Introduction

Hello to everyone following our journey. We have been on this journey to adopt a little infant girl from China with minor medical needs since February 2008. I can not believe it has been over a year since we started this whole process. For those of you who need an update on our story and the happenings of the last year since we started this adoption process, here we go...........

My husband, Anthony, and I have been happily married for over 13 years. We met in high school and proceeded to date through college and a few years after until we got married in 1995. I can not believe we have been together for over 21 years. That sounds like an eternity!!!!!!!! I don't feel like it has been long. I can remember those early years like yesterday. We have been blessed with finding each other and having made a great life for ourselves. After a few years of marriage we had our son, Gavin who is now 11. He has brought so much joy and love into our family. He is such a great kid. Sophia was born 20 months later. What a blessing to have a daughter as sweet as her. She is now 9. Both of our children bring so much love, fun and craziness into our family.

After Sophia was born we enjoyed a busy time with two little ones close in age, work and life in general. Time passes so quickly and before we knew it they were getting so big. I had always had the desire to add just one more child to our family. Anthony was happy and content with two. More time passed............ and that feeling or need of mine to add another child to our family was still lingering. After many discussions and a lot of soul searching we decided to adopt a little girl from China. How excited was I!!!!!!!! Anthony too!!!!!!!!

Many have asked why not have another biological child? We had always been open to adoption even before we had Gavin and Sophie. My friends and family can remember years ago us talking about adoption. I just always new in my heart it would be a part of my life at some point. It just fits. It's right. It feels meant to be. I can not believe we are so close to fulfilling this dream.

After many phone calls, Internet searches and research we decided to contact Good Hope Adoptions in South Dennis Massachusetts which is on Cape Cod. We also live on Cape Cod and this agency seemed perfect. We went into this adoption process first thinking we would adopt from Kazakhstan. After doing a little more research and guidance from Good Hope we decided on their "Xingfu" program out of China for "special needs" children with minor medical needs. Good Hope is affiliated with an agency in Nyack, New York called Homeland Adoption Services that is running the Xinfu Program. ( Xingfu means happiness). The waiting time seemed much less for this program and with my Neonatal nursing background we felt this program was right. Now the paperwork begins!!! UGH!!!

After MONTHS of gathering paperwork and home study visits by our social worker we were finally getting closer to our new little girl. When I say months, I mean months. What a long process that was. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, police reports ( of good conduct of course), work verification, insurance verification, medical exams, HIV testing, pictures, personal references, mini autobiographies.................. The list goes on and on. Once all this was done everything had to be sent to immigration. We had to get fingerprinted and cleared by the FBI. All of our paperwork (dossier) was then sent to China in late August 2008. We have a Log in Date of 9/10/08.

We are now waiting for a referral of our little girl. We have been waiting for about six months for a referral now. We just have to wait until The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) sends us a referral. The wait seems endless. CCAA has a list of all the medical needs we will be willing to accept. By this I mean she could have a cleft lip or palate, VSD or ASD (ventral septic defect/atrial septic defect), prematurity, birthmarks etc... All things that are considered minor medical needs.

Our adoption agencies are hopeful we will have a referral soon after the Chinese New Year. Hopefully we will finally know who our precious little girl will be. After we receive the referral, and if everything goes without any glitches, we will be traveling to China in late spring early summer for two weeks to FINALLY go get her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!