Slow boat to China

I remember my mother sometimes using that expression, and as a child I always wondered what it meant.  Now I think I know - or at least it has taken on its own meaning in our lives, for it often feels as though that is what we are on.  The next few steps are tedious and somewhat unpredictable in terms of timing, but here's what we're looking at - beginning from the filing date of our I800, which was April 20...

I800 Provisional Approval (this is the USCIS giving us approval to bring Ellie to the U.S. - the final approval will be her visa, which is issued by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou during the 2nd week of our stay in China) - We should receive this in 15 to 20 days.

National Visa Center Letter - Notification that the NVC has sent our immigration information to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou - approximately 10-15 days after the I800 is approved.

Article 5 - Notification from the U.S. Consulate to the Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption that our immigration approval has been granted - takes about 15-20 days after the NVC letter.

Travel approval - The Chinese government's official permission for us to come to China for the adoption - usually issued about 2-3 weeks after the Article 5 is submitted to the CCCWA.

On the short end, it's about 8 weeks to travel approval.  If things move a little slower, it could be 11 or 12.  Most families travel about 2 weeks or so after their TA is issued, as it takes time to schedule an appointment at the consulate in Guangzhou and plan the rest of the itinerary around that.  (The consulate appointment occurs a day or two prior to returning to the U.S.  Ellie will travel on her Chinese passport with a U.S. visa.  Once we arrive in the U.S., she will be an American citizen.)

So we'll have to wait and see how long each step takes.  It's a bit of a roller coaster really, because it's so exciting to receive an approval and send in the next batch of paperwork, only to find yourself right back in waiting mode again.  In the meantime, I'm trying to plan our summer and gather travel tips from families who have adopted already.  I know once the time comes it will be a mad dash to get ready for our trip - and I will never feel completely ready, even though right now the wait seems so long and I wish we could get on a plane tomorrow.

Ellie may have her palate repaired sometime this month.  We won't know for sure unless we receive an update from our agency, but it was mentioned in her surgery report from last October that the palate repair would be done "in six months".  We're not sure if those plans will change now that Ellie is being adopted, but either way is fine with us.  We know the charity that is caring for her finds really good doctors to operate on their kiddos, and having her palate repaired earlier would certainly have its advantages in terms of diet and speech.  But if we end up doing it here with our own doctors who will treat Ellie for years to come, that would be great too.  And we have learned from other parents of children who were adopted through the special needs program that the initial surgery can be a very powerful bonding experience, because the child learns to receive comfort from her parents and that she can trust them to care for her.

Our hope is to have the I800 by Mother's Day (May 8).  What a great present that would be!