1/5/07 We are (DTC) Dossier to China...Tell us it isn't all just a dream.

We met with our social worker for the first time in June of 06. She told us that the wait for our daughter under the China program would be 15-18 months. She didn't tell us that we had 6-8 months worth of paperwork to get through before the 15-18 months even started.



So, for quite a few months we believed that our clock was running and it wasn't. We were frozen in time. It was through access to the many adoption blogs that we became educated on how this process works and what the timelines really are.



Our paperchase has taken a LONG time to say the least. Not only did we require medical forms for ourselves, but for each of our four children. There were three states involved in the state seal process. We were told to get certain documents but not told that they had to be notarized so they had to be re-done.


For you fellow adopting families, I'm not telling you anything new.
But, WE'RE DONE NOW!! All of our papers are exactly as they should be. They are notarized, sealed and certified. They were sent to China on January 5th. We now wait to receive word on what our (LID) Log In Date is. This is what starts the clock running. We will have Sophia approximately 18 to 24 months from our LID.



We have done the best job we can handling this situation. We have no real answers to the question, when?
Our children don't even ask anymore. They know that it will be a long time.



I hold the hope of her in my heart. Some days I think about her all of the time, some days I'm afraid that something will go wrong and my daughter will never come. Every once in a while I allow myself to feel like the expecting Mom of a precious little girl and I buy a little something. Nothing much, just something small to let me know it isn't all just a dream.