Why China  

Some people have asked us, Why China?  We say, because that's where our daughter is.  Currently there are 1.5 million babies in orphanages in China.  Sadly, most of those children will never know the life of having a family that will love them unconditionally.  Approximately 75% of those in orphanages will die in that orphanage.  Research has lead us to believe that the conditions in some of the orphanages is not very good.  Some of the children may die from disease, some from malnutrition, and some are just allowed to die.   We've recently read a great book that anybody interested in adoption in China should read.  The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans is a great bridge between East and West.

We believe very strongly we are being lead help those kids.  We have learned that these baby girls are abandoned in public areas so the babies will be found.  Most are abandoned in the shopping district typically among lots of people.  The police then take that child to the local orphanage.  You may not know that families in China are only allowed one child.  This policy was put in place in 1980 to help with population control in China.  This policy, helped to inflate the belief that the girls are not worthy to the family.  Boys are able to carry on the family name, help support his parents when they get older etc.  This is why the girls are abandoned.  Some researchers have said that the 1 child rule hasn't made any difference.  Some still see families in the rural areas with 3 or 4 children.  Others say that the population growth was cut in half in one generation after the law was put in place.  Obviously, it depends on who you talk to, and what they believe.    Most of the babies are abandoned in villages as those that live in the cities have to register before they even plan a pregnancy.

When Chelle and I realized that we weren't going to have a child naturally, we decided maybe we were looking in the wrong place.  We believe we were lead to adopt a child.  We have prayed about this long and hard and think  God has lead us to have our family through adoption.  It was absolutely the right decision for us, and it has been an amazing adventure.

The Process:

    The process has been and will continue to be very educational!  I will try my best to explain everything so you understand what we are going through.

    Phase 1 is pretty much getting our first application turned in with an application fee.  This application is primarily basic personal information, and the initial agreement with the adoption agency.

    Phase 2 was our home study with a social worker.  The social worker made 5 visits to our home with us together, and 1 each alone.  She dove  into our lives to make sure we are stable and can support a child.  During this phase, we applied  for our passports, submitted our I171A from to the INS, obtained birth certificates, marriages licenses, employment letters, physicals, and, bank statements, all in triplicate. Each document has to be authenticated by the secretary of state, for the state they came from.  The process should took about 3 months to complete.

    Phase 3 is the final phase.  At this point we are getting ready to travel to China.  Everything is turned in, and approved by the US, and China.  The Chinese Government will then send us a picture and bio of our daughter.    We have the option to accept or reject that child and pick another.  After we accept the child, and everything is ready in China, we will travel.  We will be in China for 10-14 days.  We will actually get Emily in our first 24 hours in China.  The remainder of the time is getting her ready to come home.  We have to visit the US Embassy the Chinese Consulate, and a Chinese doctor for a medical exam.  We will also get to do a little site seeing.

    Please see our Time Line for detailed information about the process.