Tag: paperchase

Jun 16 2014 0Commentby writekara@gmail.com

We have TRAVEL APPROVAL!

Posted in Adoption, Travel

TA

Just got the call and we have TRAVEL APPROVAL (TA)! The letter from China saying we can come pick up Eli arrived to our agency this afternoon! They’re confirming our Consulate Appointment (CA) now and we should have that by tomorrow! The CA just tells us our last appointment in China so that determines when we can come home. We’ll need that information to book our flights but we’re fairly certain that we’ll meet Eli on July 21.<——It doesn’t yet feel real to type that sentence!

There are round abouts 1.7 million details to work out now that we finally KNOW the dates-there are flights, hotels, and care for Hannah while we are gone. I’ll also be making calls (again) to all the grants we are still awaiting word from to see if we can get their final decision asap. We need to be fully funded well before we depart because our fees have to be wired there in advance. We’re hoping that our BW3 fundraiser nights are successful and now they’ll be even more fun as a send-off of sorts for China!

More updates coming this week but for now-time to celebrate! we’re coming soon Eli!


Feb 24 2014 0Commentby writekara@gmail.com

LID and Fundraising Update

Posted in Fundraiser

LIDWe reached another milestone this week! Just in time for Adam’s birthday, we received word that we are officially LID, which means our dossier paperwork is Logged In to China’s system. Our Logged In Date (LID) is 2-18. Now for the next big wait. Our ultimate goal with this part of the process is the Letter of Approval (LOA). Along the way, we’ll hopefully hear when we are Out of Translation (OOT) and have been reviewed. The total LOA wait can range from around 40-100 days. As Eli’s 7th birthday nears, we are especially hoping for a fast one.

Since we’ve completed the majority of our official adoption paperwork, we’re now focusing on grant applications. We applied for a grant from Help to Adopt in the fall but were notified that we were not among the recipients. We have a growing list of grants to consider now thanks to the help of other adoptive parents and their suggestions. I’m working on knocking those out. The requirements for the grants differ widely. All require the same basic demographic information but many also request detailed financial, residential, employment, and spiritual histories. Gathering our information gave me a good opportunity to run the numbers and provide a fundraising update to Team Eli:)

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

Joe’s Social Media Matching Grant Campaign: An amazing family friend, Joe Hall, offered a generous matching grant in conjunction within inviting his friends in the social media world to contribute to our tax-deductible Adopt Together account. By the end of the year, Joe’s campaign raised $5634.

Puzzle Piece Fundraiser: We kicked off our adoption announcement with the start of puzzle piece fundraiser. Since then, 345 pieces have been claimed! Some of these donations came directly through our PayPal donation link ($1865). Others were part of Joe’s matching grant campaign. I plan to continue writing the names of people and organizations who donate-even if it’s part of a different fundraiser-because I love the idea that Eli will someday know how many, many people helped bring him home. As of tonight, we have 155 more pieces available.

Bravelets: We introduced our Bravelets campaign when we were officially DTC. They are a bit pricey but there was no cost to sign up, no time limit associated with sales, and the process was pretty easy. So I created a profile and chose some colors to represent our campaign. We haven’t sold any at this time but there’s no harm in keeping our campaign open.

TOTAL RAISED SO FAR (as of 2/23/14): $7499

Sales of Personal Items: While not a fundraiser, we thought it was an important enough part of the process to share that we-like many families pursuing adoption-have also sold some personal items to raise money for fees. In addition to contributing savings, we’ve raised around $5000 from these sales.

We’ve also been running the numbers on what fees and travel expenses are ahead. We’ve made some incredible progress and still have a ways to go. We’re not a family that minds hard work and remain committed that adoption isn’t only an option for wealthy families. Finances are something we typically keep much more private but I’m also choosing to share in hopes that this transparency will give prospective adoptive parents-including those with disabilities-an idea of what to expect. I’ve learned so much about this process from the blogs of other adoptive parents that I also aim to pay that gift of knowledge and experience forward. If you don’t have upwards of $25,000 set aside for adoption, it’s still possible. If you believe it’s not though, you are probably right. Our experience has been a test of faith, creativity, and a reminder of the need to BELIEVE. The best is yet to come!

 

 

 

 

 


Feb 15 2014 2Commentsby writekara@gmail.com

We are DTC!

Posted in Adoption

Valentine heart reads DTC 02-14-14

 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we received some fantastic news! Our dossier (the GIANT package of documents) is officially officially DTC or Dossier To China. This means the documents were processed through all channels of authentication on the US side and are now on their way to China. This is a huge step in the adoption process and we hope the rest of the several steps to go move quickly.

What’s next?

Our next acronym target in the language of adoption is to be LID (Logged In Date). This means that our dossier has been received by the authorities and logged into their systems. We would love to see this happen in the next 10 days or so.

How’s Eli?

 

 

We wish we knew the answer to this question each and every day.

While we can’t request any new updates right now, we have been doing our best to get to know Eli in other ways. For Valentine’s Day, our family celebrated by eating a Chinese buffet. The food choices were labeled so it was a good way to try new things and try to remember what we liked. One of Eli’s profiles said that steamed buns are among his many favorite foods! We all had a chance to try those and other foods on Eli’s favorites. The steamed buns were not quite as adorable as the pig ones pictured here but they were still tasty. Even Hannah gave them a whirl!

steamed buns decorated to look like pigs are pictured

Another piece of important mail also made its way to China-and even Eli’s province-today. We’d nearly given up hope on the care package we sent at the very start of the year. It typically takes a little under two weeks for packages like this to reach our courier. We’re guessing that the mail was delayed or slowed even prior to the Chinese New Year holiday. After over 4 weeks, our package showed up an

d the kind woman who serves as a go-between added the items we requested (a bag with a note that includes Eli’s picture and a note labeling it as his personal property and a USB drive for pictures the orphanage may have taken of him over the years). We also sent a Bengals fleece shirt, a ninja turtle t-shirt and toy, a slinky, a tiny Iron Man toy, Eli’s dinosaur from my Aunt Kate and Uncle Glen, tea for the nannies, and suckers for other children in Eli’s room or foster home. Our note was signed from friends in the United States. We’re working on our official introduction to Eli, which will include a book of pictures, when we receive Letter of Approval (LOA).

contents of care package

 

We hope the package makes it to Eli but we know it’s never guaranteed. Some orphanages keep the packages-including picture books that introduce families-until the day the child is adopted. Others take pictures and videos as the child opens them! Hopefully, Eli will get our package sometime in the next few days and he, his friends, and nannies will like it.

Thank-you all so much for your support and encouragement on our journey. I hope we have more good news to share soon.

Kara