Our jouney begins . . .

When we first decided we wanted to grow our family of four into a family of five, we didn’t know where our journey would take us.  Through much prayer, research, and long conversations about what was best for all members of our family, adopting a child with a special need waiting for a family in China became our clear answer.  We began the process with Children’s Home Society and Family Services in St. Paul in January 2012.  The next several months were spent completing all the necessary paperwork and adoptive parent education requirements.  After a home study and more paperwork we received our approval to adopt a child from China by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in late August.  We then prepared and submitted our dossier (collection of time-sensitive documents required by China).  Our dossier was “logged in” by China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) on October 8, which made us eligible for a referral of a child.
 
 Just before 11:00 p.m. on November 1, we received an e-mail from our agency with a referral.  We learned about a sweet seven-month-old girl living in an orphanage named Zhang Chenxin [jahng tchun sheen].  She was born with a cleft lip and palate and a heart murmur (patent foramen ovale).  Based on our preparation with the International Adoption Clinic (IAC) at the University of Minnesota, we felt confident to parent a child with these medical conditions. 

We then asked to see pictures of Chenxin.  She was beautiful and began to steal our hearts!

 

We submitted her medical information to the IAC and waited anxiously for their review.  The U of M doctors concurred with the doctors in China that the cleft lip and palate can be successfully repaired and the heart murmur will likely close as her heart grows.  With this reassurance, we send our acceptance of the referral to CCCWA and started the process to adopt Chenxin as our daughter.

We also requested updated pictures of Chenxin.  Three days later we received these pictures from the orphanage . . .

 

. . . and, much to our surprise, this short video.

We felt it was important to keep the name given to her when she first came into the orphanage but we also wanted to give her an American name as she joins our family.  We have agreed on Ashlynn Chenxin Klecker.

We now await our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from CCCWA.  The LOA is our official approval to adopt Ashlynn.  It typically takes three to four months.  We will then apply for approval from USCIS.  Finally, we will apply to travel in China and request an appointment at the US Consulate in China.  Lots of waiting!

We enjoy sharing our good news with our family and friends.  We plan to share major milestones in our preparation to bring Ashlynn home as well as our experiences while in China.  Until our next post, please keep Ashlynn and her caregivers at the orphanage in your prayers.