Update

As I begin writing this -- it's about 8:30 pm in China. Most likely our little one is currently either getting ready to go to sleep or already sound asleep. And as we go to bed this evening -- he or she will be waking up to the same morning sun we'll be waking up to tomorrow morning...

I can't begin to tell you how amazing yet incredibly daunting that is to know. In fact, it's absolutely mind-blowing.

While our current two children are about to wake up to begin the day -- I know they're safe, their bellies are full, they know the love of a mama and baba, and they're simply over-all cared for. Our China baby? They're waking up among many others in the same room. Their needs in the morning won't be met immediately. Their belly will be hungry. They may be sitting in a soiled diaper for a few more hours. And they won't get immediate kisses and cuddles from a mama or baba when they open up their beautiful-sleepy-brown eyes.

That pains me to no end. What we would give to just be able to speed through the process and be on a plane tomorrow to swoop them up in our arms. Oh - what we would give. I consistently pray that God cradles them in His warm embrace, giving them the most possible comfort as possible while they wait for us -- and we wait for them.

Every day I see referral approvals (such as these: http://adoptedbydesign.typepad.com/blog/2015/11/3-families-received-referral-approvals-from-china-today.html), gotcha day photos, you name it while scrolling through my FB newsfeed or different blogs. These give an extra smile to my day and an extra beat to my step, but I admit -- it makes me wish we could skip ahead and receive our referral approval for our little one in our hands. Or better yet -- be on a plane to pick them up.

Patience. A. Lot. Of. Patience.

Could you pray for our little one? Pray for protection. Comfort. That their needs will be met until we're able to meet those needs. Perhaps this sounds a bit foreign to others -- after-all, we have no idea who they are. What they look like. Their circumstances. Their special need. Not even their gender. Nor the day or month they were born -- but we know they're most likely out there nonetheless, and we're already crazy about them.

So to our lil' munchkin -- we're coming for you. As quickly as we possibly can, which can't be quick enough.

Different ones will ask us how the adoption process is going. Not a whole lot to say other than "it's goin'!" But we're fairly "on track" as planned. Our biggest goal is to have our dossier sent to China anytime in February. February 4th really is as soon as we can have it in China due to Billy turning 30 then (you and your spouse have to be 30 years old to adopt from China).

So as a quick update:: we had our homestudy paperwork done for some time, and have had one of our homestudy visits with our social worker just recently. She'll be back to conduct the last two visits next week and said she hopes to have our homestudy report written up before the month closes. We love our social worker -- she has adopted herself, has siblings who've adopted, and she's over-all just a lovely, friendly, laid-back social worker.

Back to the homestudy business -- your homestudy report consists of all your homestudy paperwork as well as a written report from the social worker. If you remember from other posts, your homestudy paperwork is 25+ signed and notarized documents ranging from 40+ personal question data forms, financial documents (including a break-down of monthly expenses), medical examination forms, FBI background clearances, adoptive-parent training completion certificates, employment letters, marriage license, birth certificates, family pictures, tax forms, and the list goes on. Your homestudy consists of those forms, as well as the report your social worker writes up on your family (I've heard it's typically 6+ pages) -- this report basically makes the case you'd make good adoptive parents.

With all that said, we're excited to have our home study officially completed here soon! The next step after our home study is officially written and compiled with the other documents, is to have it OK'd through our adoption agency branch office in Omaha, then once they OK it -- they'll send it to our agency's main headquarters in Eugene, OR for final approval -- and once *they* approve it, then it will be sent to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration) (along with our little one's preliminary visa application) for final approval. Approval from USCIS (which is basically approving our homestudy which approves us to adopt) can happen (for some) in just weeks, or (more likely) two months  -- we then have a fingerprinting appointment set (yes-- more fingerprints!) by USCIS, and once that stuff is done -- we *then* send that with our other completed paperwork (dossier) to China.

And so we're currently working on our dossier paperwork. Yes, more paperwork! This is a laundry list of things -- including new original birth certificates, new marriage license (they need a newly issued one), *another* background check, more data forms to fill out, financial data form, passports, medical exam reports, additional employment letters, family application letter, etc. Our hope and prayer is that our homestudy is sent to USCIS, quickly approved and sent back, and the rest of our dossier paperwork will be completed so that we can compile everything and have it sent to China in February (Billy's 30th birthday -- and if you ask me -- that'd make for an incredible 30th!). Our social worker reminded us that we need to try to get the rest of our dossier compiled because we could receive a referral anytime after our homestudy is officially completed (and that's not that long from now!). That made things a bit more "real." We're open to either gender, and seeing now that not many families are currently in the process open to boys -- we really could see a referral fairly quickly. I won't get my hopes up too much though, and assume it won't come for some time.

And I believe Billy must be getting antsy because I caught him looking at the photolisting just lastnight. :-)

So in the mean-time -- we'll finish up these last visits with the social worker, submit our last key documents for our dossier -- but we'll most importantly, keep praying for our "China baby" (as our daughter calls them) and keep dreaming of the day we'll have them safe and sound in our arms.