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Posted by on Jun 4, 2014 in Adoption | 2 comments

The most difficult letter I’ve ever written…

Almost 4 years ago, I jumped on the mom blogger bandwagon to write a few letters to my then-baby Hannah. I revisited this one and this one today and smiled as I recounted our nighttime routines and how much I worried about leaving tiny Hannah when I returned to work. I remember these letters flowing easily. I imagined Hannah reading them as a teenager and rolling her eyes and then-maybe…with some luck-reading them as an adult with amusement. The letters weren’t an introduction. I write as if I’m actively getting to know Hannah, which I was. Last week, Adam and I sat together to write another sort of letter. We wrote a letter to our son, an introduction of our family, and an announcement to Eli that he has a family and we’re coming-SOON-to bring him home. It’s safe to say, I’ve written A-L-O-T. Over ten years of college papers, a dissertation, and several years as a freelance writer. Still, I can say with certainty that this was the most...

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Posted by on May 24, 2014 in T-shirts, BeTheGood | 0 comments

Getting closer by the day

It’s been an adoption whirlwind around here since we received our Letter of Approval. The very day we received our LOA, we were able to apply for the next step (the i800). This step entails permission from Homeland Security for Eli to become a citizen. Friday before last, our approval arrived! Thanks to my months of studying the alphabet soup process known as adoption, I knew that I could save a few days if I emailed the US Visa offices rather than waiting on hard copy correspondence. Within an hour, I got what’s called a GUZ number. You then enter this number into a form on the Secretary of State’s website that will grant another piece of the permission puzzle for Eli to enter the country. By the end of the day on that Friday, we’d accomplished everything! These steps can sometimes take up to 1 or 2 weeks if you wait on letters to be mailed. So now……. We’re waiting for what’s called Article 5 pick-up. This step...

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Posted by on May 8, 2014 in Adoption | 2 comments

Happy Birthday Eli!

Last week-on the other side of the world-our son turned 7! I woke up that morning with a collision of excitement, uncertainty, and a little sadness that we’re not yet together. We’d arranged to send a cake to Eli’s orphanage. With cakes, care packages and well-almost everything with adoption!-there’s uncertainty. You’re never certain it reached it’s destination-Eli! Sometimes you receive word that the package or cake was delivered. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you receive pictures. Often, you don’t. I reminded myself that an update for us would be nice but what mattered the most was Eli’s big day. I just hoped tha t he felt LOVED and special. Last night, I received an update from the woman who arranged to send the cake to Eli’s orphanage. She said she’d send the pictures “tonight”. I’m never clear if people mean China-time, Ohio-time, or Utah-time (where our agency is). So naturally-I checked my e-mail incessantly last night. When Obie needed his typical 4 am stroll, I saw our pictures had arrived!...

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Posted by on Apr 30, 2014 in T-shirts, BeTheGood | 0 comments

LOA LOA LOA

We’ve waited 71 long, tedious days to announce that China has approved our adoption of Eli! Our agency received the hard copy of our Letter of Approval (LOA) this afternoon and it should be on our doorstep tomorrow. We couldn’t be more excited. Most people travel between 8 and 10 weeks from the day their receive LOA. We still have a steps-like getting visas and getting Eli’s immigration paperwork finalized. The remaining steps seem to move for people with a tad more predictability. We also find it pretty amusing that we were logged into China’s systems on Adam’s birthday and will be officially signed and sealed on Eli’s. It’s becoming closer by the day and we cannot wait to get Eli home. In the next few days, we’ll be preparing a care package for Eli-which will include our pictures and an introduction. It’s comforting (and a little terrifying!) to know that we’re once again on a track where each day matters. Cannot wait to get our little guy...

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