Over The Rainbow

Two weeks and counting until we land in the Peoples Republic of China. What a journey it’s been. This started back in the summer of 2006 when Angie and I went through the adoption application process all over again, just like we had done for Alex. Physicals, fingerprints, background checks, and more paperwork than imaginable just to get to a point where we could send the dossier through our adoption agencies (Catholic Charities in Baltimore and Holt International in Oregon), and then off to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), where it would eventually be logged in as an official application. Finally, in October 2006, we received word that our application had been “logged in” which gave us the all-important Log-In-Date (LID). Those adoptive parents who read this are nodding their heads thinking yep, been-there-done-that, never-wanna-do-it-again, would-have-rather-been-pregnant–for-nine-months-and-had-a-36-hour-delivery… Heck, the paperwork alone can easily take nine months! To those who have not experienced the process – let’s just say no words can ever do it justice. But we do it because at the other end of the rainbow is our pot of gold!

So we had our LID and at the time were thinking OK, the current wait time is about 15 months, our friends had done this in 2004 and they were about the same timing, so looking ahead we should be on our way in early 2008. Right? Wrong… Early 2008 had come and gone and the word was that there was a HUGE backlog of applications at CCAA and there could be HUGE delays to the tune of two more years of waiting. This was not sitting well with anyone in the backlog. Apparently, so many applications had flooded the China adoption system that the demand was far outweighing the available children. There was still the same amount of children needing homes, but way more applicants. We were beginning to question what was in store for us. Would we be able to wait that long? Our background clearances would expire yet again and there’d be more paperwork. Alex was getting older and the age difference between our children would be greater. Heck, WE were getting older. We were extremely uncertain where this was going to lead us.

Then Holt and Catholic Charities stepped in to provide some options. Seems there is a parallel system of children just outside of the mainstream that have some medical issues. These children are often hard to place in an adoptive home. Oh, and by the way, if we were open to adopting a boy, there are boys available in that program and that could speed up a referral. History lesson: available children in China’s adoption program are usually girls. To us, a boy was just as much of a blessing as a girl. We signed up for the program.

This worked faster than we could have ever hoped. Within six weeks we had the referral for Aidan. A boy. A medical issue so minor that it may very well have cleared itself up by now. We rec’d pages of medical information showing an otherwise healthy toddler. And as mentioned earlier, he is already chasing the cat in his foster family's home. Our pot of gold!

All that’s left now is to get to the end of the rainbow…

Alex. Big Brother.

Wow. Big brother. These will be big shoes for me to fill. I figured I’d type out a few lines of how this should go down. You see, I got on Daddy’s computer while he wasn’t looking. I hit the little blue “e” and got to the innerneck. Then I hit flavorites and clicked on the bottom one, just like Daddy does. Then, walla! Up popped a picture of my new baby brother Aidan. Very cool. So then I did what Daddy does and hit sign-in, and because I’m the smartest four-year-old this side of the Magothy River, I remembered Daddy’s password and here I go typing away…

All this talk about a little brother is pretty exciting. I can’t wait to see Aidan when he comes from China. I don’t know why all the heartburn Mommy and Daddy are having over a little ol’ plane ride. Can’t be that bad ‘cause when I flew to Disney World and the Grand Canyon it was funner than tractor tippin’. I got to watch DVDs and eat snacks and go potty alot. So I don’t understand why the big deal goin’ to China.

Anyway, when Aidan Kai gets home we are going to have a blast. I’m going to teach him how to jump in the pool, go fishing, play soccer, get in trouble, cause general mayhem, splash all the water out of the bathtub, and you know, all the cool things that 4-year-olds do. And speaking of fishing, the other day I took Daddy and Uncle Jimmy fishing in the boat and caught more fish than they did!! Of course, I dropped my Spiderman fishing rod overboard, but Uncle Jimmy grabbed it before it sank out of sight.

So come on August 20, and I can’t wait to see my little brother Aidan Kai.

Let The Games Begin!!!!!!

Little did we know we’d be carrying the Olympic torch to China! We just got our travel dates – leave for China August 7 and return August 20. We meet our new son Aidan on August 10 – a new Gotcha Day!

How interesting that our travel date will coincide with China’s largest ever international showcase – the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With everything else going on with us, why not factor that in as well for good measure! The typical adoption travel circuit goes through Beijing, then to the child’s province/town, and on to Guangzhou. With all the hubbub currently in Beijing, we will be bypassing the Olympic crowds and entering China through Guangzhou. There are certain touristy things we will miss in Beijing like the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City, but our mission is to bring Aidan home and sightseeing is a distant second priority. Not that we won’t partake in the planned side trips, but our focus is on Aidan and the process.

To those whom I sent the announcement about this blog, save the web address shown below and check for periodic updates. The intent is to document our grand adventure for friends and family as often as possible. Hopefully web access will be good in China and I can keep up with daily updates, including pictures.

Thank you for your support and good wishes. It means the world to us.

http://welcomeaidan.blogspot.com/

Let's get on with the show!

Well, today has come and gone and the Consulate did not get back to Holt with an appointment date. Holt is on top of this and is sending us daily updates, which is very much appreciated. Once we get our date, then it’s time to buy plane tickets and go! We will only have a couple weeks notice. Our trip will be coordinated through a travel agency, which will also arrange for an in-country guide(s) for our travel party. We are in a “travel group” of folks coming from many locations that meet up in the entry city (normally Beijing, but Guangzhou for us due to the 2008 Olympics) and then go separate ways to the child’s city. Once we meet Aidan, we will have him in Kunming for about a week while paperwork is finalized, and then it’s back to Guangzhou for more paperwork. We will meet back up with our travel group as they return from their side trips with their new bundles of joy.

Any day now, Aidan’s foster family should receive a small photo album with pictures of our family, house, his new big brother, and the fun things he can look forward to. Hopefully, he will have a chance to look through it and will recognize us from pictures when we get there. We are so blessed that he is with a foster family and getting lots of attention. They say he likes to chase the cat, so he is definitely on the move! Look out Alex!

And so it begins... (or should we say "continues")

Hi all. I figured this would be a good way to keep those interested up to date on our trip to bring home our new son Aidan from Kunming, China. Hopefully if we start this, we’ll be able to keep it rolling. So tune in periodically and see how things are going.
As of this day, Angie and I are bracing ourselves for the imminent travel dates to China. We might even get the word today! Our visas are approved, and Holt International (adoption agency) is working on the official travel date. We look at this trip with absolute excitement, but with some anxiety as well. Two weeks in China will be challenging. For those who have gone before us to adopt, you know that the level of separation anxiety for Aidan could be anywhere from mild to severe. Imagine a 21-month-old child being taken out of his comfort zone and thrust into the smiling, loving arms of his new parents – who are equally nervous. But time will smooth things over, and Aidan will adjust fine after a few days.
We’ve been there and done that before with Alex in South Korea. Alex, now four, was six months old when we whisked him away to a new country and our new family. There were some touch and go moments during that first night, i.e. non-stop crying and sobbing. But he sobbed himself to sleep, as did we. Up early the next morning to catch our plane, he awoke with a huge smile on his face and he was the ultimate trooper over the next 20 hours coming home. We can only hope that Aidan follows in his big brother’s footsteps during our trip through China’s adoption process, and then homeward bound. Door-to-door, I’m guessing the trip home from China will be pushing 30 hours, so we will have our hands full keeping Aidan occupied.
Equally challenging will be leaving Alex at home with Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles. As much as we want to take him with us, the logistics of this trip are just too much for a four-year-old. Angie and I will have enough of a challenge getting ourselves there in one piece without lugging more bags and a 30-pounder through multiple airports. So Alex? Your mission, as the big brother, is to be a good boy at home for Nina, Jo-Jo, Gram, and Pop. We’ll send postcards and bring you some salt-water taffy. We are going to miss you immensely, and vice-versa, I’m sure.