When we began the adoption process we knew it would be filled with ups and downs. We knew it wouldn’t be easy by any definition of the word. We were hopeful, grateful, and encouraged, even in the midst of a pandemic. (Which at the time, we honestly would only last a couple of months – boy were we wrong) One thing we were so convinced of is that our home study process would be quick. Well, I was wrong.
What I thought would have been 2 months, turned into 4, however this still falls within the normal range for home studies. But I’m SUPER pumped to share that here we are, November 2020, and we FINALLY have an approved home study!
Having an approved home study means we can finally move forward with the steps that I anticipate will be a long wait. Compiling our Dossier is one of the main things we will be working on along with submitting our i800a paperwork. Once we apply for our i800a and get approved, we will be one step closer to submitting our Dossier. Unfortunately, I don’t think either of these will go very quickly due to the pandemic and the holidays coming up.
For anyone who has adopted before, any tips for this part of the process? I am trying to stay as organized as possible but I can see how it would be easy to miss things here and there. Share your wisdom with me!
So what else will we be focusing on while we wait? Grants.
Now that we are home study approved, we can apply for grants. Grants are what is going to help us complete this adoption, hopefully, debt-free. We believe that God will provide for our adoption in the areas we need most. But we will not rely only on grants. We are also doing fundraisers, saving every month for our regular jobs, and picking up extra work if/where we can.
If you are the praying type, we humbly ask that you add our family to your prayer list. We cannot do this adoption alone and have surrounded ourselves by friends, family, and strangers to walk with us on this journey. As the year is coming to an end, we would love to invite you to consider making a year-end tax-deductible gift to our adoption through our AdoptTogether page. Every penny will make a difference in our journey to bringing home our daughter.
Thank you for your love and support. We can’t wait to have another update for you soon!
WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS:
Applied to home study agency 5/20Applied to placing agency 5/29Placing agency contract approved 6/1Started home study 6/23Finished home study 7/23 Home study approved
Applied for i800a (immigration)Pre-Approval from China (PA)Fingerprinting at the immigration officei800a approvalDossier to China (DTC)Logged in Dossier (LID)Letter of Acceptance/Approval (LOA)1800-immigration approvalArticle 5Travel ApprovalLeave for ChinaMeeting our daughter for the first time!
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