival in her home country. She will have one more month with the other children that she has grown up around and the nannies that she knows and has attached to. We've been told that she eats slower when she's with the nanny that she prefers. I pray that she has lots of slow meals this month and I vow to never ever rush her at mealtimes.

It's a date!

We have a date...we will meet our daughter on March 5, 2018!!

This is less than one year from when we submitted our application to CCAI!

We missed the Chinese New Year cut off and this delayed our travel a whole month. The 2018 Chinese New Year falls on February 16th, and the festival runs until March 2nd, about 15 days in total. It is an official public holiday, so Chinese people can get seven days' absence from work, from February 15th to 21st. The US Consulate observes both US and Chinese holidays, so they are closed that week.

We are SO bummed! For the last 24 hrs we thought we might be leaving on January 24th as we had requested an appointment date before the New Year. As scary as that was, since it's only next week, we knew we could make it happen. But sadly, there wasn't an open appointment for us at the US Consulate until March. Our appointment is scheduled for 3/13/18. At this appointment we will take our oath and apply for Suzie's visa to enter the US. A couple days later, we'll bring her home!!

It feels like sooo far away, but I know it will come quickly.

Starting to pack...

One step closer...

Our Chinese Visa's have arrived!
and yes, all 4 of us will be traveling to meet and bring back our newest family member. This was part of the reason we waited to adopt until Addie & Mason were older and good travelers.

Traveling to China is not as easy as just booking a flight. It requires not only a valid US passport, but you must apply for a Chinese Visa no more than 90 days before you travel.
In this application you have to list your personal information &  profession and your purpose for traveling, including where you'll be at and where you'll be staying. We needed to include our Letter of Acceptance from the China Center for Children’s Welfare & Adoption (CCCWA).
There are some pretty high fees and then your paperwork & passport need to be hand delivered to the Chinese Embassy that services your state. Ours is in Chicago. Thankfully, the person applying does not have to be the person delivering the paperwork. We paid to have a courier deliver and retrieve our Visas. She was the same courier that delivered our dossier paperwork when it needed to be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy. If you ever need a courier for the Chinese or Haitian Embassies in Chicago, Denise Hope at There's Alway's Hope! is the best!
It's nerve wracking sending away your precious documents & passports that took months and lots of money & time to obtain!!

Thankfully we had only very minor hiccups (I sent Brian's birth certificate to the Chinese Embassy in Chicago, but his needed to go to San Francisco since he was born in California and a couple Notary & date issues that they let slide) and we are now all set to travel to China when we get the ok!