The Process

This is a more technical post but a necessary one because it both documents our journey and answers the question so many have: "When?"
The process starts with figuring out an agency which goes together with deciding if you are going the domestic or international route. If you are going international you need to know which country you qualify for and if your agency adopts from there. This was the most difficult part of the process for us by far. We knew we were to adopt but experienced confirmations rather than leadings when it came to choosing an agency and country. We attended an information meeting at Pearl Buck in March 2009 and in August we mailed them the face sheet of our application. A few days later we received a stack of instructions, policies, forms and procedures which made up the remainder of the application. In all there were 26 documents we had to complete or obtain in order to finish our application. This became another part time job for Tana and very overwhelming to be honest. The end was not in sight and we felt so vulnerable in opening up our lives and navigating through the newness and tediousness of it all. We commented numerous times we could not begin to imagine having to prove ourselves capable of adopting with the pain of infertility in our backgrounds. If this was or is your situation, our hearts go out to you and we deeply admire and respect your strength.
On October 7, 2009 we completed our application and on October 21, 2009 we had our first of two home study visits by our adoption coordinator. Despite Timothy amusing himself by belching during supper and feeling the need to talk about the Captain Underpants book he read at school that day, the first visit was a great time in meeting her face to face. During the second visit the kids loved their individual interviews with her and we were much more at ease.
After our home study was completed we had to apply for her immigration approval. US Citizenship and Immigration Services conduct background searches on us, review our home study and approve (or not) our application to adopt. We received USCIS approval on January 20, 2010. This was the last document we needed to complete our dossier (the packet of papers that is sent over to China)! After some adjustments to a few other documents, we were ready to have our dossier go through the process of being notarized, certified by the state of PA and authenticated by the Chinese Consulate General in NY. Today, March 3, 2010, Natalie and I took our completed dossier to Pearl Buck who will send it to China!
Now we wait. Every 5 or so weeks China Center of Adoption Affairs puts out a list of children with special needs that are available for adoption. Pearl Buck's matching coordinator looks over this list and our info and sees if there are any potential matches. If there is one she forwards the child's file to us to review. Part of us reviewing it will include a review by the International Adoption department of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. If the child's needs are more than what we think we can manage, we can decline go back to waiting. We could be matched with a child within the next couple of months or it could take a year. Most likely however our little girl has already been born so please keep praying for her and those caring for her! After we are matched we will travel in about 4 months. What we are semi-expecting and hoping for is that we will have her home by the end of 2010.