Bringing Home Laine, Part 8: Paperwork
One more hoop jumped through: Today we visited the US Consulate to apply for Laine’s exit visa so we can all finally get the bleep outta here and come home.
Bringing Home Laine, Part 7: Halfway Home
Guangzhou! And probably the nicest hotel I will ever stay in. We spent day one getting Laine cleared by the health authorities to leave the country. She’d been running a fever so we were a little tense about it, but of course she passed because, y’know, God.
Bringing Home Laine, Part 6: China is Amazing
Since we had to be in the country for two weeks, our adoption agency planned some fun, touristy excursions so we could soak up the culture and not go stark raving mad cooped up in a hotel room with a screaming baby.
Bringing Home Laine, Part 5: The Finding Place
We got in a cab and drove into the outskirts of Kunming to a place our guide Susan called “Yilu Village.” I say “the outskirts,” but we were still in the shadow of about half a dozen high-rise apartment buildings.
Bringing Home Laine, Part 4: The Orphanage Visit
Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 The next day we drove across town (did I mention Kunming was about the size of New York City?) to visit the orphanage where Laine had lived since she was two months old. Many times we had been told by people in the know that the Kunming orphanage…
Bringing Home Laine, Part 3: Official
Previously: Part 1, Part 2 Turns out that “Gotcha Day” is really just an extended test drive. Apparently — and amazingly — some people will reach this point in the process and decide to back out. The Chinese child welfare authorities go to great lengths to prevent episodes of buyer’s remorse — where parents, after…
Bringing Home Laine, Part 2: Kunming and Gotcha Day
I skipped over one important development in my previous summary of our travel to China: a phone call that changed the complexion of the whole trip.
Bringing Home Laine, Part 1
When we traveled to China to bring home our adopted daughter, we kept a running diary on a private Facebook group. I want to reproduce that diary here so that more people can know about the challenges, wonders, and joys that go along with a journey like this. And also because I don’t want to…
Adoption Update: Back to Life
Well, that was an eventful 2019. Let’s review. January 2019 – Upon returning to my job from Christmas vacation, I’m called into two surprise meetings. The first, to announce that the company I work for had just been bought out by a competitor. The second, to let me know that the new owners had decided…
Adoption Nesting: Just Like Regular Nesting but with Less Nausea
We’re deep into the waiting period for our adoption, where all of the preliminary paperwork is finished and we’re biding our time until we’re matched with a baby. So, we’ve started to focus on all the things that you have to do to get your house and your family and your life ready to receive…
Adoption Training: How to Not Ruin Your Children!
As part of our adoption journey, our agency provided a two-day seminar on parenting adopted children. Not knowing what to expect, I was relieved when we walked into the conference room and were greeted with one of the most comprehensive selections of snack items that I have ever witnessed. From Sister Schubert’s rolls to Gummi Bears…
And Now… Adoption
We had been married about two years, and things were truckin’ right along, when my wife Rachel said to me, “I think it’s time for us to have a baby.” My eyes widened and pupils dilated a little bit. “What? Really? Are you sure? Are we ready to take care of a baby?” Clearly, I…