We are officially logged in to the Chinese system!! "LID" is a big milestone because it doesn't expires, so we won't have to worry about redoing any paperwork. It also means that when we get a referral for our little girl, we'll be able to move to the next step right away.
This seems like a good time to review where's we've been--it's hard to believe it's been six months, although that's exactly the timeline we were given for these steps. :)
Agency Application: Februrary 14, 2013
Homestudy Application: February 22, 2013
First Homestudy Interview: April 7, 2013
Completed Homestudy: May 17, 2013
Application Received at USCIS: May 21, 2013
USCIS Fingerprinting Appointment: June 24, 2013
USCIS I800A Approval: July 17, 2013
Dossier to China (DTC): August 13, 2013
Log-In Date (LID): August 27, 2013
From what I understand, our next step is the referral. As I've said many times before on this blog, given our desire for at least a six-month gap between Luke and our daughter, this may take a while. Once we get a referral, the Chinese government will send us an official Letter of Acceptance (LOA). After the LOA comes more US Immigrations (an I-800), and once everything is taken care of on this side, I think the next step is travel authorization (TA) to head to China and get our little girl!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Teaching Time
It's funny how the summer makes me forget how much I love teaching chemistry. It takes me a while to even bother checking when the fall semester starts, and ones like this fall, where I'm just teaching lab, really tend to sneak up on me.
But as I drove over for my office hour this morning--not even actual teaching--I could feel that excitement building. I just really love chemistry, and even though the material doesn't change for General Chemistry, I still get that sense of amazement and wonder every time. The insights early chemists had into the atom are just astounding, and it's really incredible to think that now we can see actually see those atoms. I wish I could convince my students to read about the development of the periodic table--an incredible journey with so many twists and turns. I'll not bore you with the intricacies of ionic compound formation and unit conversion, but to me, they all have their charms.
This semester I'm just teaching one lab. Last year I taught two lecture classes--lots of fun (see above paragraph), but also more work. Lab is much easier to prep for, and I like having more interactions with the students. For this first week, I don't even have a real lecture to present. It will mostly be housekeeping stuff like telling all the extra students I'm not allowed to overfill, explaining that I can meet with students another time if the 8AM Monday morning office hour is too early, and of course, showing the circa 1980s safety film (the same one I watch during my first lab almost 20 years ago). Ouch. Was that really almost 20 years ago?
Thursday, August 22, 2013
His Blessings Flow
David and I will be married 10 years this Christmas. Now that we're not so tethered to our children (well, I'm not), we've been able to spend a night away at Christmas while visiting my parents. But we don't like taking a lot of time away from family (that's the point of visiting, after all), so we decided to do a little getaway this summer. My sister graciously offered to use one of her precious weekends off to watch the kids while David and I drove up to Taos.
It was really lovely to get away from the heat and enjoy some time in the mountains (our lodge was in the Taos Ski Valley). We spent one morning rafting down the Rio Grande--it was pretty mild in terms of the rapids, but fun for a first-timer! I wish we'd had more time to do some hiking, but maybe next time. The concierge recommended a little German restaurant up the road from our lodge...and when I say up the road, I mean a very steep incline! It's 4wd access only in the winter, and there were a few turns where I was gripping my seat. :) I'm not much for heights, but the food was delicious. We visited a yarn shop (for me) and a Japanese tea shop (for David). There was a craft fair in the plaza, so we found some beautiful hand-blown glass earrings for my sister as a thank-you gift. Overall, it was a very relaxing time together, and I'm glad we were able to get away before our family grows again.
We've been incredibly blessed in our marriage--each year has been better than the last. I'm excited to see what this next year will bring!
It was really lovely to get away from the heat and enjoy some time in the mountains (our lodge was in the Taos Ski Valley). We spent one morning rafting down the Rio Grande--it was pretty mild in terms of the rapids, but fun for a first-timer! I wish we'd had more time to do some hiking, but maybe next time. The concierge recommended a little German restaurant up the road from our lodge...and when I say up the road, I mean a very steep incline! It's 4wd access only in the winter, and there were a few turns where I was gripping my seat. :) I'm not much for heights, but the food was delicious. We visited a yarn shop (for me) and a Japanese tea shop (for David). There was a craft fair in the plaza, so we found some beautiful hand-blown glass earrings for my sister as a thank-you gift. Overall, it was a very relaxing time together, and I'm glad we were able to get away before our family grows again.
We've been incredibly blessed in our marriage--each year has been better than the last. I'm excited to see what this next year will bring!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
It's That Time of The Year
I am a winter kind of girl. I was talking with someone this weekend about the seasons, and I mentioned that I'd love to live somewhere that never gets over 70 degrees. I love the winter wardrobe, the drinks, the food, the weather. Incessant sunshine can get to be a bit much, and I find myself wishing for horizon-to-horizon cloud cover every once in a while. Perhaps it's my Midwest upbringing, but there's something right about tilled brown earth and white, cottony skies for a season. I love the opportunity to examine trees and marvel over the intricate lacy branches, set against a soft background. I suppose incessant winter would get old too, but it might take me a while. I'm glad we live in the high desert so we can enjoy four seasons, but I do reach a point in the summer when I'm just ready for a little bite to the breeze and a few more clouds.
I'm very appreciative of the fact that our summer this year has been so mild, and it's probably contributed to the timing of this post (now, as opposed to the middle of July). But as I hefted a large onion this morning at the grocery store, I found myself thinking, "This would be great in a big pot of stew..."
I'm very appreciative of the fact that our summer this year has been so mild, and it's probably contributed to the timing of this post (now, as opposed to the middle of July). But as I hefted a large onion this morning at the grocery store, I found myself thinking, "This would be great in a big pot of stew..."
Monday, August 19, 2013
Where are the files?
I've been fielding some questions about exactly how the file matching works. I've been somewhat surprised by the lack of anxiety I've felt over waiting for a file, especially now that we've seen one. A gift from God, I'm sure. I'm sure it also helps that I do have two small children, a house, teaching starting in a week, and other things to keep me busy.
From what I understand, the Chinese agency posts what's called the 'shared list' at random intervals. This is a list of children who are available to be matched, but I think it goes out to all the agencies who handle China adoptions. What ends up happening is our fantastic person over at the agency sits and, fast as she can, scans the files, figures out if the child is a match for a family from our agency, and then tries to 'lock' it before another agency does. It sounds terribly stressful. It's unlikely we will get a match from this list, although I suppose anything is possible. At the very least, I'm pretty sure we have to be LID to get a lock.
Thankfully our agency has been able to cultivate a partnership with three specific orphanages in China. When the orphanages have files ready, they send the 'partner list' to our agency first. The file we looked at was from the latest partner list--I think there were five files that came along. It's more likely we will receive a match from that list, but a) we need to get another partner list, which also happens at random intervals, and b) there has to be a baby girl that fits our special needs. Most children seem to get on the list when they are 18-24 months old...if you do the math, that means for even a six month gap between our daughter and Luke, we're looking at October (he'll be two then). If we only see 20-24 month-olds on the list, then we're looking at a match closer to Christmas or even later. We were very aware of this potential for a long wait when we started the process, but I think I'll still get a little excited when the next partner list comes out!
From what I understand, the Chinese agency posts what's called the 'shared list' at random intervals. This is a list of children who are available to be matched, but I think it goes out to all the agencies who handle China adoptions. What ends up happening is our fantastic person over at the agency sits and, fast as she can, scans the files, figures out if the child is a match for a family from our agency, and then tries to 'lock' it before another agency does. It sounds terribly stressful. It's unlikely we will get a match from this list, although I suppose anything is possible. At the very least, I'm pretty sure we have to be LID to get a lock.
Thankfully our agency has been able to cultivate a partnership with three specific orphanages in China. When the orphanages have files ready, they send the 'partner list' to our agency first. The file we looked at was from the latest partner list--I think there were five files that came along. It's more likely we will receive a match from that list, but a) we need to get another partner list, which also happens at random intervals, and b) there has to be a baby girl that fits our special needs. Most children seem to get on the list when they are 18-24 months old...if you do the math, that means for even a six month gap between our daughter and Luke, we're looking at October (he'll be two then). If we only see 20-24 month-olds on the list, then we're looking at a match closer to Christmas or even later. We were very aware of this potential for a long wait when we started the process, but I think I'll still get a little excited when the next partner list comes out!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Etsy again!
Amidst everything else (I still haven't shared about Taos!), I've been trying to build up my etsy shop.
Just as an aside--how many of you would say 'grow my shop?' I feel like the verb 'grow' has taken on some weird usages. Grow my business? Grow a group? Plants grow, a farmer grows crops...anyway, it just sounds wrong to me sometimes.
Back to Etsy. Between the actual knitting, photos, listings, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc., etc., it's a bit of time. I definitely feel like this time is worth spending, especially now that 50% of the sales are going to fund grants through our agency. But there are a few things I'm still considering as far as the shop goes.
Take a look at these pictures--which one would inspire you to buy that poncho?
Isn't she adorable!! But what to do about privacy? I could get a PO box, which I need to at least investigate. I could also ask other friends to model, giving all the pictures a measure of anonymity--probably my best bet. I could also, as David suggested, not worry about the ridiculously minute possibility that something bad would happen because of our lack of privacy. :)
There's also the advertising. I think I've about reached my 'reach' for subtly suggesting that people 'like' Knit Us Together on Facebook. My mom suggested recruiting ambassadors to help spread the word, but as a solid introvert, the thought of doing that is a little nerve-wracking. Maybe I'll give it another month or two. :)
Just as an aside--how many of you would say 'grow my shop?' I feel like the verb 'grow' has taken on some weird usages. Grow my business? Grow a group? Plants grow, a farmer grows crops...anyway, it just sounds wrong to me sometimes.
Back to Etsy. Between the actual knitting, photos, listings, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc., etc., it's a bit of time. I definitely feel like this time is worth spending, especially now that 50% of the sales are going to fund grants through our agency. But there are a few things I'm still considering as far as the shop goes.
Take a look at these pictures--which one would inspire you to buy that poncho?
Isn't she adorable!! But what to do about privacy? I could get a PO box, which I need to at least investigate. I could also ask other friends to model, giving all the pictures a measure of anonymity--probably my best bet. I could also, as David suggested, not worry about the ridiculously minute possibility that something bad would happen because of our lack of privacy. :)
There's also the advertising. I think I've about reached my 'reach' for subtly suggesting that people 'like' Knit Us Together on Facebook. My mom suggested recruiting ambassadors to help spread the word, but as a solid introvert, the thought of doing that is a little nerve-wracking. Maybe I'll give it another month or two. :)
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The 100th Post?
It's hard for me to really count this as my 100th blog entry, since I wrote 36 blog posts in 2009 and then took an extended break. But Blogger doesn't count extended breaks, and it was kind of fun to take a look back at my life before kids. It seems I had just as much love for Nathaniel Bowditch, although the "recipe with pictures" kind of post has taken a serious hit. :) I was a bit more ambitious in my recipes, but if I follow my advice and make it with farfalle, this one might be worth revisiting. Roast chicken never grows old, although last night I made it with bread under the chicken (to die for, although less than healthy!). I could probably recreate this picture quite easily without a baby to show for it. :)
Of course some things have changed. We ended up attending Northside for several years, but sadly it closed last fall. We're very happy at our new church, and we're excited to see how God will use our time at Northside to prepare us for the future. I've switched crafts, although I'd love to revisit my embroidery roots. We have actually made progress on the house, both inside and out. Perhaps I should say David has, since the bulk of it has been thanks to his efforts. But the biggest change is the best, and most fun, and most delightful. We're so excited to see the next addition to our family--here's hoping we get our match before the next 100 posts!
Of course some things have changed. We ended up attending Northside for several years, but sadly it closed last fall. We're very happy at our new church, and we're excited to see how God will use our time at Northside to prepare us for the future. I've switched crafts, although I'd love to revisit my embroidery roots. We have actually made progress on the house, both inside and out. Perhaps I should say David has, since the bulk of it has been thanks to his efforts. But the biggest change is the best, and most fun, and most delightful. We're so excited to see the next addition to our family--here's hoping we get our match before the next 100 posts!
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