Monday, December 24, 2007

Happy Christmas...

At this time every year, we sit back and reflect upon the previous year.

It seems that this has been a busy one for both of us....
  • In December 2006, Jenn's father moved to Rockford with us.
  • In January, Jenn started a new job with the Deluxe Johnson Group.
  • In February, we were still thinking we would receive our referral in 2007.
  • In April, we celebrated our one year anniversary of our LID.
  • In April, our kitchen remodeling was finally completed.
  • In May, the Rockford Register Star sold to GateHouse Media.
  • In June, we put the house on the market and Kevin saw Gwen Stefani in concert.
  • In June, we celebrated being out of review and realized we would not get our referral this year.
  • In June, Jenn celebrated her 37th birthday.
  • In June, Kevin started a new job in Lansing, MI
  • In July, Kevin went to BolognaFest in Yale, MI and truly became a Michigander.
  • July and August were a blur.
  • In September, Jenn's father went into the hospital and we realized then that he needed more care than we could provide.
  • In September we received the only offer on our Rockford property in a rapidly declining housing market. WOO HOO
  • In October, Jenn's dad made his permanent residence in a nursing home in Chicago.
  • In October, we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary... apart.
  • In October, the movers packed up our house.
  • In November, we closed on the Rockford property and on our new home in DeWitt, MI.
  • In November, we went to the MSU vs. UM football game. Our first sporting event as Michiganders.
  • In December, we went to the MSU vs. NC State basketball game. Our second sporting event as Michiganders. NOTE: Kevin has been to more sports games this year than in the previous 10 years.
  • In December, Kevin celebrated his 36th birthday.
December is nearly gone and we're exhausted! It has been a roller-coaster of a ride this past year and that was just with Jennifer. No, seriously, it has been a hard year and one we are glad is nearly gone.

Today, on this Christmas Eve, we realize it's our 20 month anniversary of our LID. We both feel blessed; however, it is hard to go through these holidays without our child. We know there will be a happy ending, but getting to that point is not always clear, easy, or fun. It is hard to even guess when our referral will come to us. Some think it will be in the fall; some think it will be next winter; and, yet, some think it will be in the spring of 2009. We're, obviously, hoping for 2008. Our goal was to travel before the Olympics (8/8/08) and now, we will travel after.

The next steps for us in the adoption process is to meet with a local agency in Michigan. We have decided to partner with Adoption Advocates of, get this, Rockford, MI. They will be our post-placement agency; however, Lifelink will remain our placing agency. We have already made contact and will get the ball rolling after the holidays.

We are in love with our new home, here in Michigan. Here is a link to view the pictures. Mom, Larry, call me when you can't figure it out.

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe New Year.

Love,
Kevin & Jennifer

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Greetings from DeWitt, MI

After four days, we are settled in our new home, sort of. We have unpacked all of the boxes and need to hang pictures, photos, etc. That's it. Then we're done! So far, we love the house. As soon as the rooms are set, we'll take photos and upload them onto the blog.

====================

Our hearts go out to the Sheldon family. If you haven't heard, Sandi and Dennis went to China to meet their daughter, Hannah, and bring her home. While in China, Dennis passed away due to diabetes. It just so happens that we know the Sheldons as they are/were part of the waiting families group here in Lansing. For more on the story, click here.

====================

The latest round of matches took us through December 8, 2005. Our LID is April 24, 2006. Eight days is the most we've seen since March 5, 2007. So, hopefully, we'll see an increase in referrals over the next few months.

On the not-so-encouraging news, our adoption agency, Lifelink, met with CCAA directors and they said that China has opened up the purse strings on the one-child policy in the rural areas. Which means there are fewer children that are abandoned. They also said there is an increase in domestic adoptions within China. The China officials did not indicate there would be a speed up any time soon.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Sparty on...

We officially closed on our Rockford, IL property at 10:30 a.m. Friday, November 2.

WOO HOO!

Jenn permanently joined me in Lansing as of 11 p.m. that evening.

On Saturday we went to the MSU vs. UM game at Spartan Stadium. We tailgated beginning at 11 a.m. and the game started at 3:30 p.m. It was a good time. We had pretty good seats, 13 rows from the field on the MSU end zone. Even though the Spartans lost, it was a pretty cool experience. Check out the photo gallery on greenandwhite.com.

Today we spent the day shopping for furniture for our new house... to no avail. We close in 10 days. We can't wait to get out of our apartment. The Cooley Law students screaming in the hallway at 2 a.m. is getting old! Or are we getting old?

That's it from Michigan. The weather is brisk but beautiful.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

October is a time of change and anniversaries...

This weekend was bittersweet. It was my last trip to Rockford... to help pack up the house and to say goodbye. We've lived and worked in Rockford for three years; made a lot of great friends; and really fell in love with the community. While we are excited about the next phase of our life, it's difficult to leave the routine we've had.

This past week, Jennifer and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary (October 15th). Hard to believe we've been married for 13 years. We've moved seven times. This latest move will be the eighth. Holy crap! We've resigned ourselves to the fact that we are getting too old to be doing this again!!!

Here's our schedule:
October 30: the movers pack up our Rockford house
October 31: the movers load the truck
November 2: close on the Rockford home
November 2: Jenn moves to Lansing
November 14: close on our home in DeWitt, MI
November 15: movers deliver our furniture
November 16: movers unpack our boxes

Yes, we have found a home in DeWitt, MI. Here's a picture of the outside:














On Wednesday, October 24, we celebrate (???) our 18 month anniversary of our LID (April 24, 2006). The wait is still growing; however, November 2005 LIDs are DONE! This is, hopefully, a positive sign. We have read that there were an astronomical number of dossiers in November 2005. This is all rumor, but December, January, and February are much smaller than what November was. The next highest month is March 2006 -- of course, as we are April 24, 2006.

Here's hoping to a speed-up in referrals, a safe move and a good start to our life in Michigan!!!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...

Jenn came to stay with me this past week in Lansing. This wasn't just her first full week in the area, but it was her first week working remotely for Johnson Press. It was really nice to have her here. But, as all good things come to an end, she leaves for Rockford today.

Monday, September 24 marks the 17th month (from LID) we've been waiting for our referral.

Also on Monday, Jennifer will be called by an accreditation committee for the Hague Convention. She will be asked questions regarding Lifelink's procedures, practices, etc. This is so Lifelink can continue to provide intercountry adoptions. It's a good thing we like our adoption agency!

Last night we went to the Potter Park Zoo for the annual Zoo Party. This is a gala event where they raise funds for the animals, kids and education. They had 26 different restaurants participating and various wine and beer stations throughout the Zoo. It was a fun time.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Wake us up when September ends...

Okay, so it's September. We can't believe it either!

Kevin is settling in with his new job in Lansing, MI; while Jennifer is still in Rockford, IL keeping the house up.

It's been difficult, to say the least. We see each other every other week and Jenn gets the added responsibility of keeping the entire house up. Before we would just split the work. Now, it's all on Jenn's shoulders, and she's thrilled about it.

We have had more than 70 groups of folks walk through our house and only a handful have come back for a second showing -- we're always the bridesmaid, never the bride. A lot of the folks that have walked through are either nosy neighbors or people who want to see the new Benson kitchen. At any rate, it's good for people to get the word out, right?

Each week we grow more and more frustrated that this house hasn't sold. But, it's our life right now and we'll get through it, right???

On the adoption front, we reached another milestone: 16 months of waiting. Because this has taken so long, we had to renew our I600A, which is a petition to bring an orphan into the United States, because it's only valid for 18 months. This is a one-time free pass due to the extended wait. So, if we have to wait another 18 months, we will have to pay for the next renewal.

It has taken CCAA one year's time to get through four months of LIDs -- July 22, 2005 through November 21, 2005. We're April 24, 2006. So, if recent history repeats itself, we'll be posting this same message in September 2008.

Typically, CCAA would get through 30 days of LIDs every month. Now the average is seven.

It is our understanding that November 2005 is a very big month, which is partly the reason for the slowdown.

Those folks out there that were complaining a year ago about the wait, just have absolutely no clue as to the frustration we are having right now. We have surpassed their waits and then some and now some more. And, at times, it's even difficult seeing them, talking to them, and/or hanging out with them. It's as if everyone around us have children and we don't. We are the minority, and it's completely beyond our control.

So, we've really tried to just step back. We're re-grouping and trying to come to terms with the fact that it will be late 2008/early 2009 before we meet our child. And, we're certainly not getting any younger!!!

We have had many conversations about switching countries/programs, but at this point, why? By the time we get our paperwork re-done for the new program/country, we would have waited the same amount of time. Make sense?

So, that's it.

We're frustrated... we're geographically separated... and we're alone.

[do you feel sorry for us yet?]

PS> do you know anybody that wants to buy a great, remodeled house in beautiful Rockford, IL?

Friday, July 27, 2007

Michiganian, I am...

It's official! I can now add Michiganian to my resume!

From a Hoosier to New Yorker to Illinoisian to Michiganian, I have certainly gotten around!

No matter where you move, there is a certain point that you become one of them. It's something we've always said we won't do... but we always do. Today was my day.

I was traveling to Port Huron, MI today for a routine visit... talk about advertising, online content, etc. Then I got the opportunity to go to BolognaFest in Yale, MI. How could I have turned that up? BolognaFest?

Just the name took me back to my childhood. I remember having bologna sandwiches and fried bologna sandwiches practically every day. My mother said it was my grandmother who always made us eat bologna. Whatever the case... it was certainly a staple in my household.

So the ad managers decided to take me to the festival today for my childhood treat... and, treat it was! It had to be the best fried bologna sandwich I've ever had. Yale Bologna. I highly recommend it.

I was so excited about this that I was given the honor to wear the BolognaFest King crown. Yes, there's a crown. Apparently, the King and Queen are named for raising the most money to help fund the festival. For your viewing pleasure, I leave you with the photo.

In case you're wondering... it's a ring of bologna that's on the crown.

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Another month, another post...

I can't believe it's been a month since we last posted. How time flies...

I started my new job at the Lansing State Journal. It's going well... a lot of work! The worst part is just learning how everything is organized and structured and then changing it to what I think will be successful.

Jennifer and I try and see each other every other week; and, when we're together, it's really just the two of us. Nobody else really matters during that time. She's been to Michigan once and I just got home from Rockford tonight. It is really hard not to see each other every day.

We have had a ton of traffic on our house... but, we're always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Things have really slowed down over the past two weeks. We're hoping it's due to summer vacations and will pick up over the next couple weeks.

I've met with the waiting families group in Lansing. We typically meet for breakfast one time per month. They are a good group of people and will really be instrumental in helping us settled and welcome.

Change is good, right?

Friday, June 22, 2007

We're out of review... FINALLY!


Today is a reason to celebrate. We are FINALLY out of the CCAA review room.

So, what does this mean? It means that we have been approved by China to adopt a child. Can you even believe that I made it through?

What it really means is that we'll be waiting, yet again!

Now that we've been approved, our dossier will move from the review shelf to the matching shelf. Our next step is the match.

Estimated timeframe would be at the earliest November 2007; realistically, Spring 2008.

Monday, June 11, 2007

The hardest part is saying goodbye...


Let the goodbye's begin!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon swimming with Vince, Dani and Katelyn and Mellissa and Sofia (Steve had to work).

This is always the hardest part about relocating... saying goodbye. We met Vince and Dani, Steve and Mellissa through the waiting families group our agency hosts. The three couples instantly bonded. We're all in our mid-30s and have been able to complain about the wait and celebrate the referrals, placement and everything beyond very easily.

We were so hoping for our daughter to meet Sofia and Katelyn. And they will! Jennifer and I are adamant about the "girls" to meet. This isn't goodbye, it's "we'll see you later!"

Saturday, June 09, 2007

For sale; No news; The Gwen; Party!

Our house officially hit the Rockford real estate market this past Monday. We have done an awful lot of work to this house... there's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It will be very hard to leave.

There has been some activity with our home. We've had three showings in its first week and tomorrow is the first open house. Hopefully, it will sell quickly!

=========================

The May referrals came in on Wednesday. CCAA has placed children through November 7, 2005. They only got through six days and the reviews haven't been updated yet. So it goes.

The wait has officially hit the 19-month mark with this last batch of referrals. Which means, the earliest we would get our referral would be November 2007. But as each month comes and goes, the wait gets longer and longer.

==========================

To cope with the time, I went to the Gwen Stefani concert last night. It was a blast. Nancee, Lizzie and I went to Tinley Park and had a great time. I know, I know... I'm too old. But I had a lot of fun! The Gwen was all wound up, and so was I! Too much fun!

==========================

My last day at the Rockford Register Star was Friday. That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. It is time to move on and face new challenges. I am on vacation for the next two weeks and will move to Lansing, MI on June 23. Jenn thinks that the reality hasn't hit me yet and probably will sometime next week. I have a lot of goodbye lunches scheduled... let's hope those I'm having lunch with will buy! My officially going away roast will be next Friday. God be with me (and them).

Friday, June 01, 2007

Decisions decisions

Just an update...sorry it has taken so long to post, but we've been busy making some decisions.

We officially hit the 13-month mark on 5/24/07. This wait has been getting on our nerves and we have had discussions of switching to Vietnam. We requested some information from an agency that works directly with Vietnam so we could learn more about that program. The switching of countries has been discussed at great length on various sites we review - so we aren't the only ones thinking about it.

Another decision we have made is to move to Lansing, Michigan. Kevin has accepted a job with Gannett Michigan as the Regional Digital Director for five properties in Michigan.

We are in the midst of preparing our home to be placed on the market. It has only been six months since our kitchen was completed and two months since our family room was completed. As much as we will miss our home, we will miss our neighborhood more. We have only lived here just shy of three years and have met some wonderful people that live up the street. Kevin and I can only hope we end up in a similar neighborhood situation in Michigan. We will miss Brian and Jenny (and kids), Lance and Karen (and Jenna) and Mark and Nancee (and kids).

This decision was not an easy one for us as we are really quite invested in the area/community. We met Steve and Mellissa (daughter, Sofia) and Dani and Vince (daughter, Katelyn) through our waiting families group and have been friends ever since. These are two families that keep us hopeful for our adoption with China. It is wonderful to spend time with their girls and see the end result - it will happen. Since we are moving out-of-state, we will not be switching countries. We will do everything we can to introduce our child to Sofia, Katelyn and the Brigadoon clan.

This move has sparked questions about the adoption process and what does this mean for us? Our place in line remains the same. We will travel with the same group we have been with from the beginning - we haven't met any of them yet. One couple is from the Chicago area and it is our intention to connect with them before we travel and meet for dinner. We have to find an agency in Michigan that will update our home study once we find a home, they will update our financial information, guide us through any requirements the state of Michigan requires of adoptive parents and serve as post-placement agent. Post-placement is the follow-up with our child once we are home. This will go on for one year once we arrive home from China.

So, we may have to get fingerprinted---WOO HOO (I think this would be the fifth time) - again for DCFS, etc. We will be learning more as the summer goes on. The next batch of referrals from China should be arriving in the US next week... we are hoping to see that we are officially out of the review room and heading into the matching room. This will be the next milestone for us.

Fees for Immigration items go up officially on 7/30/07 and we have an item that we need to renew in Aug/Sept - this is the form that allows us to bring our child(ren) home. There was a petition to sign in April to plead our case with Immigration as to the rising costs of paperwork for something that is completely out of our control (THE WAIT). Kevin and I both signed the petition and wrote letters to the "powers that be"--and it was approved this week that those of us that are renewing this form will be allowed a one-time free renewal. Kevin thinks that the savings should go towards his FIRST CLASS TICKET TO HONG KONG.

This will be a busy summer for us with all of the changes coming our way.

We will blog soon when we know we are out of review - a huge reason to celebrate in our opinion.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

One year ago today...

One year ago today someone in China received our dossier and logged it in... that's the day we got in line.

What we knew then...
1. We would get our referral in February 2007.
2. Travel in March/April 2007.
3. The name.
4. Thoughts of our first Christmas as a family.
5. We met the Tallacksens and the Venturas. Here's to good friends...
6. The Ventura's received their referral photo of Katelyn.
7. We stayed out of the chat rooms, but got info from the Tallacksens. Mellissa was very angry.
8. We needed to attend our parent training course.
9. The wait was getting longer and Mellissa was even more angry.
10. The Pfeifer's brought their daughter, Allison, home.

What we know now...
1. We have no idea when we will get our referral.
2. We have no idea when we will travel (see number one).
3. The name.
4. Anticipating our first Christmas as a family.
5. The Tallacksens and Venturas have come and gone. No not really, we still see them with THEIR children!
6. Katelyn is a ham.
7. We're now in the chat rooms (thanks, Mellissa). Now we're angry.
8. We attended our parent training course.
9. The wait is getting TREMENDOUSLY longer and we're getting even more angry.
10. The Tallacksen's brought their daughter, Sofia, home. Sofia is precious.

We celebrated our year wait by seeing Billy Joel in concert last night in Chicago. Today, we had Chinese food. Here are our fortunes:
Jennifer: You are going to have a very comfortable retirement.
Kevin: It is better to get something done late than never.

Not exactly the fortunes we were hoping to receive.

Here's what we've done in the past year:
1. Remodeled our kitchen.
2. Installed new windows.
3. Finished the landscaping.
4. Installed new flooring in our family room.
5. Painted the family room and kitchen.
6. Bought a crib.
7. Bought a dresser.
8. Bought a bookcase.
9. Bought girlie clothes.
10. Bought books.
11. Bought diapers (yes, we're stocking up).
12. Bought art.
13. Jenn got a new job.
14. Move Jenn's dad to Rockford.
15. Drank.
16. Went to Colorado to visit the Taulmans.
17. Started the blog.
18. Started the 100 wishes quilt.
19. Bought a camcorder.
20. Bought a king-size bed.
21. Jenn had knee surgery.
22. Started and finished our travel immunizations.
23. Celebrated 12 years of wedded bliss.
24. Celebrated our first Chinese New Year.
25. Read about the new CCAA rules (which will not impact us).

That's about it for us. Will post soon!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

What can we say???



This just sucks. Can you even believe it? CCAA got through two days of LIDs. That's right... TWO days.

It's pretty much official... our child will come next year.

What the #$%^&*?








.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

CCAA, throw us a bone, will ya?

It's March and we keep wondering if our child has been born yet. This is when the wait begins to get tough for us. All along, we've been busy remodeling, working, and planning. Now that we feel as though we have a lot accomplished, we now keep thinking about "starting" our family.

Our frustration continues to grow since CCAA announced the latest round of referrals. If you haven't heard or seen, they matched families with orphans through LIDs of October 24, 2005. The prior round of matches ended on October 13, 2005 -- which means CCAA only got through 11 days of referrals. The reason why our frustration is growing is because referrals typically only happen once a month. October 2005 will take three months to complete. Our LID is April 24, 2006 -- which is six months from October 2005. If you have already done the math, you'll know that would be another 18 months until we get our referral. UGH! UGH! UGH!

We hate to keep bringing this up, but when we began this process we were told the wait was six months from LID -- which means we would have had our referral in October 2006; and traveled in November or December 2006. But, we completely understand that this is not Lifelink's fault as that was the expected wait at the time of application. As the demand/popularity grew for China adoptions, so did the wait. Of course, it also didn't help that there aren't enough children to be adopted at this present time.

So, what's our best guess for referral/travel? We absolutely have no idea. We have been told that this is a cyclical process and should (emphasis, should) speed up. We are still hopeful that our referral will come this year. We're still hoping for the Fall. But, you never know. If things speed up enough, it could be summer. You just never know.

But we do wonder if our child has been born or conceived.

Not the best of news, but since the wait has gotten as long as it has, our fingerprints with Immigration expire on May 11, 2007. Which means, we have to request for an invitation to get re-fingerprinted. This request also includes a cashiers check of $140. Additionally, our I600A expires September 24, 2007. This form allows us to bring our child home -- into the United States of America. If we do not travel by the end of July, we will have to renew this form. Which means, we have to send a cashiers check for $545 to the Department of Homeland Security -- thank you President Bush! Let's hope when Hillary gets into the Oval Office, this will change! I'm sure it will as she is all about the people... not the money.

Now that I've got that out of my system... we have been busy purchasing furniture for her room. We did buy the crib and bedding a few months back as they were on clearance (bargain shoppers extraordinaire!). We have recently purchased a bookcase and dresser from the Land of Nod.

The flooring in our family room will be installed on Friday, April 6 -- that is if the floor is not on backorder any more. We are extending the kitchen wood laminate flooring. We found an almost perfect match, so we're thrilled.

We thought we'd leave you with two images... we have talked about the turkeys that roam our neighborhood. Thanks to cellular technology, we were able to snap a couple of photos, proving that there are a flock of turkeys in our neighborhood...



Saturday, February 17, 2007

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year, that is.

Beginning today, 2007 is the Year of the Pig.



















According to the Chinese Culture Center, people born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep.

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Click here to read more about how China celebrated the new year.

Click here to watch a video as to why this is the Year of the Golden Pig.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Getting closer... sort of

We're getting closer to the review room.




















Our LID was April 24, 2006 and CCAA has approved those dossiers with a LID up to March 22, 2006. It took CCAA three months to review dossiers from February 1, 2006 to March 22, 2006.

CCAA has also matched families with LIDs through October 13, 2005.

Congratulations to those who have received their referrals...

kb8wfh
Katiebugs Journey
Natalie
Jessica Faith
Frostography
Our Journey to Marlee
Three Peanuts
Belzma
Journey to Jaci
Granola Girl
Luckiest Mama
Jonna & Joelle
Red Thread Kid
and Autumn makes six
MUSIC Journey to Ainsley
Our Adoption Blessings
A China Journey
Katie Mei
Eliana Joy
Emmalis
Karenca
It’s time to fly….
Born in Our Hearts
Kimber
Hope in China
Mia2me
Baby Venn
Bringing Home Hua Feng
Thomas Blog
MUSIC China Stork
Bottles and Bones
Kaffee Klatsch
Bringing home Hannah
The Stephensons
Bringing Libby Home
Adoption Journey
Bamps_poelmans
China or Bust
Kristinsiemon
Silk Road to Siena
Love Internationale



You may have also heard about the new China adoption rules. Luckily for us, we are grandfathered in. The only new rule that would affect us is the BMI issue -- we'd have to lose a few lbs. The official rules are:

-- At present, the number of adoption application documents that the China Centre of Adoption Affairs (hereafter referred to as CCAA) receives is increasing very fast. However, the limited number of Chinese children available for inter-country adoption is far from being able to meet the demand of families from overseas. The CCAA maintains, in accordance with the principle of protecting the best interests of children in the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (hereafter referred to as Hague Adoption Convention), that adopters in the following conditions answer better to the spirit of Hague Adoption Convention and the provisions of adoption law in both China and your country, and are able to offer the Chinese children adopted the best possible environment to grow in. It is our hope that you read this letter attentively, screen the families and give priority to those in the following conditions, and submit the adoption application
documents for them:

--The CCAA first accepts and reviews adoption applications of foreign adopters who are qualified with the following conditions from the day of 1st May 2007, and then makes placement of adoptees with them. Adoption applications of the other adopters who are not qualified will be put into considerations after all the cases of the qualified have already been dealt with.

I. The adopters are a couple of one male and one female with a stable marital relationship. In case that both the husband and the wife do not have any ex-marriage, the length of marriage has to reach two years. In the case either the husband or wife has ex-marriages (not more than 2), the length of the current marriage has to reach 5 years.

II. Both the husband and wife have reached the age of 30 and are under 50. For adoption of special needs child, both of them should have reached the age of 30 and are under 55.

III. Both the husband and wife are fully healthy physically and mentally, and do not have the following conditions:

1. AIDS;
2. Mental handicap;
3. Infectious disease within infective stage;
4. Binocular blind or binocular parallax or monocular blind and with no ocular prosthesis;
5. Binaural hearing loss or language function loss; adoption of special needs children who have identical conditions will be exempt from this limitation;
6. Afunction or dysfunction of limbs or trunk caused by impairment, incompleteness, numbness or deformation; severe facial deformation;
7. Severe diseases which require long term treatment and which affect life expectancy, like malignant tumor, lupus erythematosus, nephrosis, epilepsy, and ect.;
8. Post-surgery of major organs transplantation, not yet 10 years;
9. Schizophrenia;
10. Medication for severe mental disorders, like depression, mania, or anxiety neurosis and etc. stopped not more than 2 years;
11. BMI > or = 40.

IV. Either the husband or wife holds a stable occupation. The family annual income reaches $10,000 for each family member including the prospective adoptee and the family net assets value should reach $80,000. The family annual income does not include welfare income, like relief fund, pension, unemployment insurance, or government subsidy, and etc.

V. Both the husband and wife have received education of or above the level of senior high school, or vocational skills training of the same level.

VI. The number of children in family under the age of 18 years does not reach 5, and the youngest one should have reached the age of 1 year. Adoption of special needs children will be exempt from the limitation of “the number of children in family under the age of 18 years does not reach 5″.

VII. Both the husband and wife have never come under any criminal sanction. And they behave honorably with good moral characters and abide by regulations and laws. Both of them do not accord with the following situations:
1. Have a history of domestic violence, sex abuse, abandonment or abuse of children (even if they are not consequently arrested or criminated);
2. Have a history of taking narcotics like opium, morphine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and etc. and medication for mental diseases, with are able to arouse addiction among human beings;
3. Have a history of alcohol abuse and have given up drinking not more than 10 years ago.

Adoption application will be given consideration on a case by case basis when either the husband or wife has less than 3 criminal records of slight severity with no severe outcomes, and the time for correction of wrong has reached 10 years, or has less than 5 records of traffic law violation with no severe outcomes.

VIII. The adopters are able to have a correct cognition of adoption, and expect to provide a warm family for the orphaned children (or children with handicap and disability) via adoption and to meet the needs of the children adopted for the sake of a good development of them. They have a correct cognition of inter-country adoption as well, and are fully mentally-prepared for the potential risks within inter-country adoption and for the situations of children adopted as potential diseases, developmental delays, post-placement maladjustment, and etc.

IX. The adopters make in the adoption application letter clear promise of being able to accept post-placement follow-ups and offer post-placement reports as required.

X. The fixed number of year or age that appears in this letter shall be dated from the day when the adoption application documents are logged in at the CCAA.

The CCAA expects sincerely to cooperate with you and to provide better services for the adopters and children adopted and to help the Chinese children adopted develop in a family full of happiness, love and understanding. Thank you very much for your understanding and assistance.

The CCAA is responsible for the interpretation of this letter. Agencies should direct any specific questions to China Centre of Adoption Affairs

2007 is full of changes... already!

Well, it's apparent that 2007 will be big changes for the McFatridge household.

Jenn started a new job as an accountant at the Johnson Group. The Johnson Group is a local printing company in Rockford that was just purchased by Deluxe - famous for their check printing operation. They are a publicly traded company and part of Jennifer's role is to help them become SOX compliant. This is a much more family-friendly environment for her as compared to where she was before. A much more relaxed atmosphere while still being challenged. So far, she is very happy.

Also new in 2007 is the fact that we moved her father to Rockford. It was becoming too inconvenient for her to drive two to three hours to NW Indiana and make sure he was doing what he was supposed to do; getting the attention he was needing. He is now in a great independent living facility in Rockford that is about two miles from our home. So far, he is very happy. This place is also serving as a social-outlet for him -- something he was really lacking in NW Indiana. He plays bingo on Mondays, watches movies on Fridays and eats whenever he wants. It's almost like being on a cruise ship.

We're hoping that 2007 will continue with major changes with the addition of our daughter(s). I say that with hesitancy because the wait is continuing to get longer. For me, frustratingly longer. When we started the process, it was a six-month wait (that would have been last October). Now it's up to a 16-month wait -- which is now the end of August, beginning of September. With travel in November or December. We're expecting the wait to become even longer than that. But still hoping that we will end our year as a completed family. But, who knows.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

January referrals...

We're a little past due, but there have been more referrals this past week.

Below are links of blogs with photos that you may visit:

Sink or Swim
My baby Ava
An Invisible Thread
Waiting for Emma
Our Journey to Margaret
On our way to China
The Story of Gracie
Gleason Journal
A Daughter
Eliana
Miah Miah Miah
Bringing Home Sophie
Adopting Mia
Goliath Family
Our Journey to Mylia
Waiting for Ping
Journey to Zoe
Journey to Kenzie
Journey to Elizabeth
Journey for Maggie
McFees Girl
Journey to Grace
Adopting Mia
Our Family Journal
Margaux
Jade Lin
Green Wooden Rooster

One of the blogs posted a photo of the newspaper's finding ads. Here's what it looks like:


In China, when a child is found, the orphanage must place what is called a finding ad in the local newspaper. This is used to, hopefully, find the birth parent(s). If the birth parent(s) do not come forward in a certain amount of time then that child is put up for adoption.

For adoptive parents, the finding ad is precious as it is the very first photo of the adopted child. There is even a store in Guangzhou that offers a service to get the finding ad.