Stephanie has put together another small list of children who are currently waiting for their families on the shared list.   These children were all added to the shared list on 2/25/2010.  You can access the new listing at http://www.gwca.org/node/251 with your family’s individual password.  This listing is only available to families who have a Waiting Child application on file.  Please note again this is not a full list of children, and it will not be updated if any of the children find their families in the meantime.  If you would like to learn more about any of the children, please email Stephanie at stephanie@gwca.org!

Today is our final day to talk to families about some of the remaining children on our individual agency list. Please review their information below and let us know if you are interested in learning more about any of these children! If we do not have any inquiries today, we will be returning their files to the CCAA.

1. Chet is 3 years old and is diagnosed with the following: post-operative CHD, undescended testicles, developmental delay, abnormal right knee joint. After surgery, this beautiful little boy’s heart now has normal functioning. He has limited mobility due to his leg deformity. He can imitate words and recognizes familiar people. He loves to be outside and to play with balloons and rattles.
2. Scotch is almost 3 years old and is diagnosed with: bilateral clubbed hands and missing thumbs (one hand has been surgically corrected), post-operative cleft lip, cleft palate, and Hepatitis B. He is being cared for by Love Without Boundaries and is doing very well.
3. Zeb is 3.5 years old and has bilateral clubbed hands with only three fingers on each hand. This sweet little boy’s reports were written when he was only 7 months old. At that time, he was developmentally on target for his age. We are asking for updates and hope to receive them soon.
4. Fabian is 4.5 years old and has microcephaly and developmental delays. This handsome little boy was 2 and half years old at the time of his Growth Report and Medical Exam 05/2008. He is described as a chubby, active and loving boy. He is good at imitation and always makes people laugh by imitating the way his caregivers or peers walk. He gets along well with other children, and plays games and shares his toys with them. He can express his needs, does well while being dressed, and takes off clothes by himself. He can point out his five sense organs. All of caregivers and teachers adore and love him very much.
5. Nathaniel is 5.5 years old and is blind. The orphanage report states that although he lives in a dark world, he lives a happy life with the warmth given to him by many kind-hearted people. Now he likes playing toys alone, listen to music quietly. When the music plays his fingers will tap the table following the rhythm of the music. He can stand alone; walk for a long time with support the caretaker. He has outgoing personality, sometimes is impatient, occasionally he is obstinate. He likes to play with people close to him and listen to music.
6. Yvonne is 4 years old years old and is diagnosed with microcephaly. She is very delayed and at 2 years old could not sit on her own or respond to caretakers. She is babbling and is close to her caretakers.
7. Danny is 4.5 years old and has β thalassemia major. At the age of 2.5 years old, he was able to walk and communicate with caregivers simply. He is able to build blocks, take a block out of the cup and bang 2 blocks together. He has the ability to respond to others’ asking for his objects and be cooperative when put on clothes. He is able to button or unbutton clothes. He is fond of playing with toys, and his favorite toys are cars.
8. Ben is almost 5 years old and is post-operative for spina bifida and has a clubbed foot. He attends the Little Sisters Pre-school held by Half the Sky. He is raised by a grandma and his teachers together. He could walk and go up or go down stairs on his own. He adjusted well with new school environment and got along very well with other children. He plays blocks with other children, learns singing songs and plays performances. He has excellent expressive ability. He loves to watch TV and read stories. He is an active and outgoing boy. Teachers and children all love him very much.
9. Fred is 4.5 years old and diagnosed with: mild ptosis of left eye, scoliosis, clubbed right foot with deformed toes, missing middle finger on each hand, bilateral cryptorchidism. He is an active boy and likes to communicate with others. His speech and express ability is normal. He has certain self-care ability. His personality is outgoing. Currently, his developments in all areas are good.
10. Gavin is 4 years old and has a cleft in his spinal cord. This sweet-faced little guy likes to play, sing, draw and play games with kids older than him. His favorite song is Shake and shake, and he will shake the toy baby in his arms while singing. His serious look makes his caretakers not able to stop laughing. When going to bed, he takes off his clothes and trousers alone and imitates the older sisters to fold them and put them on the bed. He likes to play games with kids, especially football, He can run following the ball and raise his foot to kick the ball after chasing the ball. He occasionally trips over the ball, can climb up at once, tap the mud off his body and chase the ball again.
11. Steven is almost 6 years old and is post-operative for bilateral microtia and cleft lip and palate. In his original reports, it was stated his receptive ability was a little weaker than other children. In his recent update, they told us he has great promotion on cognitive ability, language, society and daily self-care. Now, with the care of teachers and caregivers, as well as his own efforts, his language ability has promoted greatly. He can use daily sentences to express his needs. He likes to communicate with other children and help them. He likes to imitate words, sentences or songs with teacher. He can wear and take off clothes on his own. He can go to toilet by himself. He also can feed himself. He likes to play games with other children and likes to be the leading role happily. He has quick reaction on the relearning. He is a fast learner and can master knowledge. He can distinguish fruit, color, size and status. He can draw color as request. He loves to read books and build blocks. He knows lots of animals and loves small toys. He is thriving happily in the institute with other children under the care of teachers and caregivers.
12. June just turned 5 years old and has epilepsy. She also had an abnormal brain CT scan and has weakness in her left arm. This dimple faced little girl very cute and well behaved. Normally she especially loves to smile, and when she sees you, she will greet you on her own initiative. She has a very sweet little mouth and likes to hear you tell stories. She likes to be taken outside to play. She likes to go to the orphanage courtyard by herself to enjoy the scenery inside the orphanage. Now, she has already grown to be a confident, bold, brave, and perseverant little girl. She can instruct others to do this or that, and she can stand on a stool to reach the snacks. Sometimes when she is ill, she will persevere through it, and as soon as she is fine again, she will go back to playing with the other children. She loves to talk and will talk with you as soon as she sees you.
13. Lena is 6.5 years old and is blind. Her cognitive ability is excellent. She can count numbers more than 100, and she could identify every day objects and say their names such as fruit, toys, trees and flowers and daily necessities by touching them. Her fine motor skills are affected by her blindness, but her teachers are working with her on this. Her memory is excellent and she loves to sing.
14. Andy is 6.5 years old and is diagnosed with severe hearing loss in both ears as well as potential developmental delays due to his hearing loss. He also has mild torticollis which he received physical therapy for. He is currently in foster care and does very well with his foster family. He is able to say “mama” and “baba” as well as communicate with informal sign language. He is very helpful and has good self-care abilities. He is shy around strangers and very outgoing around people with whom he is familiar.
15. Mark is 6.5 years old and has moderate-severe cerebral palsy. He cannot walk or speak. His swallow reflex is normal and he is able to eat on his own. He has extremely low muscular tension in his legs, but his upper body is close to normal.
16. Lana is 6.5 years old and has global developmental delays. She is an outgoing girl. She loves to play with family or other children outsides. She understands daily words. She can use three words or two words together to express her thoughts. She is a lovely girl. When mom or grandma washes clothes, she would move chairs and take soap for them. She can take care her little brother. She helps him wash face, like big sister. She can take care of her daily needs. She can wear clothes, eat food and go to toilet on her own.
17. Brian is 6 years old and is post-operative for cleft lip and palate. His left eye is also not symmetrical to his right. He loves to imitate everything. He likes to listen to music and play toys. He loves to sing, talk and laugh all the times. He is an easy-going boy with good reaction. He loves to read books and plays games. He is a little introverted. Sometimes, he is stubborn and in hot temper. He is full of physical energy. His favorite sport is running, and he loves robots.
18. Luke is 7.5 years old, and he is diagnosed with congenital cataracts, iridocoloboma. He is described as a quiet boy, and though his vision level is weak, he has excellent hearing and can distinguish different familiar voices, such as his caregiver and other children he knows. When acquaintances are close to him, he greets them with pleasure. Due to his eye condition, he is timid and very dependent on his caregiver. He likes snuggling up his caregiver, and always pulls her hands to talk with her. He knows share and likes to play toys with other children. He likes music and shakes his body as soon as he hears the music. He is able to go up and down stairs independently, jumps, and can say sentences within 10 words. His self care is excellent, and he can put on and off his clothes and washes his hands well.
19. Shawn is almost 8 years old and has cerebral palsy. He has language and mobility delays and is receiving rehabilitation training at the institute. He is described as an active child and has a beautiful smile. He is also described as shy. He adjusted quickly to the life of the institute, and is bonding well with his caregiver and other children. Now he is receiving the rehabilitation training, and is able to walk independently. He enjoys playing with other children; he has good appetite and likes to eat snacks.
20. Pierce is 7.5 years old and has Dwarfism. When he was 7 years old, he played games with neighbor children. He could dress clothes, socks and shoes in tidy by himself. He could count numbers from 1 to 19. Sometimes, he could write some wrong characters. But if you tell him, he could correct them immediately. And he could do easy add operation, like 1+1=2，2+2=4，1+2=3, etc. When he could not work out, he would like to use his figures. When he was 71/2 years old, he could help to do some housework, like sweeping, cleaning tables and chairs, etc. He liked to play toy cars. He took a toy car apart but did not know how to install it. When he played cards with foster mother and sister, he knew how to operation them. When he was 71/4 years old, he was lovely and active. Sometimes, he would not to follow your instructions and do something as his own thoughts. And you should explain your instructions patiently. On 9-1-2009, he attended to Guilin Railway School in grade one. He knew Chinese phonetic alphabet, like a, o, e. He could distinguish between more and less, long and short, high and low. He could finish his Chinese and Mathematics exercises by himself.
21. Hank is almost 8 years old and post-operative for spina bifida and hydrocephalus. This beautiful little boy has limited strength in his legs as well as incontinence due to his surgeries. In the daily life, he is a clever boy. He is sensitive to numbers. Under the training of his foster mother, he can calculate addition and subtraction deftly and correctly. He has real enthusiasm for studying.
22. Matthew is 8 years old and has Hepatitis B. He is a lovely boy, very kind with ready smile. Caregivers all like him very much. He can say hello to strangers politely. He has good potential on sports. He can play rope skipping and shuttlecock kicking very well. He has great interests on basketball and wants to play basketball with teachers all the time. He can recite poems very well. Now, he can recite Three Word Chant (very famous poems) mostly, very amazing.
23. Scott is 8.5 years old and is diagnosed as deaf and Hepatitis B positive. He gets on very well with caregivers and other children. He likes to watch TV and cartoon film. He loves Ultraman and Handsome Monkey King. He has strong imitate ability. He likes to imitate the roles of Journey to the West , very funny! He is a polite boy and has a ready smile on his face. Everyone here adores him very much. He can take care himself. He is a kind boy. He helps caregivers to clean room. They all love him very much. We have $1000 grant available towards his adoption expenses.
24. Gage is 8.5 years old and has cerebral palsy which affects his right side as well as delayed intellectual development. He can stand on his own and walk and go up and down stairs with assistance. He can speak some simple words and understands simple language.
25. Gina is almost 9 years old and has developmental delays. She can count from 1 to 50 at one time and do some basic calculations. She can dance and sing a song with clear voice. She can express herself with simple words and gets along well with other children.
26. Richard is 9 years old. Though he was originally diagnosed as deaf, it has been determined he does have hearing in his left ear. His caretakers and doctors have been working with him on regular basis to try and improve the hearing he does have. He is able to speak and understand others. He is always seeking out others to play with him. He studies very hard and is eager to learn new things. He often helps the staff and other children complete tasks and he is always kind to others. He places a high value on affection and has a gentle disposition.
27. Jake is 10.5 years old and is diagnosed with deafness, congenital cataracts and secondary glaucoma. He has optimist nature and never shows gloom. He has a ready smile on his face. Although he can not speak a word, you could feel his desire. He wants to express his thoughts. How wish we could hear his voice! Caregivers teach him to speak in the mouth style. He is very smart and learns very hard. He can speak out simple words like “Baba (father)”, “Mama (mother)”, etc. He attends a special school and knows sign language. He is a naughty boy. Sometimes he tricks a play. He puts something to one’s dress hat and smiles happily to look at you.
28. Tommy is 10.5 years old and is diagnosed with an abnormal brain CT and hemiplegia of his left side. He is extroverted, active, gregarious and a bit of shy in a new environment. He likes to do activities with the children of the same age. In the activities he can get on well with other children, and is able to share his food and toys. He likes all kinds of toys, watching TV, especially cartoons. He actively reacts to interactions from people he does not know as well as new things. He can walk, and go up and down stairs on his own. He has some self-care ability in the life and can have meal quietly on his own, can wash hands, face, feet, go to toilet, dress and undress, put on and take off socks and shoes on his own. He likes the father and mother in his foster family, is polite and greets his familiar people every day. He knows to open the door for the visitors and is quite obedient and sensible. He is care of his family, begins to have sense of right and wrong, and is very curious, likes to explore and know various objects and new things he never sees before, and care for the change of surrounding persons and things.
29. Johnny 10 years old and is healthy. He is very sensitive. He is just like a brother to take care of other children. He is a little shy when he meets strangers and doesn’t talk too much. However, when he meets familiars, he is very polite and say hello all the times. He is very tall and thin. Now he is in Grade 4. He respects his teachers and gets on very well with his classmates. He likes to help others and attend active actively. He learns very hard. He attends after-school activities to learn mathematics, Chinese on the weekend. He also has art classes on the weekend. He is good at drawing and his work has been edited on the Half Sky Learning Magazine. In the institute, he always gives help to caregivers to clean bedrooms. He is very lovely boy.
30. Shayla is 10.5 and has Hepatitis B and polydactylism of her right thumb. She is able to write her own name correctly, recognize some simple words, arithmetic of numerals within 10 (unable to do subtraction). She is able to count from 1 to 30, imitate to draw simple painting, know weather, names and functions of daily objects and some general knowledge of daily life. She is able to sing and imitate to do some simple dancing. She is a quiet and introverted child. She is not good at expressing her thoughts and feelings, but she does get along well with children of same age.
31. Greg is almost 12 years old and is deaf. He attends a special school and because the institute is very far from the school, he accommodates in the school. He comes back institute on Saturday and Sunday. He has good performance at school. He learns very hard and likes to help other people. As the oldest child in the class, he helps teachers and classmates to clean classroom. Teachers like him very much. Other classmates like him as the big brother. They work and learn together, and get on very well with each other. He can take care himself, no matter in the institute or in the school. He can clean his room and clothes. He is very smart and learns well through imitation. He taught himself to knit with lollipop sticks! We have $1000 grant available towards his adoption expenses.
32. Nick is 11 years old and is deaf. He is healthy, active, energetic and busy. He likes to watch the cartoons, and he will laugh loudly when he is happy. He can help the caretaker to do something within his ability. He likes all kinds of toys boy play with and likes to take toys apart and fix them.
33. Sheldon is 12.5 years old and came to the institute in 2006. He is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, dyscenesia of the lower limbs. He is bonding well with his caregiver and other children. He is generous and knows how to share. He is a sociable boy. He has great diversity of hobbies, such as singing songs, drawing, and playing computer games. He has good memory and could remember lyrics clearly no matter how complicated. He can also recite Tang poetry. He is an outgoing and likesome boy. He has dyscinesia in lower limbs, and can walk with the assistance of walker, but once without the help of walker, he stands only for a short while, and is not able to walk. Now he is receiving the rehabilitation training, he is able to squat and stand many times with his hands holding the handrail. He is a strong minded boy and has full confidence that someday he could walk independently by his persistence and consistent work. We have $1000 grant available towards his adoption expenses.
34. Ethan is 12.5 years old and is blind. He came to live at the institute in 2003. Since entering the institute he has developed good self-service ability and is able to feed himself, put on his clothes and wash his face independently. He started a school for the blind in 2006 and is learning Braille. He is shy about trying new things but the institute hopes to help him explore and develop. He loves playing with the other children and has adapted well to his environment.
35. Jimmy is 13 years old and must come home with his family before his 14th birthday in December. He has enlarged feet and is post-operative for a large hemangioma on his side. He is a sensible boy, other development is normal. He likes drawing, playing outside, and his language skill is quite well. Sometimes, he is stubborn, has difficulty to change his mind. He likes playing with child on his age, doesn’t like playing with younger child than he, he says “they are too young, it is boring to play with them”. He studies in a special class, and has made lots of handmade crafts. He could knit sweater, thread bead and do some needlework, he is an ingenuity boy. He is an introverted boy, doesn’t like talking to someone unfamiliar. It may be due to his physical defects. He wants to talk to someone familiar. He is cared in foster family and gets along well with father and mother. He loves them.
36. Deborah is 8.5 years old. Though genetically male, she has been raised as a girl. The orphanage hopes that her family will allow her to chose her own gender identity. In September 2008, she attended Primary Grade One. She is in the same class with her foster sister. She goes to school with sister and they take care of each other. Her foster sister’s leg did not develop well, and she loves to help her sister take book bag. She is able to write pinyin and account numbers with hands. Her sister’s score is higher than her and she wants to catch up with her. She and sister help family do some housework by turn, including clean the floor and table, take bowls and chopsticks. Sometimes, when it is sister’s turn to do housework, she would like to help sister to do it. When the floor is dirty, she will clear it clean immediately. She has a sweet mouth and loves to say some words make you happy. She is very polite and will say Hello to guests. Her academic has promoted generally and her hand writing becomes better and better.
37. Hannah is almost 12 years old and has significant vision impairments. She is extremely farsighted and only has weak vision in her left eye. Other than her vision, her development is perfect. She is very active and loves to sing and dance. She is very sweet, and it is said that her voice is very soothing.

Grace is an 8 year old girl who is on our individual agency lists.  She was born with cleft lip and palate; both have been repaired.  Grace has overcome a lot in her short little life and has come through with a smile on her face.  She is described as an extroverted and easy-going girl who loves listening to music, singing and dancing.  Grace will need a family who can provide her both educational support to help her reach her fullest potential, as well as emotional support to help her through the grief and loss she has suffered.

If you are interested in learn more about Grace, please contact Stephanie at stephanie@gwca.org as soon as possible!

Stephanie has put together another small list of children who are currently waiting for their families on the shared list.   These children were all added to the shared list on 2/8/2010.  You can access the new listing at http://www.gwca.org/node/251 with your family’s individual password.  This listing is only available to families who have a Waiting Child application on file.  Please note again this is not a full list of children, and it will not be updated if any of the children find their families in the meantime.  If you would like to learn more about any of the children, please email Stephanie at stephanie@gwca.org!

We’ve sent some announcements over the last few days about the status of our individual list of Waiting Children.  We have received quite a few inquiries on our children that are still waiting, and we are so excited that these children may be closer to finding their families.

We will be returning the files of any children whose files are not being reviewed on Friday 2/19.  We have update the information and photos on many of our children and hope that we will not have to send any files back!  Please go in again and review our children and consider whether one of them could be the perfect fit in your family.

Again, we have heard all of the rumors circulating about the CCAA eliminating the individual agency lists.  This has not been an official statement by the CCAA.   The CCAA has stated directly to us upon questioning that they are evaluating the individual lists and the program overall to see what can be done in the best interest of the children to make the program more efficient.  They have not decided either way to keep or eliminate the individual lists.  If any new policies or procedures are issued by the CCAA, we will notify our families immediately.  Thank you for your understanding.

To be considered for and learn more about the children we have waiting for their families, please first fill out the Waiting Child application: http://www.gwca.org/node/254.  This application does not commit you to a child or to the Waiting Child program.  Once submitted, you will receive access to our listing of the children. 

If you already have an application on file, you can go to http://www.gwca.org/node/251 and log-in with your family’s individual password.

If you are interested in any specific child, please complete the small application below the listing and someone will be in touch with you about that child.

We are so excited to announce that we have matched 40 children with their forever families so far this year!!!!  In order to help the program be efficient in both matching children as well as preparing families for their formal referral and travel, we have added Diedra Connolly and Beth Breedlove Reeves to our Waiting Child team!  Diedra and Beth will help families who have been matched with Waiting Children and act as referral counselors to these families. 

For all contacts in regards to the Waiting Child program, please use the following directory:

*General information about the waiting child program, including the program overview, application process and eligibility requirements, please contact:

Kaylea Robertson
International Adoption Consultant
(512) 323 9595 extension 3031
kaylea@gwca.org

*Information about specific children on our agency’s Individual List, please contact:

Claire Austin
Waiting Child Program Specialist
(512) 323-9595 extension 3023
Claire@gwca.org

*Information about specific children on the Shared Agency List, please contact:

Stephanie Crouch
Waiting Child Program Manager
(512) 323-9595 extension 3053
stephanie@gwca.org

*If you are matched with your child before your dossier is sent to China, your referral counselor will be:

Diedra Connolly
Waiting Child Referral Counselor
(512) 323-9595 extension 3021
diedra@gwca.org

*If you are matched with your child after your dossier is sent to China, your referral counselor will be:

Beth Breedlove Reeves
Waiting Child Referral Counselor
(512) 323-9595 extension 3054
beth@gwca.org

We have been receiving a lot of questions over the last couple of days about the status of the individual waiting child lists. 

The CCAA did ask us to give them an update on the status of the children on our agency list.  Over the last 4 months, we have found families for more than 30 of the children on our agency specific list, but we still have 47 children who are waiting.  Most of these children have been waiting for over 5 months.  On Friday, 2/19, we will release back to the CCAA the files for any children we do not have potential families for. 

We have heard many announcements going out that the CCAA will no longer issue children to agencies’ individual lists.  This has not yet been issued as a statement from the CCAA.  If this announcement is made, we will certainly let you know. 

In the meantime, we have received many updates the children we have waiting, and this information has all been added to our listing.

Every morning when I crawled out of bed my line of sight was focused on the room across the hall.  Our baby nursery was full to brim with a crib, toys, clothes, diapers … everything except a baby.  The nursery had sat empty for so long that dust was actually creeping up everywhere because I really never wanted to go into that room much.  The room reminded me of too many dreams and too much emptiness.   Our dossier was sitting in China waiting to be matched with a child, but the progress had started to crawl along and we knew it would be months and months before it was our turn to be parents.

There was nothing my husband or I could do about the wait to adopt a child, but we could do something fun and worthwhile with our time.  He focused his spare time on enjoying the outdoor life of fishing and hiking.  I focused my energy on my hobby of entering cooking and recipe contests.   One day our two hobbies collided as I was called as a finalist at a national cooking contest scheduled for the same time he was planning to be out hiking the Appalachian Trail.  So we decided to combine our two trips.  We would drive south together, attend my cook-off and then I would drop him off at the trail.  Once on the trail, he intended to hike for three weeks and would be without cell phone reception most of the time.

The day of the cook-off was gorgeous weather and tons of fun.  After not winning a cash prize that day, we headed back to our hotel to relax and to get ready for our drive the next day when we would be saying goodbye for a few weeks. Kevin turned on our laptop computer and at about the same time we remembered that Great Wall China Adoptions had planned to post a new waiting children’s list that day.  We logged on and read through many of the files.  We were reading the special needs files more out of curiosity than anything.  We had never fully considered the waiting children’s program because we knew that in a few short months our dossier would be at the top of the pile and ready to be matched with a non-special needs infant.  Our empty nursery soon would be full! 

He was the first one to read through the list and then he passed the computer over to me.  After a few minutes, he said, “Did you read the file about the 13 year old girl?”  Actually, I had not yet.  So I opened her file.   No photos were included but I read the few pages of text about her.  After 13 years of walking on this earth there were just a few sentences describing a young girl who had endured much in her life yet still after seeing many younger children being adopted she had asked that her file be sent out in hopes of finding a family .

At this point she was 13 years old and just 8 months away from being considered “too old” to be adopted.  On the day a Chinese child turns 14 he/she is no longer available for international adoption.  On a 14th birthday when many kids are excitedly opening presents and eating cake, a boy or girl residing in one of China’s orphanages is experiencing the first day of the rest of his/her life … a life without the hope of every being adopted internationally.

Something in this young girl’s file clicked with both my husband and me.  We talked endlessly about “why” we had decided to adopt and finally were able to put it into words.  We simply wanted to be a family.  I wanted to be a mom and he wanted to be a dad.  Together we wanted to be parents and to be part of a family with a child.  We thought back and laughed at how we had contorted our faces when in one of our adoption seminars we had been asked to draw an image of what we thought our child would look like.  We had no set ideal image of our child – no race, no gender, no age and no size.  So, we had drawn a stick figure with an arrow pointing to the image labeled “our son or our daughter.”  We knew the rest of the information would be revealed to us in time and we were excited to meet the person who would one day replace that stick figure drawing.

We stayed on an extra day at the hotel to give us time to talk more and to think.  We sat together and carefully went over each question on the special needs adoption request form.  We said we realized as first time parents that we lacked the background in having raised a child through the teen years, but we actually saw a huge bonus in our ability to spend all of our time with our child.  As first time parents, we knew we would have the extra time needed to help an older child to learn English, to be there to help with homework and studying, to help our child adapt to a new culture and to simply be there for “whatever”. 

The phone call that changed our lives came in the early morning hours on July 5.  We had stayed up late watching fireworks and were still in bed when the phone rang.  The voice on the other end said, “You’re parents!  Run to your computer and I’m sending you photos of your daughter.”  We almost fell down the steps trying to race to get there!  We kept hitting the refresh button on the email until finally three pictures arrived.  There she was ….  our teen daughter!  We were parents!!

The next few weeks were a blur.  The nursery came down and the teen girl room went up.  We talked with our school system about what options our daughter would have. We secured an English tutor.  We chatted with other parents about what things their teen kids liked.  We filled our daughter’s new room with all things girly and pink. We bought an Ipod and Kevin’s Chinese students helped select some current Chinese music to put on it.   We packed and we flew off to China. 

And we’ve never looked back.  We’ve been home 2-1/2 years now.  Our daughter is 16 and in high school.   I would by no means attempt to tell you that it’s been an easy road.  Sarah knew no English when we met, she left her country and her friends behind to start her new life and she had to get to know two crazy Americans who showed up and wanted to be called “mom and dad.”   But the one constant thing in our lives is family.  We experience the ups and down together.  We are family. 

You can read a bit about our family’s journey on our blog at http://windingvines.blogspot.com .  Our journey to China is chronicled at the start of the blog back in 2007.

Stephanie has compiled an updated photolisting of children added to the shared list on 2/10.  Please note these children’s files were available at the time she compiled and posted the list.  As always with the shared list, children can become unavailable at any time.

To view the list, you may go to http://www.gwca.org/node/251 and log-in with your family’s individual password.  This was emailed to you when your application was submitted. If you do not have an application on file, you may submit one at http://www.gwca.org/node/254.

If you have any difficulties, please contact Stephanie at stephanie@gwca.org.

Keep your immigration paperwork current!  If your I-171H/I-797C is expired, please consider renewing your paperwork.  If your immigration paperwork is not up to date when you are matched with a child, this could SIGNIFICANTLY delay your travel.  We have seen some families have to wait at least 4 extra months to travel for their child when trying to obtain a valid home study and clearance.

If you are not signed up with an agency or working on your dossier yet, it would be best to start this process as soon as possible.  I know some families are waiting for when they find their child to begin, however, it can take up to a year to complete a dossier and travel.  This is a long time for your child to wait! 

For both of the above circumstances, it is important to note that when I am looking for the best possible placement for any child, it is always in the child’s best interest to be able to come home as soon as possible.  Priority will always be given to families who are already logged-in AND have a current immigration approval or families who are in the dossier phase with an already completed home study. 

Keep your waiting child application current!  I know it may seem redundant to repeat the application every six months.  This is the best way for me to keep up with the needs you are willing to consider as well as to reiterate your continued interest in the program.  Older applications are not deleted; however priority is given to applications that are less than 6 months old.

Submitting an application does not guarantee we will find your child.  We know that submitting the application is one more way you are opening up your hearts and becoming vulnerable in this international adoption process.  Our hope is that we will find a family for every child and a child for every family.  However, this doesn’t always happen through the Waiting Child route, and not every family will find their child this way.  Please know we always keep every family in mind, and if there is a child who just may be your little one, we will certainly give you a call.