Oh, by the way did we mention....

For Christmas, we decorated our tree with pink ribbon (rather than my usual purple one).  I even went a step farther and added a streak of red in my hair for good luck (red is lucky in China).  I always told Bob that I expected to be matched by the end of the year.  Well, we had some hang ups that we didn't plan on.  Things took longer than anticipated.  When you are working with different agencies, social workers, and governments, things don't always go as smoothly as you plan.

On Christmas Eve, we opened Baby Smith's FIRST Christmas gift from my Mom and Dad.  It goes perfect in the room:

Being off, really is hard when you are waiting for things.  The business had a good year, and I had all the Quickbooks up-to-date.  What to do? What to do? Just wait, worry and worry/wait some more.  

On December 31, 2013, we said a quick prayer "Come on now God...I think we've waited long enough.  We just want a family".  Also, we were waiting to hear if we were #9 (Dossier translated into Mandarin).  We emailed our contact that morning to see if we could check something else off our list (little celebrations).

Off to do something else, I went on the computer checking my email and realized that we had some donations to our adoption.  HUGE help!  Then, as I was talking to a friend online about my other business adventure...Advocare,  my cell phone rings.  It's our agency (which plays suspense music when they call).  Wow I think...I figured that they would email me back about the #9 question.  Hmmmm.  I answer the phone expecting it to be our main contact.  NOPE, it was the DIRECTOR!  My hands started to shake.  She introduces herself.  She asks if we are ready for a referral.  I said "we've been anxiously waiting".  She explains that it is a girl, 3 years old, birthday August 1st, 2010 (my bday is Aug 3rd, Bob's is the 15th)....as I'm listening I'm shaking...oh shoot I should probably tell Bob (after 5 minutes had passed).  As I stand in the door way, the moment Bob sees my face he knows who's on the phone.  I ask the director if I can put her on speaker phone so Bob could hear.  Bob guides me to sit down because I'm shaking so bad that he was afraid I'd pass out.  After she explains about her, an update comes (her original file is a year old) with wonderful news.  We ask to review the file.  She explains that we have to fill out a Letter of Intent tonight to give us time to have a doctor to review her file.  EEEEEEEEEEKKKKK 911!!!

That has to have been the longest hour plus of our lives!  The moment my phone bings that the email is here...Bob says that he has to take a shower.  Really? Really?  I say...NOW?  He says that he wants to have a clear head.  Now 30 plus minutes later, refreshed and with our Adoption shirts on...we open the email.  The first file we look at has this little black and white picture of her.  She's beautiful...with her short little hair.  We review all parts of the file.  The medical blood work is foreign to us, but the other parts look great.  We don't get too excited because we want a doctor to review it plus this file is a year old and we will need an update.

2 days later (with only 4 people outside the adoption world knowing what was going on) we get the call from the international adoption doctor that reviewed all the information we had.  She is super positive.  With Bob being the medical person, he breaths a sigh of relief.  We knew that this part in the process Bob would be the person of reason and I'd be the emotional wreck.  The cutest part is when he sees her little picture on my phone and gives the phone a hug.

January 16th (over 2 weeks weeks later), we get the update!  Everything we prayed for and more.  3 new pictures and 2 videos!

So for those who are counting we are #10 (and have been for almost a month) and hope to move to step #11 (Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter Acceptance) in late Feb/early March (when we're allowed to post pics).  It still appears that May/June travel is still in the works as long as no hang ups.  We are translated now and have 2 more little steps before #11.  We will be getting a rather big bill in the next few days. 

We are happy to say that we are OVER THE MOON in love with our little girl.

It is now Operation Bring Home ISABELLA CHEN SMITH!    

Love, 

Izzie's Mama and Baba

Top 10 things...

Top 10 things we can't wait to do with our daughter....just because....

1.  See Kids' movies in the theater.  WE Love all those movies and wait for them to come out on Redbox.

2.  Go to the fountains in downtown Pcola on a hot summer day...Just imagine Bob and I out there splashing in the water by ourselves...LOL LOL

3.  Rent a bounce house/water slide for the backyard...I love those things at school, but man to have several hours to just bounce and slide....ahhhh summer.

4.  Turn on the sprinklers in the backyard:  Yep I've done it before after mowing the grass...but Bob won't laugh at me if I do it with her.

5.  Easter basket/eggs

6.  Christmas morning-  Bob and I still talk about the excitement we had waking up christmas morning as kids.

7.  Watching Bob teach her piano/ us playing catch in the backyard

8.  Beach...I'm there A LOT in the summer!

9.  Disney World...Cinderella's castle, enough said

10. Parks, nature walks...

Operation: A Year Later

We are in the waiting period now (still #8), which is a little strange that we have nothing to fill out or work on right now.  Our next step is either get a match.  Dossier (pronounced:  Doe/ce/ay) is a French word meaning collection of papers...What went into this Dossier that is waiting to be translated as we speak?

Here's a list of all the things we had to do for the Home Study (done locally) and the Dossier:
References:  2 from family members, 2 from friends, 2 from co-workers.
Medicals:  2 medical checks (for home study and dossier) on each of us which consisted of 5 vials of blood, TB tests, eye exam, quick hearing check, & urine samples.
Police Background checks:  Locally (2x with notary) and in several counties in Ohio.
Fingerprints:  Locally AND Federally (for USCIS...New Orleans)
Vital Records- Birth Certificates, Marriage License
Application Letter- A letter to the Republic of China asking permission to adopt.
Financial Statement- Lists all of our assets/liabilities and net worth
Passports:  I needed a new one (it had expired), and Bob needed one.
Home Study: This alone took 5 months.  It is a 16 page document that lists everything about us and our families.
Life Study:  50 questions about each of us
i797-  Approval by the US immigration saying yes we can adopt and details about age, etc.
Photographs:  Passport Photos, Inside of house, outside of house, her room, pictures of us together
Adoption Parenting Classes:  12 hours of classes where we learned about the culture/history of China, attachment, etc.  These classes even taught us what to say when we get asked strange questions.  This is the part I wish I'd remember better (took classes in May).  That's why I have Bob-gle (Google for Jen's).

Now most of this stuff had to be notarized, then sent off to the state to make sure the notarization was legit.  THEN, we had to sent it off to our China Consulate in Houston (NY for Ohio paperwork) to get it authenticated.  They checked to make sure it wasn't too old and no staples were removed, etc.

I tell this story just to have a little history for our child.  Many of these papers were needed regardless of adopting domestically or internationally.

Sometimes God's plan is a little different than what you originally had, but China is where our daughter is.  We just are overjoyed and eager to see her face.  As Bob said, this is an exciting part...how will we get the call, what we be doing, etc.  It is our journey/Operation of how we became a family of 3.  Now we know it will happen in HIS time, but we've been very patient...it's been a year...we are READY to see our little girl's face. 

LID #8---Next Step Match!

 #8

Last week was so exciting!  Not only was our Dossier sent off to China on Monday 12/9/13, but we also had a log in date (LID) of 12/13/13.  Yes Friday the 13th!  I have been telling Bob for over a month that I thought that would be our LID date.  It's Grandma D's LUCKY day!!!!  Woo hoo!

So for those counting, we are in step #8.  We are now eligible to be matched any way that our agency can find!  We are eagerly waiting for this next step.

Give me a D....T...C!!!

We are so excited to be DTC (Dossier to China)!  We have been collecting paperwork for our Dossier since March, and can't believe that our paper baby is on it's way to China.  Once the Holt's Beijing team get the paperwork, they take it to the China Adoption Affairs.  It will get logged in (approximately 2 weeks from today).  This is HUGE, and we can't wait for our LID.  Once LID, we wait and wait for our match. 

For those keeping track, this is #7.  If we get matched soon, we will skip 9 and move to 10 and have to come back to 9.  Please look to the right side bar for the map.

Our Last Thanksgiving as Smith Family of 2...

Bob and I were sitting eating Cheesy Broccoli soup last night (Tiff if you are reading this, I did save you some) when we realized that this (God willing) could be our LAST Thanksgiving with just the 2 of us.  We've had many more of these moments lately.  As I stood in the doorway of our soon-to-be daughter's room, I looked at Bob and said...I'm READY.   Usually what he says (after many MANY years of me saying this) is "Jen, you just need to be patient", but to my surprise he said "Yep, me too".  We knew when we chose international adoption that it would take approximately 18 plus months after we applied, but that doesn't make the wait any easier.  Our story continues...

DOSSIER (aka ton of paperwork) TO AGENCY (DTA):

On Tuesday, we received our last bit of paperwork authenticated from the Chinese Consulate in Houston.  Woo hoo!  Since March, we have collected 13 different documents.  Each one of these documents had to have the notary stamp certified by OH or FL.  Then after that, they had to go to either NY or Houston to the appropriate Chinese Consulate to be authenticated.  We were 13 for 13!  Each document went through the 1st time (this is where my OCD and organizational obsessions have come in handy).  Hmmmm Gram there goes that #13 again (Grandma D's lucky #...we saw it in my seat that I sat in at the USCIS office in New Orleans).  Beyond these 13 documents, we had to have references, photos, etc.  Basically in the adoption world this Dossier is known as your "paper baby", so handing these documents that we have been quite protective of was a little hard, but a bit of relief that we were moving forward. 

The Dossier is off to Holt (along with our US Processing check).

Adoption Yard Sale:

Thanks to EVERYONE for your wonderful support and donations for our Adoption Yard Sale.  We ended up raising approximately $450, which is sitting in our adoption fund ready to go for when we are matched!  This is HUGE and we can't thank you enough.  We had random strangers offering hugs and stories of encouragement.

One SHOCK for those NFL/Browns' fans is that I learned that I had a celebrity of sorts at my sale.  Someone asked me if I remembered selling a chair at the sale.  I had many things donated to sell and this was one of them.  I did remember this sale because I threw in a stuffed animal.  Here come to find out this lady (who bought other things as well) was TRENT RICHARDSON's GRANDMA!!!!!  Yes, EVERYONE is coming out to HELP bring Baby Smith Home!  Too bad he's not on the team anymore.  I blame it on the Shields' curse of buying shirts with people's names on it...(many trades have happened after buying Cleveland Indian's shirts....Carlos Baerga, Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, and now I guess that Bob has a Trent Richardson Browns' Shirt that he was destined to be traded).

What's next?:

The Dossier will arrive at Holt (our agency) on Monday.  They will review it and contact us with anything we need to add, change or questions they may have.  IF everything looks good, we may possibly have our Dossier to China (DTC) by Friday the 6th.  The BIG date we have been looking forward to is the LID (Log in Date).  This is when China logs our paperwork into their system.  Basically, this is the last thing to be done before we can get a referral (matched with a child) from any of the multiple ways this happens.  Currently, we could only get a referral with a child that is designated to our agency through their partnerships with orphanages.

Keeping Ourselves Busy:

Bob's been learning new songs on the keyboard.  This pieces range from Beatles, Classical pieces, and Peanuts.  I laugh at the range of genres.  He also has been EXTREMELY busy at work.  He's been working a lot, which has been extremely helpful to pay for different paperwork to be processed, etc.  When Bob puts his mind to something, he achieves it!

I'm busy making earrings and necklaces.   www.etsy.com/shop/OperationChinaAdopt
Also, I continue to share my story about Advocare (if interested, let me know) www.advocare.com/130725429.  Plus we are hoping to put another order in this weekend for our Adoption shirts that I helped design.  I'm just a few short to make an order.  Also, check to the side for a Fondue Fundraiser!

Like our page to follow us on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/Operationbringbabysmithhome

Shirts cost $18.50 shipped using paypal or order on etsy for multiple orders (SAVE shipping costs).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for all the support!  It is truly appreciated!  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Love, 

Bob, Jen & Baby Smith

143 million Orphans--We're Starting with One

i800a Wait:

We are still waiting for the i800a approval from immigration that we are allowed to adopt from China.  Currently the wait for others has been 63-80 days.  We are REALLY hoping to hear something this week, so we can move on with our paperwork.

FUNDRAISING:

This is an extremely costly adventure, but it was a guarantee where other options we had were not.  Bob and I have spent several thousand dollars so far on our Home Study, paperwork (& more paperwork), mailings, passports, USCIS fees, certifications, Adoption classes, etc.  We know that this is what God has called us to do, and we know that this is just part of our journey to save 1 of the 143 million orphans around the world.  We have paid off most of our MAJOR debt in the past year to help us be able to do this.  

If you would like to contribute to our Operation, there are many ways that you can do this.  Spread the word is #1!  We love to hear that others have heard our story and are praying for our journey.  You can also:  Tell people about our Adoption Yard Sale (100% proceeds), think about ordering a t-shirt (40-45% proceeds), share about our Etsy page (50% proceeds/$200 so far), let people know about Advocare (30% proceeds/approximately made $400), or Adopt Together (100%/tax-deductible contribution goes directly to our fund).  

Adoption Yard Sale:

We are super excited that Saturday is our day for our HUGE Yard Sale.  We will take donations up to November 15th!  Our BIGGEST concern right now is making sure people come.  Please share with your friends, church, etc.  We have anything from Video Games to Household items to Clothes.  I will be selling everything VERY cheap. 

Etsy:  

Check us out! We have blankets, earrings, key chains, etc.  I'm always adding more things.

http://etsy.com/shop/OperationChinaAdopt

 

Advocare:

This has been a life style change for Bob and I.  We are so proud of our weight loss, feel great, and have helped SEVERAL others too!  If you want to know more, email me at smithteach05@yahoo.com.  I've lost 20 pounds since I started Advocare July 3rd, 2013.  Since June 2012 when Bob and I started our weight loss journey, I've lost 40 pounds and have went from a size 8/10 to size 2/4!  Bob has lost 55 pounds AND quit smoking July 1, 2013.

Check out my direct site:
https://www.advocare.com/130725429/

 

T-shirt Sales:

As many of you know, we decided on a design for our t-shirts.  We sent out our first order of 25 shirts and made approximately $160 towards our adoption fund!  If you are interested in ordering a shirt with the next order, please email me at smithteach05@yahoo.com or pm me on Facebook.  We hope to place another order next month.

Here they are:

Swoop Shirts ($18 SHIPPED)            Red, Teal, and Gray Swoop Shirts are available in Adults S-3X.

Teal and Gray are available in Youth sizes M-XL.

V-neck shirts ($20 SHIPPED)
Gray available in Adults S-3X.