OUR DOSSIER IS CHINA BOUND!

Yay, yay, yay!  We are officially DTC!

I have never been through a process with so many acronyms but DTC means "Dossier to China".

Wanna hear some more acronyms?

Our dossier is en route to the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption).  Once they log it into their system we will receive our LID (Log in Date).  Receiving an LID gives our agency a better idea of when we may travel.

The estimated time to receive an LID is between 5-14 business days.  So!  More waiting :)

In the meantime, I've started book #3 of our required reading, Adopting the Hurt Child by Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky.  So far this book is very eye-opening to some of the circumstances an adopted child could be coming from.  Adopting internationally will leave us with more questions than answers.  Of course, all adoptions will but with no information of the biological parents or a paper trail of the majority of their lives while in the orphanage, we will likely be seeking to diagnose the best ways to love and care for him/her by observation, process of elimination, and the passing of time.  This book is bringing light to some of the things we can expect as newly adoptive parents and teaching me to be prepared to try and see things from the adopted child's perspective, in order to find solutions to best love them in the midst of their hurt.

I know I've mentioned this before but I'm very thankful that our agency has required reading as a part of their adoption process.  As much as I'd like to think we'll have a Disney movie adoption experience, that will likely be the farthest thing from our future reality.  Of all the resources and material we've gone through thus far, Adopting the Hurt Child has painted the most vivid picture of what a hurt child looks like and where that hurt may have come from in their past.

As I learn more about the needs of children who have been abandoned, neglected, and abused, I find my reactions bouncing up and down on a seesaw.  I particularly resonated with this quote about the waiting process for adoptive parents:

"As the wait continues, prospective parents usually experience a cycle that consists of hope, excitement, and expectation, followed by fear, uncertainty, and insecurity.  Their fantasies range from adopting the perfect child to adopting the child from hell.  One minute they are thinking, "Everything is fine; we can do this. It will be fun."  The next minute, they are wondering, "Can we handle this? Should we do this? Will it turn out okay?" - Adopting the Hurt Child, pg. 92

It's those fantasies (on both ends of the spectrum) that I'm trying to fight right now as we wait.  While I don't want to assume the worst, I feel as though it would be detrimental for me to assume the best.  I'm trying to discern what's healthiest mentally and emotionally and I am thankful for how candid Adopting the Hurt Child has been in giving me more of a framework for doing that.

In other news, we are officially less than $3,000 away from being fully funded!!  Holy smokes, thank you so much!!  If you would like to help us continue to chip away at our $37,500 goal, you can donate here.

Looking forward to updating you with more acronyms soon!

Much love,
Brooke