New Blog Site

Hello All,

I have chosen to move my blog to wordpress.  Just click on the link and follow the journey:  http://www.allentablefor5.wordpress.com/

Thanks,
~Amy

"I'm walkin on sunshine...."

Our Home Study is approved!!  After less than 2 weeks, our home study has been approved with the Hong Kong coordinator.  Actually, in 2 days we got the final approval - holy cow!  As soon as I get a copy of our home study (which our social worker just priority mailed from 20 minutes away - should be here tomorrow) I will attach it to our I800A application which then goes to immigration.  I'll overnight that so they should get it by Thursday at the latest.  When they receive it, they will send us a card in the mail with an appointment time to get our fingerprints taken by the Department Of Homeland Security in downtown Nashville.  Our social worker says that we can go as soon as we get the card though and not wait for the appointment.  They will then process our fingerprints and approve our application to "adopt an orphan".  This process can take a month but keep your fingers crossed and keep praying that it's sooner because obviously it's working!

As soon as we get our I800A approval - our dossier is going to Hong Kong!  Below is a picture of our dossier just so you get an idea of the massive amount of paperwork this has involved.  Remember - this is just one document out of this entire process.  Our formal application with the homestudy was at least this thick too.

Well, I wish our little boy could see how happy and excited we are right now!  I wish he knew how hard we are working to try to get him home with us.  I'm saving a copy of all of this paperwork for him to look at when he gets older....

What a great Monday!
~Amy

Happy Spring!

Well, Spring has finally come to middle Tennessee - thank goodness!  I felt like I was living in the midwest again with the winter we just had.  I always tell our girls that they shouldn't wish away their lives, you know - always wishing for the next birthday, or for Christmas to come around again because life is fleeting.  Really, it seems like yesterday I was in middle school and now I have a daughter who "CAN'T WAIT" to go to middle school next year.  Where did the time go?  Not wishing for time to pass, like other lessons in life, are unfortunately learned after one reaches adulthood.  Too late you look back and wish you hadn't wanted time to pass so quickly.  Well, even after learning this lesson - I am wishing for time to pass.  Just until this fall and then I won't wish for it anymore.

Our homestudy has been approved on the local level and now has gone to the Hong Kong coordinator to be approved.  We are also going to send our dossier paperwork to her so she can make any needed corrections and it will be ready to go to Hong Kong the minute we get our I800A approval.  One step closer to fall.  I am welcoming every season this year with anticipation and happiness.  Happy Spring!

~Amy

The Waiting Game

KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child's Lullabye)


I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, we love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night

Home Study Complete!

Well, Lisa our social worker arrived at our house bright and early this morning at 8:50am and did our home visit.  It went very smoothly and was over with by 9:45.  Lauren asked "Well, did we pass?" and Lisa said "With flying colors!"...  Yippee!  One step closer.

Here is what happens next:  Our completed Home Study has to go to Lisa's boss for approval.  Once it is approved locally, it goes to the Hong Kong coordinator in Minnesota and she approves it.  Once it has been approved there we can send our I800A form to the US Department of Customs and Immigration with a copy of our completed home study.  It basically says that we are applying to bring an orphan to the United States to adopt him here.  They approve our application and say we can go get fingerprinted.  Once the USCIS has approved us, we can send our dossier to Hong Kong.  This is another big packet of information about us that goes to Hong Kong but not quite as detailed or lengthy as our Home Study.  Have I lost you yet?  The Hong Kong dossier includes yet another medical form that must be filled out again by our doctors, copies of birth and marriage certificates, passports, etc.  It also has to be triplicated.  (Is that a word or did I just make that up?)  Anyway, copied 3 times...

When the dossier arrives in Hong Kong, the agency there that conducts intercountry adoptions (Mother's Choice) has a chance to ask questions or request more information.  When they are satisfied with us, they give us a referral for Grant.  Our social worker estimates that will happen sometime towards the beginning of May.  Of course, there is more paperwork that happens after that but as I usually try to do, I'll stop there for now.

We had a chance to visit family over Spring Break and it was really nice.  I thought several times along the way how much different it will be when there are three children to take care of instead of two.  It will be different and challenging;  stopping more often for bathroom breaks, listening to the cries of a cranky toddler when it is way past nap time, sticky fingerprints on clothes and difficult bedtimes due to changes in routine and location.  I also expect there to be three times the amount of laughter in the minivan, three times the hugs and kisses and three times the love to go around.  I am looking forward with anticipation for Grant to get to know his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandparents.....

Have a great weekend!
~Amy

God is Good!

I have to share something today that warms my heart and puts a BIG smile on my face!  Grant was born with a major congenital heart defect which is common with children who have Down syndrome.  It needed to be corrected in 2 steps.  The first step takes a cardiac catheterization (for my RN friends and relatives who are reading this) and the second step is major open heart surgery.  We received word about 2 1/2 weeks ago that he had "surgery" and was recovering well in the hospital.  Well, was this step 1 or step 2??  We didn't know and we have been trying to find out ever since.  Well, today our case worker received word from Hong Kong that it had been the final step and that his heart is working beautifully and he needs NO FURTHER SURGERY!!!  We even received pictures that were taken the day after he was discharged from the hospital and can I just say that children are SO resilient?!  He looks beautiful and has a huge smile on his face.  He had the first of many follow up visits with the cardiologist yesterday and he is doing great.  Wow - I can't even describe the happiness that I am feeling!

I had my individual interview this past Monday and Chris has his tomorrow.  Next week we have our home visit.  I'll keep you posted.  Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts along the way!  I can't wait to put pictures on here but can't do it just yet.

I hope you all are having a great week!
~Amy

One Interview Down, Two More to Go!

Wow, I feel like if I had a Staples "Easy Button" I would press it now - that was easy!  Chris and I had about an hour long meeting today with our social worker and it was really just like a relaxed discussion among friends.  It went so smoothly.  At the end of the meeting, she gave us a very specific timeline of upcoming events and it ended with travel to Hong Kong which she expects to be around the week of September 7th!  I could hardly believe it!  How amazing would it be to have Grant home on his 2nd birthday?!  (His birthday is September 20th.)

Anyway, I'm going to try not to get my hopes up too high on that bit of information (ya, right) and just try to do the best I can do with the continuing paperwork.  We both left the meeting very energized though and anticipating our next steps.  We both have our individual interviews next week and then she will come and do the home visit the week after.  She will then type up our entire home study and submit it to her boss.  After her boss gives approval (a few days) she sends it to the Hong Kong coordinator (in the United States) who then also approves it (in usually about a week).  After that, we send the home study in along with a form (I800A) to US Immigration to start the paperwork with our government.  At the same time, our home study goes to Hong Kong.

I'm going to try not to overwhelm you on all the details so that is it for today.  I'll tell you more about each step of the process as we go through it.

Oh and by the way, we had to tell our "meeting in the grocery store" story today to our social worker who absolutely loved it....

Have a great weekend!
~Amy