thursday, may 12th

After last Tuesday, it felt like we were starting to actually move in a real and tangible way toward our boy. Sending off our I800 and the documents for our file lock felt like a fresh breeze had blown in. Then on Thursday, my phone rings while I'm on a field trip with Payton's class to Monticello. It's our social worker here in Richmond who asks if I've already sent off the I800. I tell her yes, a couple of days ago. She says that one of our social workers in Massachusetts noticed something in the home study that she thinks needs to be changed.

Huh?

Suddenly dead stillness. The fresh breeze? Gone. Poof.

She says she'll call her and find out the details.

A 'here we go again' moment.

I get home from the field trip to several emails that have been exchanged between the social workers. One of them tells me to email USCIS and ask them how to go about swapping out the old version of the home study with the new one. I think it must be a big error in the home study to go through all this (and possibly delay the I800 approval), so I ask what the error is. It's in the 'Child Desired' section. It originally said:

'They have a preference for two children of either gender, preferably one being female, between the ages of zero and six years.'

She thought that statement about a preference for a female (which kinda makes me giggle now) might cause them to question our desire and therefore true comfort around adopting a little boy.

At first, I didn't think that was 'red flag enough' to potentially delay the approval of our I800, but what do I know? I'm so green at this that I'm neon. Fortunately, I did email someone at USCIS and she was very nice and said swapping out our home study won't delay the process at all. She said once we receive notice from USCIS that they've received our I800, we can just send the new home study and it shouldn't be a problem. Ahhh...notice the words 'shouldn't be.' Please, Lord, let that 'shouldn't be a problem' turn out to be an 'isn't a problem'! The bummer is that she told me that it takes a whole 10-14 days just to hear back from USCIS that they've even gotten the durn thing! Good grief, they probably received it last Thursday. Why's it gotta take another week or two after that to say, 'Got it!'? I'm a junkie. A junkie for the fast reply. I'm just being honest. Especially in this case (adoption, that is). And there ain't nothing insta- about anything having to do with adoption. That's for sure!

Yes, yes! I remember the post a few weeks ago when I talked about how patient I was feeling...how I felt like God's doing a work in me...how this is good for me. Yeh, well, now? I feel like saying, 'blah, blah, blah.' I just want to keep the ball rolling. :)

Because in addition to having to send a new home study to USCIS, we were also told that, before we could have James' file locked, we also needed to write a LOI (Letter of Intent) and submit Wide Horizon's China Special Children program application. Get this. The LOI has to encompass very specific points:

• Share your reasons for adopting this particular child, include child's name, date of birth, and diagnosis/special need.
• Confirm you have reviewed child's information with a doctor, and feel well prepared to meet this child's needs.
• Your immediate and long term plan to care for child's medical needs - including hospitals, specialists, and resources in your area.
• Your immediate and long term child care plan - will you stay at home right after you come back, daycare, etc.
• Your ability to provide for child's physical, emotional, developmental, and medical needs.
• Confirm that your health insurance covers major costs of necessary treatments, surgery, services.
• Briefly talk about your support system - extended family and friends.
• Include how you plan to keep the child's Chinese culture and background as part of their life
• Add any other thoughts on how you will care, nurture and love your child.
• Thank CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) for their support of your adoption of this child.

Hence, the reason I still haven't posted photos or video of our little guy. Hang with me. I'm trying. Maybe, just maybe the lock will be performed tomorrow. I just emailed those two things to our social worker. Hallelujah!

A lot of people are asking me how long it will be before we can travel. Welp, my hope above all hope right now is that we might be able to travel before the end of the year. That would be incredible! And, guys, it's doable. Barring no major chads are left hanging or other unforeseen circumstances arise, this could happen. If you're the praying type, we'd love your prayers around this! We would love, love, love nothing more than to bring this little guy home before Christmas -- or even the holidays, in general. The wish of every adoptive parent who's waiting to bring a child home, I'm sure.

And guess what? I had another sweet encounter with the Chinese doctor I told you about. Had to do something to thank the sweet man. More on that later...