Whats Left on The Time Line

This is what I learned from Elizabeth today about our time line. This process is much different than Simones.

We still have three of the final four steps yet to check off.

1. Letter of Intent and Pre-Approval Paper work officially translated and logged in at CCAA web site and March 25th. (We sent ours into the agency on March 20th.)

2. Pre-Approval. We will receive a pre approval letter from the CCAA around 1 month/give or take. (1 month from March 25th) On the US side we will receive the referral packet at this time. We can send Sophie a care package at this time through our agency and then another one on our own.

3. Letter Seeking Confirmation of Adoption (also known as Letter of Acceptance, China is changing this step to Letter Seeking Confirmation of Adoption.) Basically this is a confirmation letter. This will come in 2-3 months after the Pre-Approval step.

4. Travel Approval. This is approval from China to travel and comes 5-6 weeks after Letter Seeking Confirmation of Adoption.

Elizabeth told us that this is the projected time line. We also need to be ready to travel in 2 weeks or a month for an example. Since we have been logged in for almost 2 years now and are out of the review room we are hoping we will be on the shorter end, traveling by April 25th!!!!!

She told us that there is a new person working in the CCAA office that processes the paper work. They started around Feb. of 2008, about two months ago. She gave us two example time lines from families at our agency. The first family sent in their Letter of Intent on December 18th and got their Pre Approval a week later. Their Letter of Confirmation & TA came a week after that and then they were on their way to China that week. The second family from our agency had their Letter of Intent logged in on November 5th, received their Pre approval letter on November 21st, 3 weeks later. Then on December 31st received their Letter of Confirmation. Their travel approval came one month later and then they left 3 weeks after that. So they were two months later….

Elizabeth also informed us that sadly she will not longer be our case worker. She told us that she would not be able to handle our case if things move quickly as her responsibilities at the agency have grown. We understand but are very sad because she has been our case worker since we started Simone's adoption in 2004!! We are happy to be working with Linda now but will miss her!

We pray that we can have Sophie in our Arms by April 27th, 2008…..The first day we held Simone and became a family was on April 27th, 2005!