New Year, New Post

Hopefully, this will be a quick post, but I want to wish everyone a happy new year! Thanks to everyone in both blogland and the real world for their support over the past year. It has been a little rocky sometime, but a positive word or post can make a big difference. I hope to stay up on this a little better than I did the last half of 2008. I should be able to keep up with everyone's blogs better. I finally signed up at Bloglines and am slowly adding blogs to my feed list, so I can see quicker, when there is an update without having to check each and every blog. I also decided I needed to update the look of our blog. Since the holidays are over red and green are also out.

We spent a relatively low-key New Years Eve at my brother and sister-in-laws. Both Kevin and I had to work. I got off at 1:00 and took the train to the my parents. Depending when we got off, I was either going to stop at their house or take the train directly to my brother's. It turned out Hank was over at my parents, so I as able to get a ride with him, instead of hopping back on the train. We got about 5 inches of snow last evening and another couple inches over night and it is still snowing a bit even now. This had to have been one of the snowiest Decembers that I remember. And with the way 2008 has started, we may be in store for a very snowy winter.

Santa Is Our Neighbor

I guess this is why, one should never go without makeup, they never no who will show up!!

Our neighbor dresses as Santa every year for different function and also goes to the local hospital (s) to visit the children. Little does our child-to-be know, but he will one day be living right by Santa himself.

Guess I should change my blog colors, huh? Maybe, I'll get a chance Tuesday!

Annual Wrap-Up Update & a Taste of Asia

Our agency sent a final update of the year. It was a very good year. They completed 85 Vietnamese adoptions in 2007 and during the year received a total of 73 referrals. 28 families are waiting to travel after having received their referral. There are 231 families, who are currently on the waiting list , just waiting for a referral. We are #110, so we are just a little past the middle of the list. What's good, for us at least is that there are less people ahead of us than behind us. Now what is scary is there are 174 families who have applications in and are waiting on their home studies and their 171H forms to be added to the list. Depending how quickly referrals come and how quickly people are added to the waiting list the waiting list can get close to 400 families. Now if you were family 400, you could bet unless you were really open to a lot of special needs or an older child, you'd have much longer than 2 years to wait for a child. The wait can get as long or longer than those wanting to adopt from China. Nothing is even definite that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be renewed later this year, which will determine whether adoptions from Vietnam continue in the future. Do they know something that so many of the other agencies, who have temporarily stopped taking applications don't know?

This past week has been a week of Asian meals. Last weekend, we went for Thai food. The first time for me and the first in quitew a long time for Kevin. By now, I can't remember what either of us had, but I had some noodle dish, which was quite tasty and not too hot, nor too mild. The day after Christmas, we had chinese. My usual General Tso's Chicken from this one place not far from our house. Then on Saturday night, I discovered a new Vietnamese restaurant had opened in Des Plaines. (For those who live in Northwest Chicagoland) It is call Dung Gia on Miner Street, aka Northwest Highway; it is a very small restaraunt, only 10 tables.) It was very good! I ordered something called Heo Uop Gung Sot Camwith marinated pork in ginger cooked with pineapple, bell peppers, onions, and orange sauce. Kevin got Ca Bong Lau Kho To, which was catfish in a clay pot. I tried it and it was quite tasty. After studying the take out menu better, there were several things I'd like to order sometime. Since Dung Gia is in the same town as the CHI office; we'll hopefully eat there when we go to evening waiting family meetings. It's also right by the train, so I can have Kevin meet me there after work, plus he works only a few miles away. Once the weather gets warmer I really want to venture down to the area of the city nicknamed Little Saigon or New Chinatown, where there are many Vietnamese restaurants and shops.

I also just realized that it was about a year ago today that our application was approved for adopting from Vietnam and we rushed down to pay our fee, so we can get in under our agency's 2006 fee policy.

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!!!

I haven't posted in a couple weeks; boy how time flies. Last time I posted I was going to find out what our place in line is; it turns out to be #110, but how many people ahead of us are requesting girls only is unknown, as well as how many are open to toddlers or special needs. So knowing we are #110 does not necessarily help a whole lot to know when we are to expect a referral; the best guess is probably the last quarter of 2008, but that time frame could be actually much sooner or later!

We spent Christmas Day at my sister-in-law's father's house. He recently lost his wife to cancer and wanted to host it this year. Christmas Eve was spent asleep on the couch, until we dragged ourselves to bed. Me, sleeping on the couch is rare, but I had a good excuse, since I was under the weather. I had not slept the entire night, just fighting chills the whole night and felt just awful in the morning. Unfortunately, I was one of the few who was suppose to work until noon that day. Since I knew no one would truly believe how sick I REALLY was; I forced myself to go to the train, which was made worse by the fact that the temperatures were in the single digits, (but I had medicated myself with Pepto-Bismol, Imodium AD and Tylenol). The train was rather empty, so I just curled up on a seat and slept until we got downtown. Not long after getting there, one of the attorneys just told me to go home on the first train that I could! Luck was on my side as it was about 8:40 and there was a 9:00 train. I slept pretty much of the day with only getting up for a drink of water or to eat a few crackers. Kevin was super and made chicken soup for dinner, not the canned stuff either. He did get soup starter, but the chicken was of the real fresh variety. I forced myself to eat the entire bowl and then since I was tired of lying in the bed went and lied down on the couch. I laid down before Seinfeld started and never even saw it finish. The next time I woke was a couple hours later and I went straight to bed. Believe it or not after all that sleeping, I slept through the entire night. In the morning, I couldn't believe how much better I felt! But so as not to overdue it, I think I will go to bed early tonight.

Before I go I want to leave you with another Christmas photo.

Over 16,000 Hits!

I've had over 16,000 hits, since I linked to http://www.statcounter.com/ soon after I started this blog on December 26th. I entered the blogging world back in May 2006 when I started my other blog http://journeytoourchild.blogspot.com/, when we were expecting to start an adoption from China shortly, but oh, how things have changed.

We got an update from our agency and although, there were no referrals and our agency does not expect any before the new year, there are 5 families that are currently in Vietnam adopting their children and 2 other families will be leaving next week to celebrate Christmas in Vietnam with their children. There will be a total of 85 adoptions completed in 2007 by our agency; I think in 2006, there was 50-something. I am feeling more positive and hope that 2008 will be our year. At least for a referral, but of course, it would be nice to travel before another year ends, but we'll have to see what is in store for us. I just have to remember that things happen based on God's timing and when it is meant to happen, it WILL! Another family, who got on the waiting list is #109 on the list, so we should be right next to them at either #110 or 108. According to my record-keeping, we are #112, but I could be wrong since there are reasons other than referrals that our place in line could change. I have e-mailed my SW and hopefully she can tell me where we are on the list, currently.

Another Referral and Positive News

Another referral was received by our agency; a 2 year old girl in Ho Chi Minh City. So we should have moved up one spot on the list to #112. Hope fully, it won't be too, too long until we are out of the 100s. Our agency is expecting more referrals in the near future, but aren't sure if they'll come this year, since medicals are still needed. Please keep these children in your thoughts and prayers that they will soon be referred to forever families soon. Also keep The Leonards in your prayers, they have been near the top of the list for over a month or so. Hopefully, they will receive their referral of an infant boy very soon.

As mentioned a few days ago, our agency received the first batch of I-600 approvals - 7 families in all received their approvals within two and a half to three weeks. 3 families left for Vietnam today and another 2 families will be leaving on Tuesday. The remaining 2 families will leave soon after they receive their G&R (Giving & Receiving) dates. Several of these families have blogs and are listed under the traveling section. So things are starting to look up! Hopefully, there will be lots of good things in store in the near future and in 2008.

On Tuesday, we will be having a home visit from our social worker, since Illinois requires yearly home visits. It's about 2 months early, but I think they get pretty busy at the beginning of the year. Also, I want to save as much vacation as possible next year, in case we are lucky enough to not only get a referral, but to travel also, before 2009.

Update!

I haven't posted any updates in the last few weeks. But as of this past week, 2 more referrals were received for a two and a half year old boy and a four and a half year old girl. I think about we received 2 or 3 other referrals since I last posted about referrals. We are about #113 on the waiting list. I guess we're slowly, but surely moving ahead, but I just wish it was not so slowly. I just celebrated my 39th birthday; 30 was no big deal, but 40 is looking to be quite difficult! Some really good news is that at least three CHI families got their I-600 approval and will be traveling in soon to get their sons Khai, Jake, and Mattix. It also seems that the Vietnam Summit meeting went well and hopefully the future of adoptions will as well

Back from Extinction, but Returning to Hibernation

I've been around, but haven't been in the mood to blog. I've actually been meaning to but there's just nothing good to talk reallyabout. Things are moving so slowly and though we have been on the waiting list for almost 7 months, I don't see us making that much progress and there is so much confusion the past few weeks about adoptions from Vietnam in general. I feel I need to take a break from things and wait for some positive news. I probably will be around, but not as much as I have.

Thanksgiving Turkey -

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, here is my favorite holiday video. I wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. I won't even say don't eat too much, because we always do; maybe a happy eating wish to all of you instead. Sorry that I haven't posted in so long, but I will.

The "S" Word

Say it isn''t true! Yes, S-N-O-W!!!! They're predicting flurries today! I'm not ready for snow yet. Not before Thanksgiving, please. At leaast wait until then. December would be better. Of course, Christmas Eve would be the preferred first snowfall; at least for me! I guess if it is only flurries, I can live with that. Snow flurries though would be highly preferred over rain though. At least, one wouldn't get as wet!

No adoption news to report. The adoption is just not-so-quietly waiting. Well, it has quieted some, but things aren't quite as intense as it was last week, with inappropiate things being said.

Awfully, Unproductive Day

This has been a terribly unproductive day. I really wanted to get a lot of work done, but I just can't focus on it and my mind keeps wandering to the situation with Vietnam adoptions. I got an e-mail, actually two from my agency's adoption caseworker and it hasn't really put my mind at rest. It's just that no one knows what effect any of this will have and it may be sometime before anything is really known. We need to have another home visit in another month or so, since the homestudy is only good for a month or so. And she suggests we can discuss our options then in more detail. I don't know how I can wait that long, but at the same time no one knows anything right now and any decision at the moment would be purely based on emotion. I'm grateful though to know that our agency is not working in any of the affected areas, so if those provinces close even temporarily, we won't be affected.

The filing of the I-600 at the time of your referral, instead of when you get to the country should prevent future families from being stuck in the country with their adopted child, but being unable to bring him or her to the U.S. by having any investigation done early on in the process. (Most times no investigation is needed after filing the I-600, because there are usually no red flags. Right now, these red flags that resulted in investigations were with only a few agencies that were in a couple of provinces.)

Hopefully, these families pleas in their blogs for people to write letters to the USCIS or embassy (I forget which they asked people to write too) will not cause these organizations to bend to the pressure and end their investigations and let the families return to the U.S. Although it is not these families fault, it is their agencies fault or the facilitator who got them these referrals. If the children were not legally available because of either kidnapping or lying to their birthparents, these children then would have birth families who love them and never wanted them to be given up for adoption. Although it would be terribly painful to the adoptive parents, these children should be returned to their rightful birthparents. Hopefully, if it is proven these agencies were involved in unethical means in acquiring these children, they will have their licenses yanked away and be kicked out of ever working in Vietnam again. Then hopefully, they will allow those ethical agencies to continue working in Vietnam and finding families for the real orphans. Well, I think I better get back to work. I had my say and think I can focus on things that I should be focusing on now. Please keep the future of Vietnam adoptions in prayer for us and all other families, as well as the children who are or will be affected.

Current Situation with Vietnam Adoption

Please check out Laurie's post about what is going on and how it may affect future adoptions in Vietnam.

I Would Die For That by Kellie Coffey

Another Referral, But Holding Steady

Our agency received another referral, this time for a 3 year old boy. The family only waited 4 months until their referral! Since we have been waiting almost 6 months, this will not affect our place in line. We're no closer, but on a positive note we are not any further either. What we can conclude from this is that there are no families before us in line, who are looking for a 3 year old boy. I guess, there might be some who are looking for boys older, but probably most are looking for them to be under 3 years old. We also received a sibling group the girl is 8 and the boy is 10, currently none of our families are requesting siblings of this age, so hopefully, there will be someone who reconsiders and takes these 2 as their son and daughter.

4 families are returning from Vietnam with their new children and 3 families are completing things up there this week. There will be 4 families leaving probably next weekend also for Vietnam. After that, families will have to wait until they receive their I-600, as explained in my previous post. Our agency hopes it won't take too long, but it is possible that it could take up to 60 days more, which would mean not until next year, but hopefully everything will be in order and no lengthy investigation will be needed. Hopefully, we will have some more families travel before Christmas and New Year's.

Ch - Ch - Ch - Changes

The adoption world has been buzzing with changes that USCIS is making to the procedures that we follow in order to obtain permission to bring our child into the USA. As recently as earlier this week, the process was as follows:

• File an I600-A, which gives us advanced permission to start an international adoption
• Receive your referral, get your travel date, and after the G&R ceremony, start the process with USCIS to file the I600 (which is permission to bring a specific child- your referred child- into the USA)
• The USCIS makes sure that the child is legally an orphan while you wait in country, and that no improprieties, bribes, etc. were involved
• A visa is issued, and you come home.

Now though, people have to file for an I600 after getting and accepting a a referral. This may add time to the process, but lately a few families were not allowed to return to the USA with their children, until investigation on whether unethical practices were used in getting those children. So hopefully, this will prevent unethical practices from continuing. Although I feel sorry for these families, they are with certain agencies that are having incredibly quick referral times for very, very young infants and in the process, the agencies may be employing certain unethical practices. Many times, if things look too good to be true, they are and it seems now USCIS is catching on.

Hopefully, by having to file for an I-600 before being able to travel, the problem will be nipped in the bud and these agencies that are securing young infants inappropriately will be stopped and will have their license taken away, rather than ending Vietnam adoptions for everyone. Adoptions were closed down once in 2003-2006, let's not repeat it again and punish everyone when it's only a few agencies that aren't playing by the rules.

So if you are starting the process to adopt from Vietnam now, please make sure you research any potential agencies thoroughly. There is a Yahoo Group Adoption Agency Research dedicated to providing you with information so you can make a well-informed choice. Remember if something looks too good, it probably is. Do you really want to wonder whether your child was gotten ethically or if their parents were convinced to put them up for adoption for possibly financial incentives? Remember Vietnam is a 3rd world country and what we might not think is a large sum of money, may have a very different meaning in Vietnam. You could not only be risking things for yourself, but for all of us prospective adoptive parents now and in the future.

I'm feeling a little bit better; not great, but better!