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.

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!"

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!

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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.

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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!

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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).

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.