Ok, so we're a little discouraged...well, actually a lot!

Well, the reason for this post, as with our blog in general, is to keep everyone updated, right? Right! So, that's what I'm doing and the latest update with both Jaime and I is that we are very discouraged with the waiting time frame for our 3rd daughter. Recently we have joined a China adoption message board group and have become much more informed on the process. When we first looked into adopting from China, we were told the wait time as of now is about 3 years but they were seeing signs of that speeding up, so we were hopeful, but now, not so much.

Let me get you all up to speed on what we found out this week. First, to back up a little bit so you all understand what I'm talking about is everyone has to send a dossier to China...and what that entails is ALL the paperwork needed from China in order to adopt. It includes our home study report, our I800A form (immigration) along with our fingerprinting, marriage license, birth certificates, physical exams, doctor's letters, etc., etc. We are still a few months away from getting that sent to China. Once China receives the dossier and you are offically registered with China's government to adopt you get a log in date (LID) so for example ours 'might' be April 6th, 2009 (just a total made up date)and that is when the offical wait time begins. Ok now to get you up to speed on what we found out this week is this....just last year alone, in 2008, they placed kids with families with LID's (log in dates) from December 19, 2005 to February 28, 2006. So, let me re-phrase this: it took them ONE ENTIRE YEAR to go though only 2 1/2 months of LID's. If this continues and even if it gets a little better and they can do 3 months worth in one year then it will essentially take them 4 YEARS to get through just ONE YEAR worth of LID's and we are 3 years from then meaning looking at the numbers and the facts we would not have our daughter for 12 years! Yes that is right, you read that correctly 12 years!!!! Ok, sorry but I knew the wait time might be 3 even 4 or 5 years and I could 'handle' that but 12 years, there is just no way, I really don't think Jaime and I are prepared to be parents to a young child when we are almost 50!! Yikes! Not fun for us and not fair for the child.

So, what now?? First, we are trying very hard to not worry and to just give it to God, b/c we're sure it's just the devil trying to get to us and we won't let him win but facts are facts and I just don't know. Of course one thing I do know is that our God is bigger than the Chinese government and He can make miracles happen, and that's what we are praying for and I ask for your prayers too! We greatly appreciate the prayers and support we are already getting from so many of you. Next, we are staying with the program until we have more information (I emailed a lady with Great Wall yesterday and haven't heard back from her yet). Another thing we are doing is looking into the special needs program as well.

Ok, so sorry for the long entry but just wanted to update everyone on where we are and again, just ask for your prayers, this has been an extremely hard/sad/discouraging week :-( Thanks for listening or reading...