Every Adoption is a Special Needs adoption...

I recently ran across a blog that talks up front about how attachment in adoption is so different from having a biological child. Read what's below the initial paragraph on the linked page. I have been reading a book about attachment in adoption but she makes it very understandable: http://jenex.typepad.com/journal/2007/04/we_interrupt_th.html

We have a LID!!!

After 2 months and 6 days of waiting, our LID (Log-in-Date) came on May 8th! We are LID March 22, 2007. Unfortunatley, we've also been hearing rumors that our wait may be 2-3 years. We will just have to waitot see if this is true.

If you would like to learn more about a typical adoption process, you can go to the link below and watch the first 15 minutes this video about an actual adoption that took place a few years ago. I love watching these, it's so touching to see the mom's, dad's and babies united for the first time.

http://leah.chinastork.com/home/default.asp?video

We can definately wait for this!!!

Take care,
The Downey Family

My Wish

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it, My Wish by Rascal Flatts. It is everything I hope for my children, in particularly, it makes me think of our little China Angel and where I hope her life journey with us leads her. I don't ever want her to forget where she came from but hope that she can comes to terms with her past and knows she is where she is destined to be. This song explains it better than I can, it brings tears to my eyes because I think of how this song explains the many different phases in her early life - the short time with her biological mother who I'm sure loves her dearly and would wish the same things for her, for the care givers at the orphanage or foster home she is/will be in and then her life with us.

I'm sure it will touch your heart as well.....

RASCAL FLATTS LYRICS

My Wish

I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

More then anything, more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more then you take.

Oh More then anything, Yeah, and more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
To your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

We are DTC - March 1st

I am soooo happy to say we are DTC (Dossier to China) as of March 1st!!! Despite the blizzard that began Thursday morning here in Iowa our agency got it together and out - how exciting and this is the information I found on the tracking number she provided to me:

Type: Package
Status: Delivered
Delivered on: 03/05/2007
10:51 A.M.
Delivered to: BEIJING, CN
Signed by: JAO
Service Type: EXPRESS

Yes, you read it right, they received the package today - it's there!!! Now the longer wait begins. We should be reciving a LID (Log in Date) in about a month letting us know we have been logged into their system.

Have a great week!

We got it!!!! And other good news!!!

Got a call last Thursday that our agency had received the faxed copy of our I-171H, the final document we have been waiting on. We received the form in the mail on Friday. Can’t believe it only took them just over a week to process it after doing our fingerprinting!!!! The other news the agency told us that they are sending in an extra group of applications to China, the first of March, and believe we should be able to make it in that group. So I am taking the I-171H & our homestudy to them today so they can expedite the final certification and authenticating of the documents so they are ready to go later next week! How exciting to know our dossier is almost complete and all we are left with is the wait of a referral and updating paperwork as it expires (in about a year).

We've been fingerprinted...

Yay for Beth at the adoption agency, she asked me last week when Kailey and I stopped by to return some books to their "library" if we had received our fingerprinting appointment yet and I told her we had but that due to President Ford's death it didn't happen. Well typically if you can't make an appointment the form tells you to go in on any Wednesday to get it done, after your original appointed time. Well to see if this was ok due to ours being cancelled because the office was closed, I called the toll free info line to see if we could do this and was told we had to wait till we were reassigned an appointment and that could take 30+ days. So I told Beth of this and she seemed a bit puzzled about that. So Beth called on Tuesday this week to see if we had gotten it yet and I told her we hadn't, so she said let me make a phone call and see if we can't get you in. About 15 minutes later she called back and said you can go in anytime tomorrow between 8am-3pm, I said great!!! So Jason took Wednesday off at work, didn't have much going for once, and we went and were fingerprinted. So now that the federal government has our fingerprints on file we'll have to stay out of trouble....hehehe. But that small hurdle has been jumped and we are now just waiting on that final document to result from all of this and we will pretty much have our "application" = Dossier complete!!!!!!!

How exciting! As much as I hate that it has taken so long to get this all done, I know it is for a reason - so the timing is just right and we are "matched" with the little girl that is destined to be a blessing in our lives.

I will let you know when our Dossier is officially complete and ready to be sent to China!

Until then, take care!

Fingerprinting Delay....

Well we ran into delay, if you'll recall we were supposed to have our fingerprinting done just after the new year on January 2nd, well due to President Ford's passing all federal officed were closed that day - bummer. So we are still waiting for our new appointment which we were told could take 30-days, bummer again. I know this was meant to be so that we are matched with the little girl that we are destined to become the parents of but it's a little frustrating knowing how much longer that makes the overall wait. Hopefully I'll be able to post soon that we have a new appointment and the "ball" is once again rolling. Until then, take care.