Saturday, April 25, 2009
Shopping list
Here is our shopping list according to Samuel. You may not be as amused by this as I am, but I had to share his latest. (Flour, bake, banana, macaroni)
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Post You've All Been Waiting For...
We got our preliminary approval today, otherwise known as pre-approval! So without further ado, our Ping Ping!!
I just love how bright and colorful this picture is... and the fact that she is dressed in girly clothes that fit-- with China, you just never know!! :) Don't you just want to squish her?? And kiss those big chubby cheeks?? I just can't wait to meet this little person.
I just love how bright and colorful this picture is... and the fact that she is dressed in girly clothes that fit-- with China, you just never know!! :) Don't you just want to squish her?? And kiss those big chubby cheeks?? I just can't wait to meet this little person.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Working through the bumps
I don't think I have ever read an adoption story that didn't have at least one bump to it. We're working through one of ours right now. Unfortunately, it means throwing money at it (why not!) and a little time as well. With the new Hague guidelines, the home study is supposed to list out every special need that you would be open to. Every. Special. Need. How in the world are you supposed to do that when people and special needs cannot be put into boxes?? Anyway, this is not a huge deal, but because our Ping Ping's special need was just a wee bit different than one of the ones listed and the home study did not specifically say "congenital cataract" (yes, that is one of her SN's), we are having to file an addendum with USC1S with our previously approved I-800a. So, how long will this take you ask? Well, approvals for I-800a's currently are taking about 30 days, so that is pretty much what we can expect for an approval on our addendum, I hope. Thank the GOOD LORD that we figured this out when we did (and actually asked about it, not ignoring it and hoping we wouldn't have to because our agency thought we would NOT have to file this addendum) because the part we are waiting for--LOA (Letter or Approval)-- with the CC4A is currently taking between 60-90 days. So, really no time will be lost, assuming the CC4A is not super fast with our approval, nor the USC1S super slow with our approval.
And to all those in the home study phase of adoption: make SURE that your home study puts a little extra "room" in to your list of SN's. Something like, "they are open to the following, but not limited to" would be great. Otherwise, expect to pay the big bucks after you find your little one if his or her SN is not on your list.
And to all those in the home study phase of adoption: make SURE that your home study puts a little extra "room" in to your list of SN's. Something like, "they are open to the following, but not limited to" would be great. Otherwise, expect to pay the big bucks after you find your little one if his or her SN is not on your list.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
This is SO IMPORTANT- please read
This is really long and I apologize, but let me tell the gist of it-- and we need you on this whether or not you're adopting because it involves contacting your representatives!! With the Hague being put into place, all children who come home from their Hague countries in order to enter the U.S. are being required to become up-to-date on all CDC recommended vaccinations. WHOA! Talk about dangerous. Here we have children who are already at risk for some serious immune suppression whose bodies are being overwhelmed by the vaccines working their little immune systems-- vaccines that they may have already received (yet there is no record of). And I'm not talking about 2 or 3, I'm talking about ALL CDC RECOMMENDED VACCINES. Now, as a Registered Nurse, I am so appalled by this. What about allergic reactions? What about all those needle sticks?? Not to mention compromising the immune system that much more. Please, even if you don't read through this entire thing, there is a link near the bottom to contact your state representatives as well as a reference to the laws involved. MAKE SOME NOISE!!! This is so important... for Ping Ping's sake.
In order to receive their U.S. immigrant visas all children that are
adopted internationally from Hague Convention countries will be required by this
new U.S. law to become current on all Centers for Disease Control's (CDC)
recommended vaccines for their age prior to receiving their U.S. visa. This
means that they may receive many more vaccines than we would ever give in a
pediatrician' In order to receive their U.S. immigrant visas all children
that are adopted internationally from Hague Convention countries will be
required by this new U.S. law to become current on all Centers for Disease
Control's (CDC) recommend
>
> The Hague Convention on International Adoption is intended to ensure
additional protections to these children when adopted into countries around the
world. The Hague Convention was implemented by the U.S. in April 2008. While
revising the law for the Hague's implementation, in an apparent oversight
Congress forgot to extend a previous exemption that allowed adopted children
to postpone their immigrant visa vaccination requirements until they were
safely at home. The Hague Convention itself does not address immunizations. It
was simply an apparent oversight in the new line of law that did not
reference the earlier exemption that has resulted in this situation.
>
> This oversight means that these newly adopted children must become up to
date with all the CDC's recommended vaccines before they will be granted
entry into the U.S. Various countries may have given these orphans anywhere
from several to no vaccines, and often they have received vaccines relevant to
diseases in their country and not required by the CDC. Some of these
children may have no medical record or an outdated record of the vaccines they
received at the orphanage, and therefore they would be required to receive them
again. As you can imagine, quality of medical conditions and quality of
vaccines available from country to country varies considerably. This means that
these vulnerable children may be required to receive a mega load of vaccines
all in one day, many of which they may already have received, just days
before they board the lengthy international flight home to the U.S.
Additionally, these children may not be healthy at the time these vaccinations
are
required, but as the law stands there is no available exemption, not even for
fragile health. The best way to handle vaccinations, and the way it was done
pre-Hague, was that once at home the family's pediatrician does a blood test
to show their titer antibody levels, and then provides only those vaccines
that are shown to be missing, on a safe time schedule.
>
> Let us be clear that this is the result of a U.S. law and only affects
Hague Convention country children that are adopted to U.S. families. This is
not the requirement of the child's birth country, but the requirement of U.S.
law.
>
> As the law stands today, these vulnerable children are now the only class
of U.S. immigrants that are given no possible exemption from their overseas
visa immunization requirements. All other U.S. immigrants are allowed the
possibility of exemption due to medical necessity or religious or moral
grounds. Can it really be that this is a result of the Hague Convention which
was
intended to actually provide MORE protections for these children?
>
> We are asking you to contact your congress person to request the law be
amended to afford these vulnerable children the option for a vaccine
exemption to allow them to safely receive their vaccines at home in the U.S.
>
> A request to have the law amended is presently being reviewed by
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar's office in Washington, D.C. They will likely
decide
whether or not to take further action within the next week. If you choose
to contact your Senator and/or Representative, time is of the essence. Your
appeals to your Senator or Representative could help bring this issue forward
for a speedy resolution to stop this process from continuing to happen to
future adoptive families.
>
> Here are two links which can make the process easy for you-simply click
on the links below (or cut & paste into browser) to locate your congress
people. Their websites already contain a quick link to send them an email.
>
> Senators:
_http://www.senate.http://www.shttp://www.senathttp://www.sehttp://_
(http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)
>
> Representatives: _https://writerep.https://wrhttps://whttps://write_
(https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml)
>
> At the end of this email is the legal explanation of how this happened
and how it can easily be resolved. A copy and paste of the legal explanation,
along with your personal plea of why this should be changed quickly, may
make it easier for your congress person to understand how to correct the law.
>
>
> THE LEGAL CUT & PASTE.
>
> Public Law 105-73 provided the exception for newly adopted children to
the vaccination requirement by allowing for a written affidavit in lieu of
receiving vaccinations abroad before receiving an immigrant visa. When the
Hague Convention was passed, new regulations were issued in the Federal Register
on October 30, 2007 at 72 FR 61301. The amendments revised the Department
of State regulations to provide for intercountry adoptions that will occur
pursuant to the Hague Convention. This provided a new definition of "child"
under the Immigration and Nationality Act, amending 101(b)(1)(F) and adding
101(b)(1)(G) Public Law 105-73 provided the exception for newly adopted
children to the vaccination requirement by allowing for a written affidavit in
lieu of receiving vaccinations abroad before receiving an immigrant visa. When
the Hague Convention was passed, new regulations were issued in the Federal
Register on October 30, 2007 at 72 FR 61301. The amendments revised the
Department of State regulations to provide for intercountry adoptions that will
occur pursuant to the Hague Convention. This provided a new definition of
"child" under the Immigration and Nationality
In order to receive their U.S. immigrant visas all children that are
adopted internationally from Hague Convention countries will be required by this
new U.S. law to become current on all Centers for Disease Control's (CDC)
recommended vaccines for their age prior to receiving their U.S. visa. This
means that they may receive many more vaccines than we would ever give in a
pediatrician' In order to receive their U.S. immigrant visas all children
that are adopted internationally from Hague Convention countries will be
required by this new U.S. law to become current on all Centers for Disease
Control's (CDC) recommend
>
> The Hague Convention on International Adoption is intended to ensure
additional protections to these children when adopted into countries around the
world. The Hague Convention was implemented by the U.S. in April 2008. While
revising the law for the Hague's implementation, in an apparent oversight
Congress forgot to extend a previous exemption that allowed adopted children
to postpone their immigrant visa vaccination requirements until they were
safely at home. The Hague Convention itself does not address immunizations. It
was simply an apparent oversight in the new line of law that did not
reference the earlier exemption that has resulted in this situation.
>
> This oversight means that these newly adopted children must become up to
date with all the CDC's recommended vaccines before they will be granted
entry into the U.S. Various countries may have given these orphans anywhere
from several to no vaccines, and often they have received vaccines relevant to
diseases in their country and not required by the CDC. Some of these
children may have no medical record or an outdated record of the vaccines they
received at the orphanage, and therefore they would be required to receive them
again. As you can imagine, quality of medical conditions and quality of
vaccines available from country to country varies considerably. This means that
these vulnerable children may be required to receive a mega load of vaccines
all in one day, many of which they may already have received, just days
before they board the lengthy international flight home to the U.S.
Additionally, these children may not be healthy at the time these vaccinations
are
required, but as the law stands there is no available exemption, not even for
fragile health. The best way to handle vaccinations, and the way it was done
pre-Hague, was that once at home the family's pediatrician does a blood test
to show their titer antibody levels, and then provides only those vaccines
that are shown to be missing, on a safe time schedule.
>
> Let us be clear that this is the result of a U.S. law and only affects
Hague Convention country children that are adopted to U.S. families. This is
not the requirement of the child's birth country, but the requirement of U.S.
law.
>
> As the law stands today, these vulnerable children are now the only class
of U.S. immigrants that are given no possible exemption from their overseas
visa immunization requirements. All other U.S. immigrants are allowed the
possibility of exemption due to medical necessity or religious or moral
grounds. Can it really be that this is a result of the Hague Convention which
was
intended to actually provide MORE protections for these children?
>
> We are asking you to contact your congress person to request the law be
amended to afford these vulnerable children the option for a vaccine
exemption to allow them to safely receive their vaccines at home in the U.S.
>
> A request to have the law amended is presently being reviewed by
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar's office in Washington, D.C. They will likely
decide
whether or not to take further action within the next week. If you choose
to contact your Senator and/or Representative, time is of the essence. Your
appeals to your Senator or Representative could help bring this issue forward
for a speedy resolution to stop this process from continuing to happen to
future adoptive families.
>
> Here are two links which can make the process easy for you-simply click
on the links below (or cut & paste into browser) to locate your congress
people. Their websites already contain a quick link to send them an email.
>
> Senators:
_http://www.senate.http://www.shttp://www.senathttp://www.sehttp://_
(http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)
>
> Representatives: _https://writerep.https://wrhttps://whttps://write_
(https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml)
>
> At the end of this email is the legal explanation of how this happened
and how it can easily be resolved. A copy and paste of the legal explanation,
along with your personal plea of why this should be changed quickly, may
make it easier for your congress person to understand how to correct the law.
>
>
> THE LEGAL CUT & PASTE.
>
> Public Law 105-73 provided the exception for newly adopted children to
the vaccination requirement by allowing for a written affidavit in lieu of
receiving vaccinations abroad before receiving an immigrant visa. When the
Hague Convention was passed, new regulations were issued in the Federal Register
on October 30, 2007 at 72 FR 61301. The amendments revised the Department
of State regulations to provide for intercountry adoptions that will occur
pursuant to the Hague Convention. This provided a new definition of "child"
under the Immigration and Nationality Act, amending 101(b)(1)(F) and adding
101(b)(1)(G) Public Law 105-73 provided the exception for newly adopted
children to the vaccination requirement by allowing for a written affidavit in
lieu of receiving vaccinations abroad before receiving an immigrant visa. When
the Hague Convention was passed, new regulations were issued in the Federal
Register on October 30, 2007 at 72 FR 61301. The amendments revised the
Department of State regulations to provide for intercountry adoptions that will
occur pursuant to the Hague Convention. This provided a new definition of
"child" under the Immigration and Nationality
Friday, April 10, 2009
LID on a VERY Good Friday
Taking a moment in humble thanks to God for His sacrifice for me today. How am I worthy of such Grace? I'm not. It is only God within me that makes me worthy-- and THAT is something to be celebrated. Thank you, Lord.
We also have cause to celebrate because the clock to wait for our little one starts officially today! We got the email with the magic words "Log In Date (LID)" in it this morning and therefore, off goes our letter of petition to the Chin* Center for Ad*ption Affairs to adopt the little one we've been staring at for 2 weeks in pictures (we sent our LOI-- the letter-- to our agency, but decided with their counsel to hold off sending it in until LID). We will wait a few more weeks for Pre-Approval (PA) and then I'll be able to post her picture! Stay tuned and get comfy for the nice LONG wait we have ahead of us...
We also have cause to celebrate because the clock to wait for our little one starts officially today! We got the email with the magic words "Log In Date (LID)" in it this morning and therefore, off goes our letter of petition to the Chin* Center for Ad*ption Affairs to adopt the little one we've been staring at for 2 weeks in pictures (we sent our LOI-- the letter-- to our agency, but decided with their counsel to hold off sending it in until LID). We will wait a few more weeks for Pre-Approval (PA) and then I'll be able to post her picture! Stay tuned and get comfy for the nice LONG wait we have ahead of us...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
