Passport Received

WOW...2 weeks, that was really fast. Just goes to show, the US Government CAN work fast! (Sometimes)!!!

Criminal Background Check

So I found my Homestudy Agency. I've received really good recommendations about them, so I hope they're good.

I also had to send off for my criminal background check, and paperwork that will check to see if I've ever been in the Child Protective Services database for any reason. I'm not sweatin' this stuff...sure it's time consuming, and I certainly understand the need for it...but they won't find nothin' on me! :) Too bad biological parents don't have to go though this kind of in-depth background check...bet there'd be less abused kids on this planet.

Oh...and more good news...my LOI was received in Beijing today...should get to CCAA by tomorrow!

Adoption Abbreviations 101

Today my LOI was received in Beijing!

Okay...so in order to follow these posts, you'll have to understand some of the abbreviations I'll be using. So here is adoption abbreviations 101 class:

LOI - Letter of Intent (This is a letter you send to China that you intend to adopt one of their children. You must list why you want to adopt from China, and how you plan to care for and nuture your child.

PA - Pre-Approval (This is what you get back from China, based on your LOI. This basically says, we approve you to adopt, go ahead and forward all your paperwork).

DTC - Dossier To China (This is the 5 tons of paperwork that you prepare and gather to be sent to China).

LID - Log In Date (This is the date that China logs in your Dossier. Basically is just says they received it. A lot of adoptive parents use this date to determine when they'll travel).

TA - Travel Approval (aka The Holy Grail. This is the notification from China that you can come and get your child. Travel usually occurs anywhere from 1-6 weeks after you get this).

I need a Passport...

So here I am, 43 years old, and I've never had a need for a Passport. That's pretty sad, considering it's always been my dream to spend a couple of months in Europe just traveling from city to city on the Euro-Train, seeing as much of Europe as I possibly can. Hmmmm...guess I can probably kiss that dream good-bye.

So today I ran over to the Post Office and did everything I needed to get my Passport. Hopefully it will be here in 4 weeks!

I also had to write a letter to China requesting permission to adopt Leila. Although the adoption agency has approved me, the final word/approval must come from China. Since I am adopting a waiting child, I must write a medical plan of treatment for Leila, as well as detail why I want to adopt her. It's done and ready to go...so now I sit on pins and needles waiting for their approval.

Meanwhile...I have plenty of paperwork to keep me busy while I wait!

APPROVED

Well, it is March 10th, and the committee at CHI has agreed to allow me to adopt Leila. I'm excited...but terrified. It happened so fast...just days ago I was getting on waiting lists, expecting to have a 6 month to 1 year wait before I even start the paperwork process...now, all of a sudden, I have to start my paperwork right this minute!

My thoughts run in so many different directions. Did I make the right decision? Wait, this happened too fast. Am I truly the best mommy for this little girl? Maybe I should let a couple adopt her.

But then I think...of course I'm the right mommy...I will love her more than anything in the world...why wouldn't this be right? I have the means to make sure she gets the best medical treatment possible. I have a nice home, a great job, I can give her so much more than she has right now.

So, no matter what anyone thinks...adoption is never an easy decision. I think all of us who adopt second guess our decision...especially those of us that are single.

But the bottom line is...no matter what rambling thoughts go through my head, I am so excited I could just bust with happiness!

Leila - Where it all Begins

On March 8, 2005 I saw a beautiful little girl on Childrens House International (CHI) Waiting Child list. Since I had been looking into adoption and I knew that there was a long wait list for singles, many people suggested I take a look at the waiting children. I went through several different waiting children lists, trying to see if I could find "the" child that was meant for me. Many factors were involved in my decision...was a waiting child the right route for me...could I handle, as a single person, a child with some kind of special need...did I want an older child or a younger child? Anyhow...these were some of my thoughts...

Then I saw her...her name is Leila (since the adoption agencies cannot give out the child's real name, this is the name that they gave her on their website). Actually, I also saw another child that was absolutely stunning...her name was Ivy. Ivy had a heart condition called VSD. I wasn't sure I could handle a child with a heart condition, but when I requested her file, I found out that she had already been snatched up. But there was Leila...I was also looking at her and thinking to myself...she definitely has a need I can handle. Leila has a birthmark on her eye. So I decided to request her medical file from CHI.

I received her paperwork, and immediately called my doctor to ask him to review her records for me. While I waited for him to get back to me, I compiled my list of questions for him, and did indepth research on birthmarks and birthmarks on the eye. I came to find out that there is a condition known as Sturge Webber Syndrome (SWS) that sometimes reveals itself via a birthmark on the face, specifically in the eye or eyelid area. I won't go into the long details of what Sturge Webber is...but suffice it to say, it can be bad, and it can be not so bad. There are doctors, lawyers, and politicians with SWS...and there are severely mentally challenged individuals with SWS.

Anyway...after talking with my doctor, he didn't believe that Leila had SWS and that it was simply a birthmark. But he did say there was still a risk. I also contacted Dr. Ann Comi at Johns Hopkins; she is a specialist in SWS, and she stated that Leila will have a 10-20% chance of having SWS.

After approximately 48 hours of in-depth thought...I decided to make the formal request to adopt Leila.