Travel Approval!!

This week was a crazy good one in our adoption world. We were still trying to figure out if our Article 5 even every got picked up because most people said we would get an email saying it had been picked up well...we never got one. So here I am still thinking maybe it didn't get picked up....it's a holiday week so our agency was closed Monday BUT we got the call on Wednesday with fantastic news of TRAVEL APPROVAL. 

We spent Thursday booking flights with an amazing friend who's dad offered up his Frequent Flier mile rewards to cover our flights...I don't think I can ever actually communicate with words what this means to our family. 

So we are officially booked and leaving for China February 8th!! 

 

** Photo from his Forever Family Celebration...we were able to order a care package to be sent to him that included a photo album, translated letter from us, stuffed panda, and a cake to celebrate with his orphanage/foster family friends. **

Answers to All of the Questions we Received this Christmas

We have I800 Provisional Approval, we received our NVC Letter and were able to apply for Theo's DS260!!

Say What?!?!?!

As a member of this crazy International Adoption world I get those acronyms I know what that means in the grand scheme of our journey to our boy but I know a lot of you do not and I wish I could sit down with each one of you and explain how this whole process works and that although it's scary and expensive and sometimes unknown holding Theo's picture tight with the hope of him in my arms makes it worth while!

So here I am to answer a couple of the big questions I've been asked over this holiday season of gatherings.

1) When will you travel?
           We hope February! Chinese New Year is January 28 and that is a big deal in Theo's country so things slow down a bit as people take off to celebrate. We don't know what that will do to our travel approval dates but I am anticipating  a bit of a delay. We are currently waiting for Article 5 pick up, that means our agency has a contact that picks up this document from the Consulate and takes it to the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) This is scheduled to happen next Thursday January 12, after that is delivered it's roughly 4-6 weeks until we receive our TA (Travel Approval). Once we get TA our agency calls to discuss travel dates and we start booking flights while they put together our in country package based on our appointment schedules in country (this includes in country hotels for 3 cities, guides to help us navigate our adoption appointments and other needs in country).

2) How long will you be in China?
           We will be in China for 2 weeks probably 12-15 days depending on appointments and since he is 3 we have to wait for an additional test to be read before we can leave. We spend the first 2 days in Beijing site seeing, making friends with our travel group and getting used to the time change before we pick up Theo. (Some might not understand this but to us it is important to try and get as acclimated and caught up on the time change and cultural norms before we pick him up as it is going to be such a whirlwind for him and we can't be running on fumes...that will come later in the trip) We then travel to his location, Guiyang City in Guizhou, where we will immediately meet him and he will be with us for the remainder of our trip. We stay there for roughly 4-5 days to complete the adoption in his province. We then travel to Guangzhou where we spend the remainder of our time completing the adoption process there where the US Embassy is located. We will be reunited with our travel group here and get to meet all of their children as well. It will be nice to have a bit of a support system and some friends while we spend the last week or so completing all the necessary steps to travel home.

3) Does he speak English?
           No :) We will be preparing some flash cards/ laminated feelings, needs, communication sheets to help us along the way.

4) How much is this costing you? How much do you have left?
           We desire to be an open book in this process, at the same time we don't want to sound woe is me and declare how much we are needing to raise to get over to him. So I will post this here and that is where it will remain. The total cost of this adoption will range from $25,000-$30,000. Now don't let that freak you out, we are not paying for a child we are paying for the process and the people who are helping us get to him, the people who have translated our documents, who have written our home study, who are coordinating logistics with orphanage and government entities on our behalf!
            We saved for YEARS before we finally applied with our agency, we depleted that account when we sent our dossier to Africa basically starting the China process from scratch. Luckily we received some program credit when we transferred over which was such a life saver! We got through the whole first half of this process on juggling money already in savings and checking and by putting away gift money and the such during the process. Now we are in the travel portion and it's a BIG chunk of the whole cost and to be honest it's a bit overwhelming. We have roughly $15,000 more to pay in the next month/month and a half. This includes our in country travel package, airfare and the last big program fee that is paid while we are at one of our adoption appointments in China. We have just under $5,000 raised through our Lifesong matching grant/story page donations. This will go directly to our agency for our in country package and we have a grant that is under review today!
          If you feel lead please use the Lifesong link on the sidebar of this page to donate directly to our adoption account (it is tax deductible), that will be sent directly to our agency after this week in preparation for our TA notice!!! If you cannot give we totally understand will you please pray? Pray for the board that is reviewing our grant application today, please pray for our Theo and for our kiddos as we prepare to become a family of 6!!


THEO WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!!

Theo Q.

We have a son!

Referral Received - Nov. 16
LOI - Nov. 22
LOA - Nov. 29
I800 Mailed - Dec. 2

It moved fast from Referral Review and we anticipate it to keep moving pretty fast. We are hopeful to be in China by February to pick up our son, Theo! I am currently between states of elation and panic. Our daughter also broke her arm 4 days after we accepted our referral, requiring surgery to put 3 pins in her elbow at a Children's Hospital that our insurance at the time did not accept. (we had signed up for our new insurance in anticipation of Theo coming home but it did not go into effect til the 1st of the month) So we are feeling pretty panicky but I am just in constant prayer that God will create a way and fund what he calls us to and that is to be the best parents, providing the best care we can to our children, here under our roof and over seas waiting for us. We have applied for 3 grants, received 1 matching grant (see last post if you wish to know more or donate), I am still selling Noonday Collection and we are trying to get creative with what we have.

Would you please join us in prayer as we continue to prepare for travel, all the paperwork and obtaining the correct documents and obviously the big money obstacle. He is so precious and we cannot wait to meet him and hug him and love him. Will you pray for his heart as I know he has already been through so much in his short 3 years of life. Kiddos belong in families and this one belongs in ours!

Noonday Website - allisonheinekamp.noondaycollection.com

https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/bringing-home-brother-heinekamp-family-adopts/

Matching Grant!!

We are thrilled to announce we received a matching grant through Lifesong funded by Hands of Hope here in Indiana!

You can donate through our story page with Lifesong and your gift will be matched! This doubles everyone's gift and they have given us up to $3,000. What a blessing this is and it's an opportunity for your gift to be tax deductible as well.

See below to donate now and please feel free to ask any questions. Today marks 1 month since our LID...we were anticipating 1-3 months from LID but in the world of adoption there is no real way to know how long we could wait. As always if you are not in a place to donate we appreciate your prayers more than we can say, pray that we see his face soon, that he is in good health and for his heart as his world will be completely turned upside down.

Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.

LID

9/13/2016  -- Log In Date!!!

We are officially logged in with the CCCWA ... this means my ringer is turned up and we could receive a referral at anytime. My emotions are all over the chart. I cannot wait to see his face but I keep soaking up every single moment with my little crew especially my  one on one moments with Colbie. I get her all to myself for an hour and a half 3 days a week and we run errands, take walks, or just hang out in our playroom. It's a sweet time that I want to enjoy to the fullest because the two of them will be very close in age and I know my attention will be stretched.

So keep us in your prayers as we prepare our hearts and home for a new little one as well as his little heart as all he has ever known will change so fully and suddenly when we swoop in as complete strangers.
 

I-800 Approval Letter & Authentication

We are so excited that we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel that is dossier preparation. It's been 4 months of putting paperwork together and getting it through the right channels (Notarization, Certification and Authentication) We got 12 of the 13 documents back that needed to be Authenticated from the Chinese Consulate in Chicago! We received our I-800 Letter of Approval only 5 days after fingerprints...unheard of. That letter is the last piece of paper we have been waiting on to complete our dossier.

Our timeline at this point to submission to our agency is probably 2 weeks since we are currently waiting for our I-800 to come back to us from Chicago!!

Thank you all for your prayers and support during this time...this pregnancy is going to look and feel a whole lot different then my other 3!

Noonday Collection Launch

I am so excited to announce that this week I launched as a Noonday Collection Ambassador!! Noonday is a socially responsible business that uses fashion to create meaningful opportunities for people around the world!

I have been following Noonday for the last 5 years and cannot wait to finally be a part of this company that I love so much. I have a heart for adoption, I have a heart for keeping families together, and I have a love for great jewelry (what girl doesn't) especially when you can learn the story behind the piece and the hands that made it. 

I am using this opportunity as a chance to raise additional funds for our adoption! I cannot wait to see where this road takes me and how it will impact our adoption. We cannot wait to see our little guys face, to kiss his cheeks and hug him close!! I will do all in my power to get us there...mama bears have that way! 

If you are interested in hosting a trunk show, placing an order or just a general question at all please feel free to ask..I am new at this and learning all the ropes, working out the kinks and hopefully doing my best to represent this beautiful opportunity that has been given to me to help change the world! 

www.AllisonHeinekamp.noondaycollection.com