Busy few days!

We have so many updates! It has certainly been a busy few days!

The IAP (International Adoption Pediatrician) called Tuesday night near the end of Aaron's soccer game, so I ask if we could call him back in 8 minutes (in the event they didn't need to stop the clock, which of course they did). We sat in the car with the cell phone on speaker phone when we called him back. Good news! Everything looks good! He does have some minor needs, but the doctor helped us understand what the options are and how severe (or not as severe) they might be. Aaron and I were both really relieved and after the one hour phone call, we discussed it and decided that we had everything we needed to make a decision. Yes, we will pursue our application with this child, but it isn't a go just yet.


Here is the process after making a decision:

1. Fill out forms to tell Holt you wish to pursue the child

2. Wait to hear back on whether or not other families have requested the child's info. If other families are considering the child, they have 2 weeks to decide if they want to pursue the child's adoption as well. If so, they turn in the forms and we all wait for a committee date (Thursdays).

3. Schedule a phone interview with Holt's WCP (Waiting Child Program)

4. A committee of Holt's WCP meets to decide which family is the best match for the child. There is no first-come, first-serve when it comes to a child's future family. They do consult with each family's social workers and refer back to the phone interviews. If no other families are in process with the same child, the committee does still meet to confirm that the family is a good match.

5. After the committee meets, the families are contacted with the decision.

6. If we are approved, our match will be transferred to the Korea Program at Holt, and we will receive an official referral.

7. Once the referral is signed and returned, the immigration paperwork begins. At that point, though, the wait is only 3-6 months depending on the turnaround time of the various forms.



SO, we have several more steps to go. We completed the forms Tuesday night to tell Holt we would like to pursue this little guy's adoption. Wednesday, we heard back from Holt's WCP and there are two other families who have requested his information. LUCKILY FOR US, when asked if either family was ready to pursue his adoption, both families declined, so it's just us! The WCP just called minutes ago and scheduled our phone interview for next week. The committee meets next week as well, so HERE WE GO!


In addition, they have posted a note on his picture that reads "No longer accepting applications." This is a BIG relief! In any case, we would still prefer not to hear "Oh, you two will be chosen!" And I think this is partially for the same reasons most adoptive moms do not want to hear "Don't worry. As soon as you adopt, you'll get pregnant." There is no way to know. We would hope that there is nothing is our application which would suggest that we may not be ready to parent this little guy, but we still don't want to run out and buy a crib, register, etc. until we know for sure.


I-600A vs. I-600 Forms
There is a slight concern about our I-600A and I-600 forms since one is a pre-approval and the other is the regular approval. To make a long story short, each office around the US has slightly different policies, so we don't know if we should file only the regular approval form, both at the same time, or the pre-approval quickly (in case you need to file them in order). Luckily, an adoptive mom that we met from our training class saved the day and gave me an email for our office. Hopefully, we will hear back soon, so we know what forms to turn in and when regardless of the placement decision.


So all in all, everything is very exciting now. Our social worker is finalizing our homestudy paperwork, so it should be sent to Korea soon!