One Year

It has been one year since we "officially" embarked on the adoption journey.  We'd spent countless other months and years talking about it, reading about it, and praying about it.  Now we are officially 12 months in and looking back over the last year, I see we have accomplished much!  In the last year we have:

• Modified things in our home to meet state requirements for adoption
• Had a home visit with our social worker
• Traveled to Louisville twice for interviews with our social worker
• Had two telephone interviews with our social worker
• Completed online training (Ten hours on one module and probably another ten or so on another module).
• Completed compatibility/personality assessments
• Completed at least four various background checks
• Written our autobiographies (long...7-12ish pages each)
• Collected many (MANY) documents and submitted them (birth certificates, marriage license, medical forms, etc.)
• Traveled to Cincinnati for fingerprinting
• Collected personal and professional references
• Documented every penny of our finances
• Raised money to fund this adoption
• Written countless checks to our agency and various other agencies
• Renewed our passports
• Gotten six passport photos each!
• Collected and taken family photos
• Written essays indicating our understanding of cross cultural adoption
• Read a book about attachment and bonding with adopted children
• Completed medical assessments and blood work
• Successfully completed a home study 
• Successfully compiled documents required for a dossier
• Submitted I800A application and fees

I know there are more things we've done.  It has been tedious, but it has brought us closer together.  We anticipate Chinese food celebratory meals at each major milestone.  Right now I wake up in the morning and calculate how many days it has been since we submitted our I800A.  I am praying to find that approval nestled in our mailbox by the end of July.  Once we get that, we authenticate all our documents in the dossier and shortly after that we are DTC (dossier to China)!!  I keep looking at DTC and realize this hurdle will mark the wait for LID (log in date) and then the wait for referral will begin.  I am eager to be there.  Time feels like it flies, but then it also stands still.  Soon....hopefully very soon...

This part of the journey is new and uncharted for us.  As you can see, the last year has been filled with plenty of activity; some of it more enjoyable than others.  There has always been something to DO.  Now all I can do is count the days and mark time.  I hope I will make good use of this time of waiting to pray for our daughter and our adoption.  Waiting is new and foreign, but I can sense this is just the start of long stretches of silence and nothing, but I realize it is all part of God's plan to shape and prepare this family for the child He has for us.

Little One, you've been one year in the making for our family.  One year of hard, hard work and dedication.  We are so eager to see your face, hear your name, and begin to prepare our home for you.  Our hearts long to know you.  We pray you are safe, well cared for, and in the best health.  We pray someone soothes you when you cry, kisses your boo boos, and tucks you in each night.  We pray you won't wait much longer to know the family that is yours forever.  I cannot wait to get lost in your eyes, stroke your hair, and smell your skin.  I cannot wait to teach you about Christ and show you all that it means to be a Burris.  Grace tells me at least one time a week that she will hold your hand and help you feel safe when you come home.  Jacob cannot wait to protect you and I know Joshua has plenty of adventures planned for you.  We love you already...before we even know you!