Dec 30 2008

Here it is - our acceptance letter. We are really doing this!

And so our adventure begins...except that, in an odd way, it feels like it is ending. Why?

Well, this all started back in the summer of 2005 when prayers, thoughts, and discussions led us to conclude that it was time we should add to our family...by adopting a daughter.

Given the situational considerations back then (political, economical, etc), within a few months we had determined that we would go overseas...to CHINA (huh?). At the time, this was supposed to be about an 8-month process...

We completed the US Homeland Security/Immigration/State Dept stuff (whew!), had an official home-study accomplished on us (and passed!) and then got all our required applications and paperwork translated into Chinese (our marriage is now officially recognized in China...complete with license in Chinese!). By Feb 2006 we were officially registered with the Adoption Agency of the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Meanwhile, we got reassigned from Illinois to Belgium. I knew I would move in 2006 but thought I had more time! So, we had to get a NEW homestudy done on us in our new Belgian home (and passed again - repeat after me Seth, "my dad only cooks healthy foods and administers fair but firmly loving discipline in the home...").

And so, you know...we were going to wait a few months and then go get her - right? Hahahahahahahaha!

Then there arose the Tibetan politics leading up to the Beijing Olympic games, the tragic earthquake centered in Sichuan Province, the Olympic games themselves, the very sad tainted formula scandal...and a myriad of other things we do not know about. We just know that it took a long time.

Meanwhile, I found out I would be moving again. We knew were close to the front of the Chinese waiting list, but how close?

Fortunately, our referral has come through just in time. We will go to China in February, Pack up in March-April, and move to probably Virginia in May.

We'll continue to update you as events develop. We are still awaiting the EXACT travel dates.

Our next fun experience will be visiting the Chinese consulate in Brussels to get visas. So - stay with me - we'll be spending euros for Chinese documents translated into French and then pasted into our American passports. Got it?

God bless,
- the Gaulkes