LOI

Thanksgiving has had a new meaning for us this year, as we catch ourselves staring intently at the photos of our daughter in China. It looks like our LOI (letter of Intent to adopt) went to China as of last Wed. 11-25-09. This is one of the first things in the process to bring Shiloh home. I did get information about the reason Shiloh was moved out of foster care and back into the orphanage--Social Welfare Institute in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia. The report says that most of the children in that area have been moved back into the orphanage due to the local families heating their homes with Coal. Apparantly this isn't safe due to smoke and fire. So we will have to be thankful for this and the report from the orphanage that she is doing well. This one line is enough for us to be content for now. So as we go through our day, I catch myself wondering if it is 10:00pm at home it is about 10 or 11:00am where she is, so as we are ending our day, she is beginning hers. When she is heading to bed, we are heading to work and Pre-K. One of the reports we got on Shiloh earlier said she loves to watch children's programs and look at books. I am hoping as soon as we get our PA that I can send her some gifts and maybe will get some updated pictures of her. There are some agencies in China that help with this.

The Paper Chase Continues.....

Today lots of paperwork....yet again. Oh my, does this ever end...I have 4 notebooks full of paperwork and it still grows! At least we now have a picture of our girl and somehow it seems easier to jump through the hoops. As our LOI (letter of Intent to Adopt) is sent and Shiloh's file is locked in for us, now begins the process to make it happen. I sent a large stack of paperwork and forms and a copy of our Dossier to our new agency, along with the fees due them. I then contacted our old agency about our immigration paperwork, which expires on 12/5/09. (Fingerprints and immigration papers expire every 18 months, that was the reason for our updated home study.) I still have not told our old agency about our sending LOI for Shiloh as our new agency has asked that we only do so once we have PA (Pre-Approval.) This is just to make sure that nothing changes until we know for sure Shiloh is ours. So it takes about a month to get a PA back. This signifies that China has briefly reviewed our information and thinks it is OK for us to adopt Shiloh. Once we get PA then it is pretty for sure as long as we produce anything else that China would like to see. "WELCOME TO THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION".....I have been told and now believe that it is not for the faint of heart. And so now I have this little girl over 7181 miles away from me and I can't sleep at night worrying she is OK.....It is going to be a long 5 months or so! I was told by others that this wait is even harder once you know who your child is. I think I believe that.

LOI to be sent...

Our LOI (Letter of intent to adopt) should arrive in China within 48 Hours and from there we wait on our PA (Pre-Approval to adopt) from China. Please take time to pray that all goes smooth and we get a quick reponse so that we will know for sure that Shiloh is ours. We can already feel the love and prayers...keep them coming!

Our Little China Sunshine

20 months of preparing and praying

7.5 months of gathering document after document
11 months documents sitting in China
2 hours being fingerprinted like a common criminal
6 hours with a social worker proving we are fit to parent
19 months without news of any kind
Nov. 18, 2009-First Glimpses of our new Daughter--PRICELESS!!!

Welcome to our family-SHILOH
Wang HongMei--11-11-07
Age: 2

Shiloh lives in the Qingshan District of Baotou City in Inner Mongolia (Northern China) at the Baotou SWI. (Social Wedlfare Institute-orphanage.) She is described as happy at play with other children, loves books and music and is sometimes shy. Dakota is so excited to finally be a big sister. She had to carry a picture of Shiloh with her to Pre-K today. Actually Chuck and I carried Pictures with us today as well--we are already proud of this little person that we cannot wait to love. Thank you God for this gift. Now the real waiting begins...