I-800 in the mail today!

After 26 agonizing days of wait, it's here!  This still sets us back about a week by being so late, but that's one more hurdle that we've cleared.  What next, you ask?

When our Dept. of Homeland Security officer processed and approved our application and gave us 'provisional approval' she also sent a copy of this official form to the NVC (National Visa Center) by express mail (we hope!).  Once the NVC receives our approval letter, they will upload it into their computer system.  After that happens, they will "cable" (aka email)  our information to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China.  This is the USA's final "OKay" to accept Elliott as a United States citizen after we officially adopt him while we are in China, and it is at that Embassy that we will take our oath and adopt him.  Once this "cable" has been completed, they will notify us that it has been completed.

What this boils down to:
1 week to get NVC cable
1 week to get NVC letter
2 to 3 weeks for our "Article 5" (consulate pre-approval your Elliott's immigrant visa.)
2 to 3 weeks for travel approval from Chinese government.
We hope to travel about 2 weeks after we receive that date, if at all possible.

So in 6 to 8 weeks, we will be packed up and ready to go get Elliott!

Feeling frustrated and sad.

I'm not sure what happened to all of our good momentum.  Everything on the first half of the adoption (home study, I-800A, LOI and PA) seemed to be on the 'early' side of the expected time frames.  Now we are on the back end and slowing down.  We are now over 3 weeks of waiting for our final I-800 approval, with 2 to 2.5 weeks being the average.  I emailed our Dept. of Homeland Security officer yesterday and inquired about our status.  Her reply was that it was being processed that same day.  I don't know why we're running so late.  I know it is mere days, but it all adds up.  And it's going to add up to an October travel date now.  Our early hopes of traveling in August were squashed, and now September has slipped away.  Matthew is entering a work of art into the Grand Rapids Art Prize competition in the end of September, so he is glad that he's going to be in town to install his artwork in the venue he has committed to.  But I'm not happy.  I am trying really hard to control my attitude, and to quit overanalyzing average wait times and what other family got their approval on which date.  But anyone that knows me knows that when I feel out of control I organize.  It's part of what I do for a living, and I do it well.  I've been addicted to the China Adopt Talk website, where all of the waiting families in the paperwork process for China communicate and we all keep track of our milestones on a (wonderful and quite large) spreadsheet.  I'm getting lapped by other families weekly.  What I fear most is that we will get delayed again because of the trade show going on near the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China from October 15-November 5.  That's where we will end up traveling to after picking Elliott up in Harbin, and where we will offically adopt him as our own before heading back to the United States. During the trade show, travel costs go up 2 to 3 times and we just can't afford the extra (few thousand) bucks.  If our travel dates fall in that time frame, we will most likely get slid into a November travel time.  I would never wish time away, especially warm and sunny summer days.  But I want to see some progress.  Soon.

Next step: I-800

Our paperwork for ur I-800 is now on it's way!  This next step of our process alters our paperwork with our United States government from "we want a child from China" to "we want THIS child from China".  We expect approval in about 2 weeks (around July 20th).  In the meanwhile, we are getting paperwork together for application of Elliott's visa. 

We're coming soon, little guy! 

A Wonderful Poem

Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there were two women who never knew each other.

One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

Two different lives shaped to make you one.

One became your guiding star; the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.

The first one gave you love. The second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name. 

One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide.

The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me, through your tears, 

the age old question unanswered through years.

Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?

Neither, my darling. Neither.

Just two different kinds of Love.

-Author Unknown

LOA! LOA! LOA! LOA! LOA!

We just spent the past three days camping with my parents.  We had so much fun, and I can't even remember the last time that we spent three whole days with them, in a row.  It took me a full day to learn to relax and enjoy the slower pace, but once I did, I was hooked! With swimming and tennis courts just steps away, and the peace and quiet that comes with camping (and grandparents to watch the kids!) it was really nice.  We spent three whole hours in the pool today.  I thought the girls were going to grow gills and fins.

Here are a few favorite snapshots. Of course I'm not in any, because I'm always behind the lens.  :o)

Matt and I were packing up to leave, and at 5:30 today the call came in... our LOA is here!  Hallelujah!  I did a happy dance right there in the middle of the campground.  We are just three steps away from bringing our son home, and it is looking like it will be mid-September to mid-October when we are actually setting foot in China.  From what I hear from other adoptive parents, these last few paperwork chasing routines are relatively painless and seem to go by quickly.  Now that China has chosen us to be Elliott's parents, I feel like I can post his photo.  Prepare yourself, he's ADORABLE!!!

Here are his referral photographs. This is the little face we first fell in love with.

These are the updated photos we received this spring.

So it is with a happy heart that I go to bed tonight knowing that we are one step closer to bringing our son home and completing our family of five.  Thank you for the prayers, the kind words, and the encouragement.  Please continue to cheer us on as we keep moving forward.

With love,

  the Beresfords (plus one!)

I'm now in the 60 and over crowd....

OKay, what gives?  Still no LOA.  Our little boy is going to bed tonight without a Mommy to tuck him in, without a Daddy to read him books, with no siblings to snuggle with, and without a family to fill up his little love tank.  When I think of my own childhood years, and I think of how much it meant to me to have my Mom and Dad tuck me into bed and the safety and peace that comes with being loved by my family, and then I think of the big open void that Elliott has in his life because not one day in his life has he known that peace, that love, that contentment.  It just breaks my heart.  No child should have to go to bed sad, scared, hungry or unloved.  Not that I have any doubt that the childcare workers in China are doing their best, but there just is NO replacement for having a Mommy and a Daddy.  So it hurts me that we are still waiting for our LOA. My arms ache, I want to hold my little boy, and weave his life story into ours.  The girls pray for Elliott every night when they pray before dinner, with no prompting at all on our part.  They pray for him to be safe and to come to live with us soon.  That warms my heart.  Deciding to adopt Elliott was a family decision, and it took all of one minute for the girls to decide that they would love to have a 2-year old brother join our family.

I had a little chat with our adoption coordinator last night who reassured me that nothing was wrong with our paperwork, and that we shouldn't worry until we hit the 90-day mark, which will be in July.  She seemed quite confident that we will be receiving good news this week or next.  Please continue to pray for us and for Elliott.

Stay tuned.....

Summer is flying by, and still no LOA.

It's hard to believe that July is almost here. We wait and wait and wait for summer to come, with beautiful sunny, warm days and before we know it, its over. I try to cherish and enjoy each day I have.  There is truely no place more beautiful than Michigan in the summer.  Lake Michigan is just down the road, but we could just stay and play all day here on the farm and be content.  Strawberry season is in full swing, with blueberry season soon to follow, and raspberries to look forward to in August.  Our mulberry tree is just heaving with berries this year, and the girls and I stain our hands and our faces with a mid-afternoon snack in the back yard.  It's so fun!

Father's day this year was a fun celebration, too.  My father and my husband are two of the most honorable and loving men that have ever walked this Earth, and they deserve more than just one day!

I've been getting to ride my horses more this summer than last, because there are no HUGE rennovations going on, like residing the house last year.  Just a few small summer projects, like getting closets rennovated building furniture, fixing drywall, and painting walls.  We are in full swing of the "making room for Elliott" projects.  But I love my 'barn time' like no other.  It's where I go to de-stress.  I'm so lucky that it's right outisde my back door.  My commute time is less than thirty seconds.  :o)

I love to also ride the Harley, but this has been increasingly difficult to fit into my schedule.  Matt and I are trying to sell it to finance this adoption, but it's hard to give up toys.  Especially knowing that it'll be at least a decade before I get it back.  So I'm enjoying the time I have.

So life is really good,  I can't complain, but I can whine.  I inherited that right with my two X chromosomes.  I'm tired of waiting to go get Elliott.  I'm ready for the next phase of our family life to begin.  I've had so much time to wonder what he's like, what home life will be like when he's with us, and I'm ready to just begin it.  We've waited well over 60 days from the time our LOA was hand-delivered to the CCAA in China.  From what I've read, the average wait is like 52 to 56 days.  In a way, it's kind of fitting because I waited past my due dates to meet M & C, so it's pretty fitting that I should get tormented in the same manner for child #3.  But it's hard.  It has been a relief to have met some really fantastic families, both in Michigan and abroad, who are in the paperwork process alongside us and are feeling the same frustration.  Those who have already adopted from China have been so helpful and encouraging, and it gives me hope that the path that lies ahead is a very very GOOD one.  I just can't wait to walk on it!

I read on http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/ that lots of LOA's and TA's come out on Mondays.  Here's hoping I have big news to post on Monday.  :o)