Dossier in China

A lot has happened in the last month!  First of all, once we received our I800A approval, we got our dossier to China in record time:

• Saturday 9/12: I800A approval came in the mail
• Monday 9/14: I took it to work to get it notarized, then Gabriel took the day off to drive it into Chicago and got it certified by the Secretary of State (walk-in service) and dropped it off at the Chinese Consulate for authentication (and payed for the expedited 2-day service)
• Wednesday 9/16: I switched my work schedule and Jessica’s preschool schedule and we took the train into Chicago for the day.  We picked up the authenticated I800A form, made copies, and sent it off to CCAI (our adoption agency) by overnight mail.  We then spent the afternoon at Lincoln Park Zoo with a college friend of mine who just moved back to the area, and then met up with another another friend who commutes downtown for the train ride home, so we made the most of our day in Chicago :-)
• Thursday 9/17: CCAI confirmed that they received the I800A and that our dossier was now complete and was being prepared to be mailed to China within a few days
•  Friday 9/18: CCAI told us our dossier had been sent to China!  They said to expect it would arrive at the CCCWA (Chinese government agency for international adoption) within 3-5 business days and that they usually get dossiers logged in within 3 weeks.
•  Monday 9/21: We got word that our dossier had been delivered to the CCCWA!
• Friday 9/25: Our dossier was logged in!!!

What this means is that first of all, all our dossier documents are valid, so we’re done with the dossier part – phew!  Secondly, we have a little better idea of timeline: we’ve been told to expect to travel 4-6 months after our LID (Log In Date).  Since our LID is 9/25/15, that means we’re looking at late January to late March!  There are 2 main phases before that happens:

• The CCCWA needs to review and approve our dossier. We’ll know that’s done when we receive our LOA (Letter of Acceptance).  We’ve been told that phase takes 2-3 months.
•  Once we have our LOA, we can file our I800 with US Immigration, a process that takes 9-12 weeks.

So we are very thankful the dossier part of the process is behind us!  God knew our dossier needed to be in China before October 16 (when the 1^st doc would have expired) and He made it happen!!  I am yet again reminded of His Great Faithfulness.  Every time I start to doubt, He reminds us that He’s got this under control!  Not only that, but He graciously provided us with more reassurance about this little boy He’s chosen for us… 

At the same time as all this was happening, we got an update from the orphanage caring for our Chinese son (through CCAI):  this included a paragraph answering some of the questions we had asked last July when we were reviewing his file, and some new photos, and 2 videos!!  Some of our concerns last July had to do with how far behind he was developmentally (not sitting up yet by 10 months, not making sounds or responding).  This update relieved many of our concerns: he can now sit up, pull up to standing, and crawl!  He also interacts with others and seems aware of what is going on around him.  He also looks adorable, and has the cutest smile :-)   We are so thankful for this extra info we’ve been given while we wait for him!

Now that it’s getting closer, we’ve been talking more with Jessica about her little brother, and how she’ll be able to play with him and help him to learn things.  We’ve also been setting up his bedroom, and talking about sharing toys and books with him.  And we continue to pray for him daily.