2 WEEKS!!!!

LHAA called me this morning and told us that our consulate appointment is May 27th. Which means we are leaving May 14th for Beijing. This is so hard for me to grasp! We have waited so long and in about 2 1/2 weeks we will have our daughter in our arms. Reality is finally setting in. We will return home on May 29th as a family of 4! Holy Moly! There is so much to do and think about. Where do I begin?

Please continue to follow our journey. We do plan to update our blog while in China!

WE GOT TA!!!

Living Hope Adoption Agency called me around 10:15 this morning to announce that they received our Travel Approval from China. God must have heard my prayers! I dreamt last night that we received our travel approval and while eating breakfast with Jake this morning I said to him that I think we may hear good news today and we sure did! OMG, it's surreal. I can't believe we are going to China for our daughter.

Our agency will call us on Wednesday to give us more details about when they think we will be going to China. It should definitely be in May and they are thinking more like mid May. OMG, that's only about 2 weeks away! We are going to China! Thank you God!

A Poem Sent by Living Hope Adoption Agency

KISSES IN THE WIND

(The Waiting Child's Lullabye)

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.

You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.

But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...

Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.

I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.

But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.

And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

--- © Pamela Durkota, written for Josh

Still Waiting...

Wow, I knew this would be hard, but I didn't think it would be this hard. It's only been a week and a day since the CCAA received our Acceptance letters. I guess I was hoping for the best case scenario. Again, we are stilling waiting for a TA (travel approval) which can take one to four weeks to receive. Can you tell I'm a little impatient? Patience was never one of my strong points. LOL.

Strange thing is that things feel so calm. Usually we are so busy and running around with Jake's activities and whatnot. We've actually been home a little more. The one thing that is keeping us busy is Jake's baseball. He is playing for an all-star baseball team called the Collegeville Blue Sox. This is his second year playing for the team. The team practices two nights a week and plays either double headers on Sunday's or an all weekend tournament. Jake pitched two innings last Sunday against Fleetwood and he did a great job! He only walked one batter in two innings. At this age, the coach's only allow them to pitch so many pitches or innings so that they don't burn out their arms at a young age. They are playing their first tournament this weekend in Reading. They will play two games on Saturday and depending on how they do will depend on when and how many games they play on Sunday. We have to be in Reading by 7:15 AM Saturday morning. Don't these people believe in sleeping in a little on Saturday? Geesh, we have to get up earlier on Saturday than we do for work during the week. So crazy!

Dave and Jake put Rachel's stroller together last week. I forgot what it looked like since my shower was in March 2007. Actually, mom even bought the stroller much sooner than that! I almost forgot about all the wonderful things we received at my shower for Rachel. My family and friends gave me the most wonderful shower with a Chinese theme. I still recall every detail. The wonderful thing was that my mom and sister came up from North Carolina to share in the day which really meant a lot to me.

I'm still looking for some special artwork for Rachel's bedroom walls. I haven't seen anything that really caught my eye. I've tried looking online, but I'd really like to see it in person before making a commitment. I'm sure the right piece will come along.

I hope you all are enjoying this blog. I'm really enjoying sharing this journey with everyone. I know there isn't much going on at the moment, but hopefully I will have some great news to share with you when we receive our TA!

If you haven't posted a comment, please do. I love reading them and Rachel will one day too!

Love you all!

Today...

Still no news about Travel Approval (TA). I want so badly to get news that we will be traveling to bring our daughter home. It's so hard looking at her photo and wondering whether or not she is being cared for properly. I want to kiss her bald head good night and whisper in her ear how much we love her. It's truly hard to believe that this little angel in the photo belongs to us. God is good!

I think this wait really places doubt in our minds about caring for our daughter. I worry that I won't be able to shield her from all the negatives that may come her way. There are many people who don't understand why we went to China to adopt a child. We get the question constantly about why we didn't adopt domestically. The people who make these comments are just naive to the process and how adoption works. Most adoptions that take place domestically tend to be "open" adoption which means that the adoptive parents stay in touch with the birth parents. This is something that Dave and I struggled with and didn't think we wanted to be burdened with. Again, it's a personal preference. Also, you hear such horror stories about birth parents coming back and wanting their child back and I know our hearts couldn't handle that. I don't want to worry every day about whether or not the parents might come back. When you decide to adopt domestically, your picture and profile are basically put into a database with thousands and thousands of couples wanting to adopt and you hope that your profile sticks out enough that a birth parent might choose you. It's really a luck of the draw with domestic adoption. It could take just as long as Chinese adoption or longer.

With China adoption, something just spoke to our hearts about these children, especially the little girls who are abandoned because Chinese families prefer little boys. See, having a son is kind of like an insurance policy for parents in China. A son (and his wife) are responsible for taking care of their parents when they become too old to work and care for themselves. A daughter would be married off who then, along with her husband, would become the caretaker for her in-laws. So with a one child policy in most provinces of China, a boy is preferred. This of course forces families to make the choice to abandon their child if they are a girl or are physically or mentally handicapped.

Times are changing in China and China is becoming more lenient with the one-child policy and they are advocating that girl's are just has good as boys, but thousands of years of history and beliefs will take generations to change. So, in the meantime, these children need homes that will give them the love and care they deserve.

So, I am hoping that I will always have the right words and wisdom when negative comments come our way. Maybe I can educate them and turn them to adopting a child from China or any child for that matter.

Update...

I emailed our agency today to see where we were with our Acceptance Letters which have to go to China. The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has to receive our acceptance letters before they can process our travel approval (TA). The Acceptance Letters were received by the CCAA yesterday, April 16, 2008. We are now waiting on TA which can take 1 to 4 weeks! I pray to God that it's closer to the one to two week time-frame. We just want to get to China and bring our daughter home. So please pray that we will get a speedy TA!

Thank you

I want to thank everyone that has emailed or contacted us to congratulate us on our little girl. Everyone's feedback has been so positive and uplifting. When you are going through tough times in your life, you truly find out who your friends and true family are. We have been abundantly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Honestly, we could not have gotten through this without each and every one of you. I know some of you have heard me cry more than once about the adoption process and how long we've waited and all the paperwork we have to renew. We are so thrilled to be able to share this journey with you. I wish Rachel knew how much she is loved already even though we haven't even held her in our arms. I have saved every email that we received so that I can share them with her one day. Thank you again for all your love and support.

What are we doing while we wait?

Dave and I took the day off yesterday to regroup and prepare travel lists. We went and had breakfast where we sat and created never-ending lists. Afterwards we went and did some shopping so that we could cross off things on those never-ending lists! It's a great feeling crossing things off your "to-do" list. We had to buy diapers, wipes, baby bottles, disposable bibs, and lots more. It felt so strange, in a very good way, to buy those things again. And there is so much more to choose from compared to when Jake was a baby! Disposable bibs?! When we returned home we worked on getting our paperwork together that needs to go to China with us. The paperwork alone needs a suitcase of their own! LOL! We really do have so much to do. But we are excited and can't wait to bring this little girl home!

Her pictures just make my heart melt. I can't believe she belongs to us! Keep praying for a speedy TA! We are really hoping to travel to China in May the absolute latest. I can't believe we are going to China!

Waiting for TA!

We are currently waiting on Travel Approval (TA) from China. When we received our referral, we had to sign an Acceptance Letter stating that we accept the child that is being referred to us. How can we refuse the little girl God intended us to have?! There are 7 other families traveling with us and all of them have to have their acceptance letters to LHAA before they can send to China. Hopefully they are on their way to China as I type this update. Once China receives the Acceptance Letters, they will give us approval to travel to China. Once the agency receives TA, they will then coordinate all the necessary appointments that need to be made while we are in China, including a physical for the baby and our consulate appointment which finalizes the adoption before traveling back to the U.S. We should hear something within the next two weeks or so.

We have been floating on cloud nine since last Friday! Dave and I are feeling a little overwhelmed, in a good way, about all that needs to be done. First order of business for me was shopping for Rachel! I have been waiting to do this for 3 years now! Mom and I went to the new outlets in Sanatoga and bought about 20 new outfits for Rachel. I had a blast! Hopefully 12 months clothing will fit her chubby little body. LOL. Dave and I decided to take off on Friday to regroup and to start making our to-do and packing lists. There is so much to think about. We are only allowed to have one check on suitcase weighing no more than 44 lbs per person. How do you pack only 44 lbs. when you are in another country for two weeks! We have a lot of practicing to do. We can't even have a suitcase for Rachel because she isn't traveling to China with us. I can have a suitcase for her coming home, but I can't take one with us. So all that needs to be packed for Rachel, needs to be packed in our three suitcases. This will be a major challenge for me.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers for a speedy TA and that we will be fully prepared to travel. Please pray that we will have safe travel as well. I'm quite nervous about the flights. 13 1/2 hours on a plane is quite scary to Jake and I. We plan to fly out of Newark, NJ since it is a direct flight to Beijing.

Thank you to all of those who posted comments on our blog. They are truly treasured!

Rachel's Story...

We received the rest of Rachel's referral today which has been translated from Chinese to English. Below is a brief description of what was included in her referral:

Rachel was 11 days old when she entered the Children's Welfare Institute of Pingjiang County of Hunan Province. She was very healthy and spends most of her days eating and sleeping. When she is hungry and wet, she cries very loud to get attention. Otherwise, she is known to be a happy baby. She likes to play with keys and toys that make sounds. She loves to look around and will stare at objects that catch her attention. When her nanny holds her up and talks to her, she responds with sound.

When Rachel was five months old, she rolled over for the first time. She will try and stretch her hands out to reach shiny toys. Rachel is able to verbalize simple sounds. She can recognize her name and will turn her head and smile in response.

Rachel gets up at 7:00 AM each morning and goes to bed at 9:00 PM with two naps in between. She eats at 7:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 6:00 PM, and 9:00 PM (big eaters!). Her diet is mainly formula and is also supplemented with water and juice. She receives calcium and vitamins to help with her growth.

Rachel has received all vaccinations and were all administered on schedule.

We are just over the moon and back with excitement! We truly feel blessed to be matched with this little angel. I wondered what I would feel when I saw her face for the first time and there is nothing but pure love in my heart as if I gave birth to her. I don't know how to explain it. The wait was definitely long, but it just doesn't seem to matter as much anymore. Each time I look at Rachel's face, the long exhausting journey is slowing fading. I hear that when she is finally in my arms, it all melts away. It's just like the pain you experience during childbirth...when your baby is placed in your arms, you forget about all the pain that was endured during labor (most of it anyway! LOL).

Please continue to follow up on our journey by checking our blog. PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS on our blog! I want to save all comments so that I can create a Life Book for Rachel.

Introducing Rachel Lorraine

We GOT THE CALL THIS MORNING that are referral was at the agency. We are so excited to introduce our daughter, Rachel Lorraine. She was born on August 25, 2007. As of January 15, 2008, Rachel weighed 18.7 pounds and almost 24 inches long. She has quite the cheeks! Her Chinese name is Xiao Ning Jiang which means Peaceful and Quiet. The Children's Welfare Institute she currently resides at is Pingjiang County in Hunan Province.

I can't even begin to find the words to explain our feelings and emotions as we see her face for the first time today. She is just perfect in every way! We love her cheeks and her pouty lips...even her bald head! I can't wait to kiss it!

I received the call on my cell phone this morning just after 11:00 AM. I arrived late to work because of a doctor's appointment. I didn't recognize the number and thought it may be LHAA calling. As soon as she said it's Sarah from Living Hope I screamed! My poor co-workers! LOL! LHAA asked if we wanted to come to the office to get her referral and I was like we will be there as soon as we can get there. Between shaking, crying, and laughing, I don't know how I made it to Jake's school! God was definitely with me! Jake was so happy when he saw me because he knew we were getting good news. I wanted all three of us to be together when we saw Rachel for the first time.

I must have made 50 calls on our way to LHAA. As soon as we got to the agency, there was a sign on the door that read "Congratulations Crist Family!" When we got inside, we were greeted by the LHAA staff! I think they were just as excited as we were. Sarah handed us the picture and the next thing we knew confetti was falling all over us. It was such a memorable moment which was all caught on video thanks to Elena at LHAA.

I can't even describe what was going on in my head and heart as we looked at Rachel's pictures. She is just absolutely beautiful. We just thank God for such a wonderful blessing.

We will know a little more about her once her referral has been translated from Chinese to English. I will keep you all posted.

Please post your comments on our blog! We would love to hear from you.

Update...

I emailed my agency to see if they had any word as to when they might receive referrals this week. Elena from LHAA emailed me back and she doesn't think they will receive anything until next week. I did not want to hear this! I know it will happen, but OMG, I don't think I can hold on for another 5 or 6 days. This is absolute torture. Usually you start hearing of families receiving their referrals in the first couple of days of a new month. Please please pray that we will hear this week!

Waiting...

We are still waiting for the phone call from our agency today. I am truly going out of my mind with anticipation. Of all days, I forgot my cell phone. I left it in Dave's car when I went out for my massage last night. I am doing all I can to de-stress myself and I was told that I needed a massage. The stress is taking a toll on my body because I've been experiencing lots of headaches and aches and pains through my body. I'm calling these my labor pains! It's amazing how dangerous stress can be if you don't find a way to release it. I'm increasing my activity as well which I hear is another great way to release stress. I'm open for more suggestions if you have any.

What happens when we receive the call?

Dave or I will get a phone call from the agency telling us they received our referral. Because Dave and I want to be together to get the news, whoever receives the initial call will tell the agency that we will call them back within 30 minutes. We will both leave work and meet at the house. We would like to pick Jake up from school too, but he has PSSA testing this week. I figured that I could call the school to see if they are finished testing for the day. If so, then we will pick Jake up so he can receive the news with us. Once we arrive home, we will make the phone call to the agency. Dave borrowed a camcorder from a friend/coworker and we are planning to video record the call so we can share it with everyone!

The agency will only be able to provide us with little information in the beginning including:

• gender (we did request a little girl)
• child's name
• birthdate
• weight & height
• province
• orphanage name

The referral will then go to translation which will take about 2-3 days. Most of the information is in Chinese, so it has to be translated to English. Once the referral is received from translation it will then be ready for us to pick up. Normally the agency would FedEx the information, but since the LHAA office is only in Fort Washington, we will pick it up. We will review the information including her medical information and if everything is acceptable, we will sign the referral acceptance letter. The signed acceptance letter is then returned to China and we wait yet again, for travel approval (TA). The time for this can vary from 1 to 4 weeks. Once TA is received, the agency can make the China consulate appointment and travel arrangements can be made. Our agency is great in that they make all travel and hotel arrangements for our entire stay in China. That is one less stress/headache we have to deal with.

I think my biggest fear through this process will be the 13 1/2 hour flight to China. We are flying directly out of Newark, NJ because Philadelphia International Airport doesn't offer a direct flight to Beijing. I've haven't been on a plane for more than 3 hours at a time. I don't know if I/we can handle a 13 1/2 hour flight. Not to mention that China is 13 hours ahead of us. Basically we will loose an entire day, but will gain it back when we return. It's all so frightening, but so exciting the same time!

Please pray for us as we await the news of our little girl! We need all the prayers and support we can get. My family and friends have been so great through this process. We can't wait to introduce our little girl to all of you. Thank you for being such wonderful people!

What is the Process to Adopt Internationally?

We decided to pursue international adoption following a Resolve Conference (a non-profit organization that provides education, advocacy, and support for people facing infertility, multiple miscarriages or having a difficult time with conception) we attended in September, 2004. After listening to families who have adopted from China, Dave and I both felt in our hearts that we were being called to China! We started the adoption process in March, 2005. We met Living Hope Adoption Agency (LHAA) at the conference and they were so easy to talk to. They are a non-profit christian agency who has a love and passion for the children of China. I met a woman, Carol (came to my house to scrapbook with a friend and turns out Carol was my Spanish teacher in high school! We live in a very small world!), who also adopted from China and used LHAA. She had nothing but positive feedback regarding LHAA. We signed a contract with LHAA in March, 2005.

Here is what is required to prepare your dossier (packet of paperwork required to adopt internationally):

1. Physicals & Blood work (forms need to be completely very precisely)
2. Fingerprints done by the Immigration & Naturalization Services (INS)
3. Criminal Background Checks
4. Child Abuse Background Checks
5. Need 3 references (non-family members)
6. Homestudy (3 interviews - 2 done at LHAA & an interview at our house)
7. 12 pages of preliminary questions for Home Study
8. Employment Letters
9. Financial Statements
10. Apply for Passports
11. Adoption Letter to China
12. Petition to Adopt (I1600A Form) to get approval from the U.S.
13. Forms need to be notarized
14. Forms need to be "state sealed" (we drove to Harrisburg to have this done)
15. Forms need to be authenticated (done in New York - our agency handled this)
16. Dossier sent to China (DTC)
17. Receive a Log-in Date (LID - helps us keep track of where China is when referring their children
18. Wait for referral
19. Power of Attorney forms
20. Complete Visa applications

I'm sure I'm missing a few steps. Preparing for our dossier took about 8 months to complete. Everything needs to be done in a certain order and done in a certain way including how the physicians complete the physical form. They must use an "x" and not check marks when completing the form. I learned this the hard way! Unfortunately, a lot the these documents have expiration dates ranging from one year to 15 months. Because of the lengthened wait time to receive a referral from China, we have had to update our forms and fingerprints 3 times and they all come with a nice price tag!

Our wait has been 27 months since LID. We do expect to receive a phone call with referral news any day now. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!