First, we got all our authenticated paperwork back from the Chinese consulate in Houston, TX. Then,
we sent in our i800a application (immigration application to adopt internationally) along with paying a hefty fee to get fingerprinted. Approval can take over 30 days, and you have to wait to be scheduled an appointment to get your fingerprints done. However, we have a sick kid who needs some blood here! There is no time for that. Once we received our receipt, Steve and I walked into the office and got fingerprinted. I also emailed USCIS and begged and pleaded to be granted medical expedite. I sent the many letters written by doctors for Garrick along with his medical file documenting his medical need.
By that afternoon, our expedite was approved. Four days later, we had our i800a approval in our hands! That's what God and one persistent Momma can do! In about two weeks, our dossier (all our paperwork) will be in China! In the adoption world, this is called DTC (Dossier to China), and our file will be LID (Logged In Date).
There are many more steps to come, but this was the biggest... the one we have waited a year and a half for.
A few days ago we got some updated pictures. The Lord knew we needed them!
He looked happy, and that made my heart soar. However, after the initial happiness of seeing him, I started really looking at the pictures, and my heart dropped in my stomach. If you look at his forehead, you can see that it is slightly protruding. This is called "bossing." In people who have Thalassemia, their bone marrow production goes into overdrive as their body tries to produce more red blood cells. This causes bony protrusions to form. This typically happens when they are not being transfused as often as they need to be for their body to function at an optimal level. This is not reversible and it will be with him the rest of his life.
This was just more proof that though Maria's is doing the very best they can for him (thank you Lord!), we have to get him home! Just like our doctors have urged us, he needs to be at the Thalassemia center getting blood and medication to remove his iron buildup. His little body is being damaged. Please continue to pray that our paperwork will be processed quickly, and we will have the necessary funds to go get him as soon as possible.
The first time I saw Garrick's face my heart started beating out of my chest and my brain started saying "Oh my goodness" over and over again. We knew right away that God was saying "It is time". Some of you have known that Steven and I have wanted to adopt since 2010, but it never worked out. It was all in God's timing. God chose that time to prepare our hearts to move forward, and he continues to open doors and sometimes push us through them. We were scared, but we could not deny our call to step out and sign up with our agency. Then the little face we fell in love with was going to be ours, and that in itself was a true act of the almighty God.
There are many things in our life at times that feel uncertain, but our adoption has never been one of them. In all our uncertainty, God continues to bless our adoption. He has has connected us with an online community of adoptive parents that have helped us navigate the process and provide support and encouragement. God has given us doctors who have shown us how manageable his medical need can be and how we are indeed able to meet it and care for him and written letters on our behalf to get his medical expedite approved. He has blessed us with a community of close friends who have given up many hours helping us fund raise, holding our family up in prayer, or donating to our adoption fund.
We know that God is showing his glory, and in the end, that is the most important thing.
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