Thursday, March 27, 2008

Getting dizzy

Gosh, I feel like my head is spinning. Who knew picking an agency would be so hard! We've added more to our list, I've scoured message boards and asked for opinions and we're still not any closer to a decision. I think if we were to follow through with a standard healthy child adoption we would have an easier time choosing because there are a couple that come highly recommended. The fact that we are considering a special needs child is what makes the decision much more complicated. We want to make sure we go with an agency that will give us the best service in a special needs adoption. So many with so many differences!

Still waiting on J.'s birth certificates to show up. After we get those we will be holding off on anymore documents. Everything has to be notarized within 6 months of the Chinese consulate receiving it. I really don't want to hand over any unnecessary money to re-do documents because they "expired." Once we choose an agency, move and figure out just exactly we will fund this journey we can start document collecting again.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Comments from others

We have decided to start telling people other than family and friends about our intent to adopt from China. Yesterday at church I had an older lady ask me "you...adopt more kids?" I responded with "yes" and she said "why, you already have so many; why you want more?" Hmmm... first awkward moment. I was thinking quickly yesterday and replied with "We have more love in our house to give." She responded with an OK and went quiet. I guess I am going to need some tougher skin because we are bound to get thoughtless comments about our family life; and not necessarily from strangers or acquaintances. I have a feeling some members of our own families don't truly understand why we want to do this or fully accept it yet. I don't think they manufacture skin tough enough to handle that.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Picking an Agency

We have looked at so many different agencies online. We've called or emailed to ask questions, requested their information and then thoroughly looked through it, watched their DVDs and we still have absolutely no idea which would be a better option for us to go with. We have narrowed it down to an agency in the same state we will live in (Holt International) or two China only agencies. (Great Wall or Chinese Children) The fees are relatively similar between the agencies; they vary by about $2,000 but each offers just slightly different services. China's adoption program is so regulated that each agency offers nearly the same services but can tailor it just slightly to their liking.

I haven't received the affidavit to change the spelling on my birth certificate yet. I can't begin to imagine what the wait is going to be like once our dossier is in China if I'm already anticipating the affidavit in the mail after 5 days.

I told J. a couple of days ago that whenever I think about our little Chinese daughter joining our family I see a face and her name is Ally (Alli, Ali, Allie, whatever we decide). If Matthew was a girl we had picked the name Allyson and probably would have called her Ally. Throughout the years I have found a couple other names I like more but anytime I think of a precious black haired, brown eyed Chinese daughter I think of calling her Ally.