Our Dossier has been Logged In in China!

We received an email from our agency that our Dossier (paperwork) was logged in with China on 11/04/05, so it took a little more than two weeks for it to all be translated from English to Chinese and reviewed. Our 6-8 month wait officially begins now. So, let me attempt to update our projected timeline:

10-14-05 Dossier sent to China (DTC) (Date to China)
11-04-05 Dossier Logged In (LID) Log in Date (It generally takes 6-8 months from the LID to get a referral
Projected Referral Time June 2006???????
Projected Travel Time Now August 2006????

Our timeline is a bit different than what we had anticipated, but God holds the plan, not us. If there's one thing I've learned throughout this entire process, it's that God's will be done! We'll go when he's ready for us to go. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Rumors of Delayed Referrals...I Pray it isn't True!

I am on several different forums and chat groups that center around international adoption, and sometimes I wonder why I put myself through it. The rumor mill is running rampid that referrals that have recently been taking 6-7 mos. may now be pushed back to 8 or 9 months. I pray to God that this isn't true. We're going to trust that God has a plan already in the works for Troy and I, and "let go and let God." Only He knows when the perfect time will be when Karsynn is ready for us to come and get her. If you are a person of faith, then please say a prayer for us.

Being a Soon-to-Be Mom Changes Things

Being a soon-to-be mommy sure changes the way you view things in life. Yesterday, I underwent a minor surgery (lapraoscopy) to check on a few things, and thank God I came through just fine, only a few minor pains to mention. I can't believe how nervous I was to have the procedure done. The last thing I remember saying to the guy putting me to sleep was, "I have a baby girl in China waiting on me to come and get her, so you take extra good care of me in here today." Well, he did. No pressure, right??? Becoming a mother causes you to second guess everything you do, because now there's someone else in this world who is depending on you. To say the least, it was a very enlightening experience.

We are DTC as of 5:00 Today!!!!!

As of today at 5:00 P.M., we are finally DTC (Date to China). Our dossier was sent to China today, via FedEx, and should arrive in China by Monday or Tuesday. So, here is the timeline we can expect, unless there are any glitches in the process in China:

• Dossier will arrive in China Monday or Tuesday
  
• Chinese officials will translate all of the paperwork from English to Chinese, which can take up to two weeks
  
• Translated dossier will then be sent to CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs)
  
• At this point, we will be given a Log In Date (LID). From this point we can expect a 6-7 month wait
  
• When a child is matched with us, we anticipate this to happen around April or May, then we will be sent our Referral, which contains several pictures of our daughter, birth information, abandonment information, and health records.
  
• We should travel 4-8 weeks after our referral.
  
• We will travel to China and stay two weeks in Karsynn's homeland, before we bring her home forever!
  

From this point on, it is basically a waiting game, so you may not hear very much from us. However, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and please pray that all goes smoothly and we can get Karsynn as soon as possible. Until next time...Goodnight!

Nursery Update!

It's official. I don't think there's one more thing that can even FIT into Karsynn's room. Papaw and Mamaw Davis bought us a beautiful, white rocking chair from Cracker Barrell. It is simply PERFECT! I sneak in there at night and rock, just imagining what it will be like when Karsynn finally arrives. It's the most peaceful feeling I've had in a very long time. Daddy put together a toybox, and we finally found a quilt rack and Time Out bench at the Apple Festival this weekend in Paintsville, KY. Now, all we truly need is Karsynn.

The I-171H has ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!

Well, after many long weeks of checking the mailbox daily hoping to find "the final document" and nothing being there, our wait is finally over, but not without a few issues, of course. We received our I-171H on Monday of this past week. We were so elated, that we didn't even bother to check over it to see that it was correct, that is until later on that night. After checking it over, we found not one, but TWO mistakes. Troy's name was listed as Troy D. Harfield and my middle name was Rend and not Rena. After 72 days, you'd think they could at least get our names correct?? So, I made a phone call to Sen. McConnell's office to see if they could get things straigtened out for us in a timely manner, and they did. The updated (correct) version of the document arrived on Thursday, THANK GOODNESS. Troy took Friday off from work, and rushed our completed Home Study and the I-171H to Frankfort for authentication. Then, he stopped by AHH to see our Family Advocate, Ebbie. After checking things over, Ebbie felt that we were ready to FedEx our documents to Washington, D.C. to be hand-delivered to the Sec. of State's office for authentication, and finally to the Chinese Consulates office. When this has been done, the courier will FedEx the documents back to our agency, hopefully by this Friday, and our paperwork will be off to China. From the time China receives our Dossier, we have a 6 to 7 month wait for our referral, at which time we will see our first pictures of our daughter and will receive her birth and medical information. The wait will be long and difficult, but well worth it when they place her in our arms. To all of you who've said a prayer for us lately, we say, "Thank You!"

Day 71 and STILL waiting!!!!

Troy and I have been in contact with our Adoption Agency, Senator Mitch McConnell's office, and Sen. Ben Chandler's office, and still no I-171H. However, according to our Family Advocate, Ebbie, USCIS says that there isn't anything missing in our paperwork that would cause this holdup. Instead, USCIS has gotten behind on things, and our case is still being processed, whatever that means??? Wednesday of this coming week will make two weeks since Sen. McConnell's office checked on things for us, so if we don't receive the document by then, then we'll contact our liason with his office again. UGHHHHHHHH! Enough venting! Troy and I just got home from the UK vs. Florida football game. What a nightmare! The score was so dreadful, that we left at half-time and went shopping for Karsynn at the mall. While we were there, God sent us another "sign" by allowing us to bump into a couple with an adopted daughter from China named Lily. She was so full of life and was the cutest thing you've ever seen. They shared their story with us, wished us well, and they were gone. It's the simple reminders that God sends our way that keeps us strong during this long, tedious process. The reward in the end will be well worth the wait, though. I dragged Troy into every store imaginable tonight that had baby clothes. When Karsynn comes home, we'll never have any money. Oh well. It's not like we have much now anyway!!!! Good-bye for now. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Day 60 comes Tuesday, Sept. 13th

Well, Tuesday, September 13, will make 60 days that we've been waiting on our final document, the I-171H. I can't believe that Kentucky has dragged this out so long. On Wednesday, our Family Advocate at AHH, Ebbie, will be able to make some contacts to find out where our document is. Until then, all we can do is WAIT. I've been fine up until this point, but now I'm simply impatient. Ok, enough venting. On a good note, Troy and I received the most precious gift the other day for Karsynn. It was a quilt with Panda Bears on it that was purchased by a very special family in Beijing. Along with the quilt, came a beautiful picture of a baby girl from China and a story that I will carry in my heart forever. Let's just say that from this gift I've learned to rely on my Faith. Until next time...

Another Photo!

Updated Nursery Picture

Karsynn's Room Has Furniture!

Well, the nursery is finally complete. Now, all we need is Karsynn. We went to Babies R Us in Lexington yesterday, and purchased her convertible crib, changing table and armoire. We couldn't stand to wait, so we had Papaw and Grandpa put the crib together last night. It looks so beautiful. This is something Troy and I have both wanted for so long, and it's hard to believe that this time next year we'll be parents. I simply cannot wait until they place Karsynn in my arms for the first time.

Still In Search of the I-171H...

Troy talked with our Family Advocate at our agency, A Helping Hands. He says that our approved home study was officially sent out on July 15, so that means we are offically at day 34 in our wait for this final document. We've been told to expect it anyday now, but we're beginning to get a bit frustrated. It frustrates me to think that it may be sitting on someone's desk who doesn't even care that we rush home every day after school in hopes of finding in the mailbox. I'm really trying to practice patience, but my patience are wearing thin. It's so funny though, as impatient as I am, so are my students. They all want to know what's going on, and they simply love to talk about it in class. They want to pull down the wall map and find China, and they love to guess which area she will be from. It's so cute! They are so good for me right now. They help fill my days with fun and laughter, as Troy and I wait for our darling baby girl. Someone told me just the other day, "You know, she'll be a lucky little girl." My response was, "Yes, but Troy and I will be even luckier." She will fill a void in both of our lives.

"Our feet are in America, but our Hearts are in China!"

Our Passports have Arrived! Yeah!!

Our passports finally arrived in the mail today. That's one less thing on our long list of things to do. I've heard that China uses passport pictures to match a child with a family. If that's the case, then Troy and I are in trouble. Our passport photos are only steps away from being mugshots. Seriously! We still continue to wait on the I-171H. We are now at about day 35 in our wait, and most people have been receiving their's in 45 or so days. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer!

Parent Education Classes are almost complete! Yeah!!!

Well, we attended another Parent Education class today in Lexington from 9:00-12:00. Today we participated in the Medical Risks class offered by a Lexington physician who has adopted from China, herself. She was very helpful. For instance, I didn't know that 60% of Asian children will end up wearing glasses because of nearsightedness. Also, I wasn't aware that many Asian children have spots on them called Mongolian Spots that are sort of like a birthmark that fades with time. We found this interesting, because this is something we'll definitely want to alert our pediatrician and daycare to, so that they don't think we're abusing our daughter. These spots look very much like a large bruise. Well, enough of the medical talk. I only have one more class to take, CPR, and I'll finish that in Oct. Troy has already been certified, so he's in good shape for now. Until next time...

The Rubber Ducky Bathroom

I'm hoping Karsynn's bathroom picture comes out a bit more clear!
As you can see, Troy and I have had a blast decorating for her.

Karsynn's Bedroom

Here is Karsynn's Bedroom. As promised, Sun, Moon and Stars!

Bedroom and Bathroom Complete!

Well, Karsynn's room is finished (Sun, Moon and Stars theme), and her Rubber Ducky bathroom is finished, too. Our mission was to get those two rooms done this summer, because we simply won't have time to do it when school starts back again (Aug. 9-Troy, Aug. 11-Me). I've made contact with Senator Ben Chandler's office and his assistants are going to help us expedite the process for Karsynn's I-171H, or VISA. This is the last document we need in order to send all of our paperwork to China. Then the long wait begins. It will be about 6 months before we get a referral for a child, and then we'll travel a few months later. We're still hoping for April or May 2006. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for us!

Going Home Tomorrow!

Well, we'll be heading home to KY tomorrow. We've had a blast in Florida. While we were here, we experienced something incredible. We traveled to Titusville, FL to watch a live launching of the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was amazing! The only problem is that I got a little too excited and forgot to turn the video camera on. I was so upset. However, leave it to shy Troy to meet someone who also taped the launch, and he's going to mail me a copy of his tape. Whew! Thank goodness!

We've Arrived!

Well, we finally made it to Florida. We were delayed by two hours in Chicago because of plane complications and an upset passenger. Mom and Dad handled the trip just fine, actually mom loved it! She talked the man's head off sitting next to her from Lexington to Chicago. Troy saw a man on the flight from Lexington to Chicago who had A Helping Hand adoption papers. We think he was on his way to Beijing. That got us really excited. Hopefully, that will be us in May 2006, or sooner.