China said yes!

On Friday, we submitted our letter of intent to China.  Today, we received word, China said yes!  We have PA!!  So without further delay, allow us to introduce you to our son...

Ben

Social Welfare Center of Longgang District

Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

His referral photo caught our eye immediately compared with more recent photos.  Turns out he was first put up for adoption more than TWO years ago.  For two years this precious little boy has been waiting for a family to make him their own.  We are now that family and we couldn't be prouder!!

More details to come, but let me tell you that on his 5th birthday he is going to have a wonderful birthday present- a family!

Thanks for stopping by,

Fannie, Matt, & Big Sister Katie

Feeling very blessed...

We received big news today! We qualified for a grant that will go a long way to bringing our child home! But... Since we don't have PA yet, we still can't show you who our kiddo is yet!! :(

In other great news, we were able to get free seats on a military flight to Europe!! :) Our next post will be from Europe and will hopefully tell you all about our new child!!!

Things are moving fast!!

Today I checked the mail, hopeful, but realistically not expecting to see our USCIS approval until we get back from vacation.

God may be up to something because we got this approved from delivery to approval in 30 days!!  It has taken 45-60 for most people I've seen!

Looks like all we have left is authentication of this over in DC and then our dossier should be complete!  Yea!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Fannie

Sunday Snapshot: A Walk in the City

Earlier this week we had a wonderful day of 55 degree temperatures and I had a photography assignment that I couldn't wait to get started on!  It was a perfect day for a walk in the city!

I drove over to Manhattan, spent nearly an hour looking for parking, and then headed off to a French macaron shop I've heard great reviews of...  Along the way I decided to actually slow down and pay attention to the amazing things all around me!

Manhattan truly is a beautiful city.  One where you can find a lot of beauty as you walk the "real" streets of the city.

There's so much to discover in each block of this city.  I've been here 6 years and feel as though I have barely scratched the surface.  I've decided my spring will be filled with many walks just like this one.  I want to take it all in.  Truly enjoy it before I leave for Sweet Home Alabama! :)

Thanks for stopping by,
Fannie

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Dossier ALMOST complete!!

You know what this means!!!  Our dossier docs are ready to head to the agency!

For those of you who don't yet know the process of submitting a dossier to China, I am happy to explain.  First of all, there's a list of documents that have to be completed and submitted to China.  These documents make up your "dossier".  The list is long!  Most documents have to go through a full authentication process where the state verifies the authenticity of a document followed by the Chinese Consulate.  It's a LOT of work, but when you are done you get these fancy little attachments to your original documents!

Our birth certificates and marriage certificate required state seals...

All of our notarized documents must make a trip to the US Secretary of State's office in DC for authentication...  These documents include:
Employment letter (one for each of us)
Medical physical (one for each of us)
Financial Statement
Adoptive Parent Letter
Police Records Check (one for each of us)

Finally all the documents receive final authentication from the Chinese Embassy.  This certifies to China that all documents are official ...

So, that's it!  Months of work to get these eleven documents completed, authenticated, and headed for my agency!!

And we are STILL missing two things!  Our agency just submitted our home study to the Chinese Consulate for authentication and we haven't received our I-800 approval which I'm pretty sure also has to go through an authentication process after it is received.  We are almost dossier ready though!  For now, we will just focus on that!

Thanks for stopping by,
Fannie

A Leap of Faith

We have had many discussions in the Wilks house.  Which is the child for us?  Which child can benefit the most by becoming a part of our family?  Which child is God calling us to?  SO many questions and discussions...  One special child stood out from the rest, but there was a problem.

It wasn't the child I had in mind.  It wasn't the child my heart longed for as my husband finally softened to the idea and said 'yes' to adoption.  Saying 'yes' to this child probably means saying 'no' to another child.  A child we would love to adopt and have been waiting to adopt.  More than likely, we will be ineligible to adopt her when she hits the list.  This is a hard reality.  It would take an act of God to get her too.

SO for a couple weeks I've been learning all I can about this child's special need.  I've spoken with adoptive families who deal with this need.  I spoke with doctors about it.  All said the same thing: manageable.  Every effort I made to gain more info and find a reason to say 'no' just cemented our need to say 'yes'. 

Sometimes we have to surrender our wants to do what God wants.  So, we decided to take a leap of faith.  After much thought and prayer, this morning we submitted LOI on this child.  A wonderful child who NEEDS a mom and dad and sister...  A child that I know is ours.  God has shown us over and over again that we need to bring this kiddo home.

So now, we wait for China's approval.

Hope to announce it soon!! :)

Is it spring YET??

I find myself incredibly ready for spring!

Maybe it's the cold weather that seems almost never-ending...

Or the beautiful spring flowers being sold on every street corner... Either way, I am ready for it!!

Spring always feels like a fresh start, filled with endless possibilities!

We have our LOI ready to go and expect to have ALL of our dossier docs to the agency by Monday!!
Still waiting on I-800 approval and for authentication of our homestudy through the SF consulate...
DTC is rapidly approaching!!

See?  Spring is the start of a new phase in life AND in the adoption.  Endless possibilities!!

And we are looking forward to it!!  Is it spring YET???

Almost!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Fannie

Sunday Snapshot: Our Last Snow

On Friday I was lucky enough to be off work and enjoy what was probably the last snow I will see for quite some time.  Something tells me Mobile will not see snow. ;)

 
It was supposed to snow overnight but change to rain...  but the rain never came. :) 

We had a full day of snow and when Kate got home from school we were ready to go out and play!

Many attempts at building a snowman were made and failed.

We played into the darkness and Kate decided to make a little snowman before coming in...  It was cute!!

We often do things where I think about our other kid and the fact that they are still in China and not home with us to do these things. 

Now that we have a certain little boy in mind, I am even more aware of the fact that we are missing a family member.  I'm a little sad that he won't get to play in the snow throughout the winter.  We will have to plan a trip to the mountains next year so he can experience his first snow.

Can't wait to see all our paperwork head to China in a week or two!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Fannie

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My Sweet Girl

I constantly stand in awe of the sweetness of my little girl.

She's growing up fast.  Too fast for this Mommy!

This weekend we've asked her some very serious questions about this adoption.  We've asked this sweet girl who's dreamt of a sister for all seven years of her life to consider a brother...

I know her heart breaks a little bit at the idea of missing out on the sister she longs for.  My mommy heart has prepared for another daughter too!

But there are so many boys!  Adorable boys with manageable conditions who are ready for families NOW...

 

I asked her what she thought... Expecting to hear about the bunk bed, sharing a room, all the dance stuff she's saved for her little sister.  I expected her answer to be "no".

 

 



But she carefully considered, and then with much sacrifice to her own wants, told me that if God wants us to bring a boy home... then she will love her brother.

And watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with him.

My sweet girl, my loving girl.  Your heart constantly amazes me.  No matter what happens, I know this child is going to have the greatest big sister they could have ever dreamt of!

So now we pray and we wait...
for God to make our path clear...

Say a prayer for us.  Big decisions are taking place in the Wilks house!

Thanks for stopping by!
Fannie

Come on Fingerprints!!

After a week of anxiously checking the mail each day, it came...

Our USCIS fingerprints appointment.  Think we'll see if we can get over there to request a walk in... It could save us a few weeks of waiting!  If they say yes...

We'll see.  Please say yes!!

Our kiddo is waiting on us...