Glaciers Move Faster Than The Chinese Adoption Process

The Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing won't get props for speed, but it is known as one of the most consistent fair programs in the international adoption world.  The same rules apply to all families.  You have a criteria to meet and series of steps to follow.  Then you get in line.  It doesn't matter who you are there is no cutting the line!

We signed on with CCAI, our agency, back in March of 2008.  At the time the anticipated wait was 20 - 28 months.  Before that clock starts you need to compile a dossier, which is the collection of documents you will ultimately submit to China.  That along with your home study will tell the story of your life to China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA).  In addition to obtaining these documents most of them will need to go through a process called "sealing".  First documents are notarized, then certified by the appropriate county clerk and secretary of state and lastly authenticated by the appropriate Chinese Consulate or Embassy.  So, documents that originated in NY for instance like my birth certificate have to be sealed in NY, while others might need to be sealed in Maryland.  Needless to say the more you move around the more complicated it becomes.

By June of 2008 our dossier was on it's way to China and on July 17, 2008 we received our coveted Log In Date (LID).  The LID is your number in line, a major milestone, and the clock begins ticking.

Now all we had to do was sit back and wait until we were matched with our child in China.  However over the next year, we would watch with growing concern as the timeline began to stretch far beyond what we had anticipated.  With speculation of timeframes lengthening to 48 months it was time for us to seriously consider whether we were willing to wait.

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Why China?

I can't remember when we first spoke about it, but I've always known that Jerry and I felt the same way about adoption.   Although we had never seriously considered pursuing it, I guess it had come up in those random conversations you have with a person you know, or want to know inside and out.  Somewhere along the way, we had answered those initial questions for each other that adoption sometimes brings up.  Yes, we felt we could both love a child that was not biologically ours, whole heartedly and we shared a respect for people that chose to build or grow families through adoption.

Fast forward to April 2007.  Jerry and I spent a weekend with a family member and their adopted daughter from China.  She and her parents were so perfectly matched.  We were both taken with this lovely little girl and found their adoption journey so compelling.  After the weekend, I casually asked Jerry what he thought about adopting a little girl from China.  In classic Jerry style, he looked at me and said OK.  As I look back,  I'm not sure if he wasn't really listening or totally on board!  Either way, we decided to move forward and do some homework.

Once we learned more about the children waiting for adoption in China, we realized our initial instincts were right and decided to sign on with Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), the agency our family member had used.  The Chinese adoption process although very straight forward, can be a long one.  We weren't in a rush and signed on knowing this, however the WAIT wasn't exactly what we had anticipated.
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