Next Steps

Hi friends! So here is an update where we are in the whole process and what is coming next.

As most of you know we have completed everything needed for our home study. Our local home study social worker Katie has made all corrections on the home study and we are only waiting on one child abuse clearance from the state of Ohio. They are notoriously slow (like 6 weeks to come back- when some of our other states came back the same day!). As soon as the clearance comes in she will send finalized official copies to us and to our primary agency Lifeline.

Since we knew that the Ohio clearance would take long the moment we were done gathering home study paperwork we immediately began gathering the needed paperwork for our China Dossier. I finished our Dossier paperwork in 2 days! I sent all of that paperwork to our Lifeline social worker, Jenna. She then began to make sure the Dossier paperwork is in order. She also corresponded with our local social worker and preemptively approved the home study (minus the Ohio clearance). Both social workers have been so unbelievably efficient with time and we are so grateful! Basically both large packets of paper are approved and waiting.

So the day that the Ohio clearance comes in and Katie will send Lifeline the official home study to our Lifeline worker Jenna. Jenna will then send in our (already filled out and waiting) 1800a application. This is a petition to the U.S. immigration department to adopt a child from China. This cannot be sent until we have a completed home study.

Then we wait. It is taking around 2 months to get 1800a approval.

After the approval comes in our China Dossier will be sent to China! Shortly after we will be officially logged-in to the China system. This is known as LID (log in date). This date is significant because from this point on our social worker will begin looking for a referral for our family. A referral is a child that seems to be a good match for us. Once Jenna sends us a child's file for review we will review the file and if we believe this child might be for us we will send the file to an Physician from the Adoption Clinic at Cincinnati Children's hospital. We have already begun a relationship with this doctor and feel so good to have her walking through this with us. She will review the file and give us her best understanding of the child's medical conditions. If we choose to accept the referral then all of the next steps will be actively working to bring that specific little one into our family. We will update on those specifics when we get closer to that time! Honestly, I am not sure I have my head wrapped around those next steps!

If you would like to pray specifically for something today we would love your prayers regarding the coming in of the Ohio clearance!

Thanks!