Jul

31

07/31/06

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Got notice via email from FedEx that our 10 document package made it to the US Dept. of State. They should be working on it soon.

Jul

30

07/30/06

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Today we got a call from Becky’s parents asking/begging us to let Morgan come over and play. It had been a while and we had a lot of stuff to do around the house so why not. The three of us had purchased a 3 drawer dresser from Target (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006863UC.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS384_.jpg) for Isabelle’s room. The problem was that it needed to be assembled, good thing Becky and I are Engineers. Then it hit me as I was opening the box and saw that the dresser was made in China. I’m assembling a dresser made in China for a child born in China, Cool. When we brought Morgan home and showed her the dresser she claimed it as hers as she typically does. I own nothing everything belongs to Morgan. Well we have a year to work on her to help her figure out that she’s not going to be an only child. Silly girl. Ya know we are buying but still don’t have a theme for Isabelle’s room yet.

Jul

28

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Well another week of active paperwork for Isabelle’s adoption. If you think about it with the length of the DTC to Referral of 12 to 14 months Isabelle isn’t even born yet (guess I already stated that before, just thought that was interesting). Let’s see I think we coasted Monday but Tuesday we kicked it into gear getting the documents ready to go to the US State Department and the Chinese Embassy.

Jul

28

Friday (07/28/06)

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Friday (07/28/06) was the big push to get some of the paperwork moving. I got the three referral letters. Thank you LaWanna, Henry and Barbara. Then I took lunch and visited LaWanna who is a Notary. She Notarized everything, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I also called the courier (Sherry) that I used in Etters, PA the first time to get my birth certificate certified. Turns out that she’s still a courier and was more than happy to get my birth certificate certified. Sherry has 2 girls from China and I asked her if she took her first daughter to China when they went to get their second daughter. Sherry had the same opinion as me but a different twist. She said that China would be neutral territory making it easier for the girls to bond (I like that, my mind is made up). Anyway got those document ready and mailed along with the corrected draft of our Home Study, SLED & DSS consent forms, and the GWCA Classic plan contract and first payment to GWCA on their way. I almost forgot how much crap there was to doing this. Anyway now it’s just getting things approved and waiting. Hope we can make August DTC…

 You know I bet the little girl that we get isn’t even born yet. Hope China Mom is taking good care of herself.

Jul

25

Tuesday (07/25/06)

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Tuesday (07/25/06) we had an 8:00am appointment at the Charleston USCIS branch office to drop off our I-600A and hopefully to get fingerprinted. Becky and I got up around 4:00am, got ready, grabbed Morgan and drove 1 & 1/2 hours to Charleston. We got there 45 minutes early and stopped at McDonalds. This is before we saw the movie “Super Size Me”. See that movie and you’ll never want to eat at McDonalds again. We were probably the 4th person at USCIS and were seen immediately. Oh I need to say that during our first adoption, June our Social Worker, told us when we dropped off our I-600a that we needed Mrs Gutwald to process the form or we’d get a Butt Ugly Baby. The only problem was that Mrs Gutwald works in the Greer office and now we have to go to the Charleston office. Monday that hit me late in the day so I called and left June a message. She tried to call my cell while we were in the USCIS office but we had to turn off our phones before we entered. We were fortunate to get fingerprinted right after dropping off the I-600A form. We were at USCIS for only an hour and a half. Several people we know that went on a Friday had to come back and wait about 2 hours to get fingerprinted. Anyway, I called June as soon as we left the building and she assured me that there wasn’t anyone in Charleston to see and that all the children coming out of China are Beautiful, I agree. Although if you have seen the pictures of Morgan, Mrs Gutwald must have had something to do with it. Morgan is Beautiful! But that’s what all of us say that have adopted from China. Back to the rest of the day. We went to the Charleston Visitor’s Center where I purchased 2 CARTA passes, 2 carriage tour passes and 2 Charleston Aquarium tickets. Did you know that a 2 and a half year old, 100 degree weather, nap time, horses, and a boring tour guide with an axe to grind don’t mix too well. We learned that Tuesday. It was all our fault we just didn’t think. Morgan cried for about a quarter of the tour. Then the guide asked if walking beside the carriage for a block might help calm Morgan. Surprisingly it did. When Becky got back in the carriage with Morgan, she fell asleep. Morgan slept until we walked back to Charleston Place where we were going to have tea. The AC in the place revived Morgan and she was entertaining the staff in the hotel. We were told of a local restaurant across the street to try for lunch. It wasn’t too bad for a sandwich shop. Got back on the bus and went back to the Visitor Center to catch another bus to the Aquarium. Once we got to the Aquarium lack of a good nap, hot weather and Mom & Dad dragging her around Charleston Morgan had had enough. Until she saw that 2 story aquarium, that was just another turning point. Then there’s the hands on section that Morgan didn’t want to leave. Let’s see she touched a cayman, held several sea urchins, & various crabs. Then we made a dash for the bus anticipating a Great meal at the Charleston Crabhouse. Only to find the dam place Closed for business. Turns out it had gone out of business 2 years ago. Understand this was the only place I would willingly order grits, stuffed shrimp and grits. So we ended up going to California Dreaming almost next door. Good meal as always. We were going to cross the new Cooper River Bridge but it was getting late and Morgan had about enough. So we got in the car and drove Home.

Jul

24

This past week (a lot has happened in the paper chase) Let’s see, where to start…

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Monday (07/24/06) we got word that we were accepted be GWCA (not a real surprise). We also found out that a few things have changed. It now turns out that they give you two contracts to choose from the Premium and the Classic. The Premium plan is for those that want to do only a little bit of work and the Classic is for those that want to do as much as possible. Since we have pretty much gotten everything already, the choice was a no brainer. Give us the Classic, this stuff is old hat to us anyway.

Jul

14

Waiting for approval…

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We got confirmation from GWCA that they got our application yesterday. Now we have to wait for their approval, 4 to 10 days. You would think since we had done this once before we wouldn’t have to do all this stuff over again. We set up our USCIS visit to drop off the I-600a and get finger printed. Then we’ll spend the rest of the day enjoying Charleston. Yea, Shrimp…

Jul

11

We did it…

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Well we did it. We finished the GWCA application wrote the check and Morgan and I mailed it. I did ask her before we mailed the application “are you sure you want a little sister?” and Morgan said “Yea”, I got a thumbs up and Morgan slid the envelope in the slot. Does she really know what I’m asking her? Well we are going to keep trying to let her know what it’s like to have a sister the best we can. It’s really difficult when your child doesn’t really talk yet and this is a new concept. We hope by including her in the adoption process as much as possible it will be easier on her when we get Isabelle. Oooo… We set off 1000 firecrackers for luck last night after we mailed the application to GWCA. Before we lit them Becky and I explained to Morgan that we did this when we were working on Morgan’s adoption and that we wish that it brings us the same luck we had getting Morgan. Morgan really did well she even cheered with us after the last firecracker. I love being a Dad.

Jul

7

Finally a post

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Well it’s much later, sorry. We have gotten along a lot further than I had thought. I reordered more of my birth certificates Wednesday. Monday Becky & I had our Physical for the adoption. Get this, Becky and I had to give a blood sample and yet Morgan gets a popsicle from the nurses. Morgan was just there to make sure that Becky and I were OK and she gets a popsicle, Lucky Kid. Over the 4th I finally pulled the financial information together. Becky and I were once again surprised to see that Wow we really do have a little bit of money, it sure doesn’t seem like it. Hopefully we’ll get our act together and finish the GWCA (Great Wall China Adoption) application an get it in the mail this weekend. While there’s not the panicked fury and necessity to get everything to China like before there is and excitement and still a mystery as to when will we go and what will the child look and act like. Did I make that sound like we weren’t excited? Well we are EXTREMELY excited to go back to China, get another child and expand our family. Even Morgan when we ask her if she is ready for a Mei Mei says yes (hope she knows what she’s agreeing to). Oooo, Morgan can now say her name as well as other things such as “Yellow” and she usually talks in phrases. Our favorite verbal game we play is “I got it”. In “I got it” it doesn’t matter who has it you just need to understand that Morgan has it weather she does or not. Our friends said that it will be like a light switch and yesterday Morgan and I actually had a decent conversation about her day at DayCare, I just Love that. On the 4th we had both grandparents over (Morgan and all her people). During nap I took the time to be very frank and honest about the trip with my Mom. My Mom wants to go with us to China. I hope she goes but we wanted to let her know what she was in for (it ain’t like here). Fortunately she already seemed to have a realistic idea of what she was getting into. I can’t wait to go. Oh, my parents found out that Dad (me) burping is really funny to Morgan. In a phone call after our get together on the 4th my parents said that they had never seen Morgan have such a belly laugh and they thought that was great. That’s the curse of being the fun parent.