Day 2 in HCMC

Okay, so we're starting to make adjustments to the time change & most of the jet lag is finally dissipating. Those of you who know me will get a chuckle out of the fact that I was awake (on my own, mind you) before 5 am. Now, that doesn't mean I was out of bed by 5 am, just that I was awake.

E. & I lounged in the room until around 6:30 am. Oh, forgot to tell you yesterday that the room is very nice. We are in one of the "deluxe" rooms, so we have more space. Nice, firm King-sized bed, shower/tub w/ good water pressure, TV, and air conditioning (very important for those nice, warm, humid days...reminds me of summer in NC - frizz factor set to +10). The TV has HBO, Showtime, and Stars (in English w/ VN subtitles).

We've decided that b/c of the humid days, we shower at night (because the minute you step out into the outdoors, you feel like you need a shower again). So, after getting out of bed, we walk a few floors down to the restaurant/internet cafe. Breakfast was very nice. There were a nice variety of VN and Western foods. We both drank some very delicious mango juice (very yummy, enough that we probably had 3 small glasses worth). I wish I knew the names of the things we ate...they were tasty. E. had some type of hot soup for breakfast (always the adventurer in the dining area, he is...).

So, after breakfast, we left the hotel to walk a few block to the local market. One thing we have learned about walking as an American in VN, you have to ignore the locals trying to sell you something. For us, it's customary to say "no, thank you" and that's it. Not here. Saying "no thank you" encourages them to try to sell you something (our experience was a man wanting to take us on a tour of the area...).

Walking to the market was quite an interesting sight. There were a lot of street vendors on the sidewalks even before we reached the market. In the market, even that early in the morning, the areas was busy with the hustle and bustle of the daiily events. The market is divided into sections, depending upon what the vendors are selling. You could buy anything from clothing to fresh seafood.

Well, we didn't buy anything and kept walking. We came to an incredibly busy roundabout on the other side of the market (remember my posting yesterday about traffic in Saigon?). Not quite ready to tackle crossing the road, we decided to walk back to the hotel. Jet lag kicked my tush yesterday morning, so I slept for a few hours. E. sat down and read one of his Poli Sci book (and didn't fall asleep...=D ).

After a refreshing nap, we were up & met w/ the agency staff (Mr. H. & L.). They took another couple (P. & M. - adopting a cute little girl from Ben Tre) and us to the Maximart via taxi. So, another roller coaster thrill ride ensued!

Now, the Maximart is certainly interesting. It's (I suppose) the VN version on Wal-Mart on a smaller scale. You know, I got a taste of what it's like for non-English speaking immigrants arriving to our country & having to naviagate in a world so different from their own. I was so happy to have Mr. H & L there to serve as interpreters to buy things we needed for our kids. It was funny to see the difference in the sizes of things P & M bought for their 7-month old compared to buying for our 2-year-old C. We bought Pampers, formula, bottles (two, apparently one for the water & one for the formula), bottle washer, and a thermos for holding hot water. E. had the experience of using the Visa card for the 1st time.

Mr. H & L also gave us an itinerary for next week. We'll be leaving w/ P & M, as well as the other VL family (who didn't arrive until later Saturday evening...) Sunday afternoon to travel to Ben Tre.

So, we met w/ P & M and had a really nice dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. For those of you traveling to HCMC & staying at the Lan Lan 2, definitely go to the restaurant. Very good food & reasonably priced. E. & I had a great dinner for the equivalent of about $10 dollars (US).

After dinner, the four of us walked around HCMC. We were going to try and see one of the water puppet shows but couldn't find the location. It was interesting from a sociologic perspective to see the number of young adults & couples at the park, sitting on their Scooters. Kind of like our teens & college kids hanging out together. The scooters were sort of their own "personal space" in a very crowded city.

After our walk, E. tuckered out & went back to the room. P, M, & I walked around for a little while longer and came across an ice cream shop. We went in (air conditioned, yay!), sat, and had some very yummy ice cream (me, scoop of chocolate & scoop of vanilla...). After that, we we back to the hotel & I crashed.

So, here we are, Sunday morning in VN after a really nice day in the city. We'll be picked up around noon by the agency & meet w/ the staff for orientation. Around 2pm, we'll depart for Ben Tre. We'll spend Sunday evening, Monday, and most of the day Tuesday in Ben Tre. Tuesday afternoon, we'll depart Ben Tre for Vinh Long.

On Wednesday, we'll finally get to meet our little boy. Our G&R will be on Thursday and C. will officially be our son & we'll have the joys of 1st time parenting.

We most likely will not have Internet access until we return to HCMC next Thursday evening. So, stay tuned!

The End of a Very Long Day

We have arrived to HCMC. And, yes, as you can tell by the title, we've had a REALLY long day. We left Charlotte on Wednesday. US Air was delayed and we took off about 1 1/2 hr delay. **Note to travelers, make sure you read your itinerary more carefully than we did about whether food is provided or if it's for purchase (our LAX flight was a for purchase).** The in-flight movie was "License to Wed" (cute, especially if you like Robin Williams or are a fan of the TV show, "The Office").

Fortunately, we had a long layover in LAX, so our stress levels didn't significantly increase (with the exception of the counter agent who said they couldn't "guarantee" the bags would arrive w/ us in HCMC...another leap of faith, eh?). Wendy was right, the international terminal at LAX is like a little city that never sleeps. We arrived to very long lines (but, I will say one thing...they were very effective because after our 10-15 minute walk...good to stretch the legs and walk after a cross country flight), it only took us about 30 minutes total to get through check-in and security (CLT should take a few pointers on that one =D ).

We arrived to the terminal at LAX and found ourselves having about a 3-hour wait (we thought). Thanks to Quantus, whose flight left later than expected, we had another delay in departure (this time, stress meter rose slightly but not terribly bad b/c we only had a 1-hour layover in Taipei). So, off we departed about an hour late.

I really like EVA Airlines. The attendants were very friendly and courteous and ensured the needs of their passengers were met. Each seat (even in economy) had an individual TV screen for viewing (headphones were included for each passenger). The food was very good & they had lots of choices for movies, TV shows, and music.

While on board, we met a really nice gentleman from Santa Barbara who was originally from Germany. He and his wife were experienced travelers and he shared fun stories. I also made a new friend in the seat behind me - a 5-years-old boy name Benjamin. As I returned from one of my stretches, Benjamin chatted with me (high energy little guy - lots of fun :) ). He was cute too - had lost his two front teeth and was grinning ear to ear.

I will say one thing, 14 hours is a long time to fly. I know I watched at least 3 or 4 movies (and I know Eric watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - twice).

So, we arrived about 1/2 hour late in Taipei and fortunately EVA delayed departure for the flight going to HCMC (well, there were quite a few of us on the plane transferring to that flight). We didn't have to run (but we walked really fast) to get to the terminal.

The flight from Taipei to HCMC was about 3 hours (more time to take in another film). In the spirit of The Lord of the Rings, we had "second breakfast" (Merry and Pip would be proud). We arrived to HCMC around 1015 am VN time (about 1115 pm on Thursday for those of you on the East Coast). **Note to those traveling to VN - bring a black or green pen to fill out your customs card** It took about 1/2 hour to process through customs, then another 1/2 hour to wait on luggage (**Another note, have something easy to see on your luggage tag - our tags are fluourescent colors**).

Our agency's rep picked us up at 1130 and off we were to the hotel. You know, words cannot do justice to describe riding in a vehicle through the streets of HCMC (the ride is definitely NOT for the feign of heart). There were quite a number of scooters, bicycles, and auto zipping around from all directions. Lanes were optional. Man, honestly, the ride was more thrill-seeking than any I've experienced at Carowinds - our local amusement park).

So, after a short rest this afternoon, we're feeling a bit jet lagged, tired, yet eager to continue the process. Tonight will be rest & tomorrow begins our next adventure - shopping in HCMC and going to the market w/ the other families.

To be continued...Let the pictures begin!

T-minus 1 and counting down...

I was playing with my digital camera and snapped a picture of Colin's crib. Guess we now officially have a "Zoo" theme, eh (giraffes and gators and lions, oh my!)? The painting hung above and to the right of Colin's crib has a very special place in our hearts. The painting is entitled, "Pima Indian Drummer Boy." It is from an original oil with the DeGrazia Gallery In the Sun (Tucson, AZ). What makes this painting so special? It was a gift to Eric from his Great Aunt Tibby.

Well, today has certainly been a very busy day in our home. It was PACKING DAY. After spending the morning completing a few important errands, we stuffed suitcases inside suitcases (the better to bring more things home w/ us :) ) and pretty much completed the majority of our packing (save the bathroom stuff, etc. - things you really can't pack until the day of travel).

You know, the good thing about being busy it that time moves quickly and it keeps you sane. My CM (Charlotte Mommies) UC friends will attest to the sanity of keeping me busy (and preventing spastic me from rearing her spastic head - it's not a pretty picture, trust me!).

So, we have 3 suitcases for check-in (w/ 2 additional suitcases being crammed w/ things inside the larger suitcases) and two bags for carry on. Good tip from more seasoned travelers: bring a change of clothing in your carry on! I'm also carrying our digital camera and video recorder to help record & document this wonderful journey to the other side of the world.

Yikes - I still have a few errands to run in the morning. All these final preparations to complete before the big day. So, it's around 12:15 am (0015 for you healthcare or military people) right now. It's incredible to think (providing US Air is on time ;) ) that around 18 hours from now, we'll be leavin' on a jet plane.

We're flying from CLT to LAX, so going through LA to the International terminal will certainly be an adventure in and of itself (...stay tuned for further developments). Nevertheless, next stop: VIETNAM!

All Aboard! The Heberlig Express is preparing for departure!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane or "T minus 4 days and counting"

Yesterday is such a blur! I received an email from our agency yesterday afternoon to confirm that the PC had confirmed our G&R for the week of October 29th. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

Guess who was the 1st person I called? Nope, not my wonderful husband...I called our travel agent Todd Gallinek (I'd HIGHLY recommend him to anyone traveling internationally for adoption - he's been fantastic) so that he could confirm and book our flights.

The next call was to Eric, of course. Then, the entire phone tree of calls had to be made during the day to let our family and friends know that we had definitely flight plans.

We are now at 4 days before our departure date (of the 24th) and the frenzy of travel preparation is on! Today, it's house cleaning (major endeavor - including the fridge, washing Colin Nhan's clothes, etc., etc., etc., - I'm lovin' it!). Despite all the last minute things to do (yes, we still have toddler proofing on the agenda :D), it's all worth the time and effort.

We spent last night watching a movie - probably the last official grown-up movie night we'll have for awhile (I forsee lots of Baby Einstein and Disney in our near future). A very strange Farrelly brother's movie called "Kingpin." Very strange, indeed (recommended by our chiropractor Dr. Bill - note to Dr. Bill, you have a very warped sense of humor - hehehe).

Signing off for lunch - will be posting as we can to update you on our travels!

Minor Bump in the Adoption Highway

So, our plans have had a slight modification. Based on current estimates, we will most likely be traveling to VN around the 24th of this month. Because there are families traveling to Ben Tre (another province) and Vinh Long, our G&R will probably take place on Thursday, November 1st.

Mildly disappointing, but in the grand scheme of things, it's only a small bump in our adoption highway. Colin is still coming home very soon!

Half a World Away

Thanks to Audra at Charlotte Mommies for sharing this with me:

Here is a poem I found when I was searching for poetry! It made me think of you and your little Colin! Jill Work wrote this poem for her son-to-be Quinn, while he was 33 mos. old and waiting in Can Tho, Vietnam. It was sung at his baptism. Jill is the adoptive mother of two children.

Half A World Away
by Jill Work

A half a world away
Sometimes it seems we're so far apart
But a half a world away
Is not too far for a journey of the heart.

My little one, my bundle of joy
I'm waiting for you
My precious son, my baby boy
I know you're waiting too.

A half a world away
A child waits for a family of his own
While a half a world away
A family waits to come bring him home.

My little one, my bundle of joy
I'm whispering a prayer
My precious son, my baby boy
I hope to soon be there.

I hope that we
will no longer be
a half a world away.

Slow Moving Moon

Thanks to Audra for telling about this wonderful poem written by a Mom adopting from VN! I've made a few addendums to personalize the poem to our adoption journey.

Marea Rose Jenness wrote this poem while waiting for her travel date to adopt her son from Vietnam, in the winter of 2001.

Slow Moving Moon

By Marea Rose Jenness

It started out a slit of light.

Stubbornly, it grew to a crescent.

In this January-February (October) sky,

while I wait to see you for the first time,

its progress seems painfully slow.

Three-quarters now, it will be full in three nights.

Then in reverse, it will shrink to a crescent before I travel.

Eleven (Seventeen) long nights.

I have no power to speed the earth's shadow as it moves across the moon's face.

I think that I may notice each degree of progress.

Travel Approval

Our agency has given us the BIG update. They are preparing our G&R letter of request for the week of October 22. We will begin our ticket search tomorrow and have been informed that we should plan to be in Ho Chi Minh City no later than Saturday, October 20th (meaning we fly out of the country no later than Thursday, October 18th).

G&R stand for Giving & Receiving Ceremony. This is a formal ceremony where Eric and I will sign the adoption papers for Colin. The term comes from the idea that we are "receiving" our child and "giving" a gift to the caretakers who have been taking care of our son at the orphanage since he was an infant. In turn, they will be "receiving" our gift and "giving" us custody of our son.

Wow! I am amazed, excited, and nervous simultaneously. It's incredible to think that in 17 days, we will be making the most important journey of our life!

Now...let the frenzy begin!

Yippee!!!

Eric and I received a telephone call from Yen at CHSFS yesterday. We officially received our 2nd DIA notification on September 18th. This is another BIG step accomplished in our adoption journey. This means we only have THREE more steps to complete on the timeline.

After a long discussion with Yen, it appears that we may receive our Travel Authorization (TA) by Thanksgiving and it's (optimistically) possible that our son will be home by Christmas. Talk about something to be thankful for!

My heart felt as though it kept trying to do little backflips of joy. As I told Yen, I'm progressing toward the "3rd trimester of our paper pregnancy."

I still remain cautiously optimistic for travel by the end of the year. I guess I'll feel more secure when we actually have our TA. But, in the meantime, we're celebrating the wonderful news.

One of my favorite pictures

Before I go to bed, I wanted to make one additional entry to post one of my favorite pictures of Colin, with his pillow and blanket. I'm looking forward to knitting a special blanket for him.

Update from CHSFS...

Eric and I received an update from our placement agency with Colin Nhan's physical measurements as of August 23rd. He's now 30.4 lbs and 34.3 inches in length. More importantly, we have a new picture which will be uploaded to the site after I complete the journal entry.

We also received this picture from our placement agency. It's from August 18th. My CM friends just love the "hands on the hips."

What a handsome little boy he is!

The Process (as we understand it)

Eric and I have had some great questions from friends and family inquiring about the process of Colin Nhan's adoption, particularly as to why we have a 5-7 month wait before we can travel. I thought I'd try to provide a better understanding (as we best understand from the adoption agency).

The areas in black are steps we've already accomplished. The areas in red are those we are waiting to achieve. The "flow chart" is based on information provided by our agency and their understanding of the process. Time intervals are subject to change:

1. Application, Review, and Approval by CHSFS.
2. Preparation of Dossier (all the forms Oneida notarized, we sent to the state for certification, and to the consulate for authentication).
3. Dossier process by the CHSFS-VN staff in Vietnam (received, processed, translated, and authenticated).
4. Staff preparation of dossier (4 copies arranged in a bound book), presented to the DIA in Hanoi.
5. Presentation of the dossier to the DIA.
6. DIA review of our dossier (when the dossier was "logged in" or more info had to be changed, updated, or resent).
7. Wait for Referral
8. RECEIVING A REFERRAL (for most PAP's - prospective adoptive parents - this may take 9-12 months, ours took 3 before we found out that we were going to be parents to this wonderful little boy).
9. Family Referral Decision (you know how this turned out...We are going to be the lucky parents of Colin Nhan Heberlig).
10. 1st DIA Notification (once the DIA received notification about the referral from the care center director, they sent an official request for Colin's dossier from the DMOJ - Department Ministry of Justice).
11. DMOJ Requests Child's Dossier (Within 7 days of receiving notification, the DMOJ notified the orphanage to prepare Colin's dossier).
12. Preparation of Child's Dossier (The care center prepared and submitted 4 authenticated copies of Colin's dossier to the DMOJ).
13. DMOJ Response to the 1st Notification (Upon receiving Colin's dossier from the orphanage, the DMOJ works with the PMU - project management unit - police, immigration dept., hospital, birth family, etc. to investigate the documents & statements in Colin's dossier. Upon completing the investigation, the DMOJ notifies the DIA that the investigation has found that he a) is not legally free for adoption; b) is legally free for adoption and sends the dossier to the DIA. This step is approximated to take between 30-60 days to complete).
14. DIA Review & Approval of Colin's Dossier (The DIA receives the response from the DMOJ and reviews his dossier and either a) approves the dossier and issues the 2nd notification to the DMOJ along w/ our dossier and requests the DMOJ to prepare for the G&R - Giving & Receiving ceremony (7 days) or b) determines that further investigation and information is needed; DIA instructs the responsible parties. The DMOJ will then have 30 days to provide the DIA w/ requested information). Keep your fingers crossed for step a)!
15. 2nd DIA Notification (DIA sends official letter to DMOJ stating their approval of the application along w/ the complete application for the DMOJ to review (7 days). CHSFS-VN staff follow up w/ the DIA to learn the date of the approval and follow up w/ the DMOJ to confirm that they have received the DIA notification and prepare for G&R). We won't hear any additional updates from our agency until we've received our 2nd DIA notification.
16. Travel Approval (the one we are really waiting for!!!) DMOJ receives the 2nd notification w/ the complete application. DMOJ will send us a letter via CHSFS informing us of the adoption approval, our last payment will be made; CHSFS-VN will make the payment on our behalf and will work w/ the DMOJ, PMU, and us to make our flight arrangements; we'll sign our letter of acceptance and CHSFS-MN will work w/ us for travel preparations...more paperwork).
17. Approval from People Committee (DMOJ will send an official letter and complete application to the People Committee to receive approval for the adoption; PC then will issue a legal order for the adoption and will send it to the DMOJ -7 days-)
18. G&R Date (Within 7 days of receiving the PC's legal decision, the DMOJ informs the PMU of the G&R date...ususally occuring within the 1st five days that we will be in VN).

So, as you can see, it's quite a process. We've come so far and have but a few additional milestones to achieve before we can finally meet our little boy. Considering that we weren't expecting a referral until early next year, I'm very happy where we are in the process...yet, cautiously optimistic that we may be able to travel around Christmas (**fingers crossed**).

Thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Life is but a journey

Life is but a journey. From one day to the next, we may never know what to expect. Our journey has taken us from being a loving, happy couple to happily awaiting the creation of our family through adoption. We feel blessed to know that in a few short months that Vo Phuc Nhan will change our lives forever by joining our family as Colin Nhan.

We are making the transition from our former blog to blogspot, so that we are able to upload more pictures of this amazing little boy on the site as we travel to his homeland of Vietnam. We'll also be moving our previous journal entries here, so that we don't lose the history of our adoption process.

As our family moves toward becoming complete, we hope to share our journey of faith, hope, love, and patience with you, our family and extended family.

Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Random Thoughts...

It's amazing and wonderful to realize how supportive you, our family and friends, are as we move through this journey. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we move through these final months before we travel to meet our little boy. I remain cautiously optimistic that we will travel sometime between December and January.

I've received some wonderful pictures from Rosie when she traveled to pick up her beautiful daughter (and Colin's best buddy) Miri.

You know, I realize I am VERY biased in my opinion...but our little boy is one handsome guy!

In the picture where our little boy is napping, my friend Wendy says he has the lips of a trumpet player. I can again see his Grandpa exclaiming enthusiastically about another generation of Heberligs will blow that horn!

Thirty days have now passed since the DMOJ received the dossier from Colin's care center. So, I hopeful that we'll have no more than another 30 days to wait before we can take the next step forward. We'll keep you posted with any updates we receive.

Until then, here's wishing to the best Christmas present ever!

Happy Birthday Colin Nhan...

Yesterday (in VN) and today (here in the U.S.), our son had his second birthday. Although he is not physically here with us, we are celebrating another year of his life. I'm so excited to know that he will be home to celebrate his 3rd birthday. How appropriate the balloons are!

Yesterday evening, we received an email update from our adoption coordinator. We received our 1st DIA (Department of International Adoption) notice on July 11th. Additionally, the DMOJ received his dossier from the orphanage on July 24th. So, we're making progress! Our adoption coordinator also told us that Colin Nhan really missed his best buddy, Miri, when she left.

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to wait for time to pass, so that we can travel to VN and bring our son home!

Reaching Another Milestone in our Journey to Bring Colin Nhan Home...

Eric and I received an email from Yen at CHSFS this afternoon. The DIA (Department of International Adoption) in VN has issued the approval of our pre-referral.

Of course, this means more paperwork to sign and have notarized (Thanks Oneida!!!). But, it's paperwork we are HAPPY to complete.

YAY!!!

Presents for Colin Nhan...

Okay. So, Rosie is heading to VL next week and Colin Nhan's birthday is coming up on the 18th. What is a gal to do?

GO SHOPPING!!!

Rosie (very thankfully) is willing to take some gifts to Colin Nhan. So, this Mommie went shopping and, boy, did I find some bargains. The Children's Place at Concord Mills had a "mack daddy" sale. I found two really cute button up shirts for $1.99, as well as a nice pair of overalls that were reduced (those of you who know me, know that I avoid paying full price for any clothing as much as possible).

After striking out on finding toddler-sized baseball caps at Concord Mills, I drove to Northlake Mall and found (not one, but two) ballcaps. For Eric, I bought Colin a Yankees' ballcap (of course, Eric has already said Colin can pick out his own favorite baseball team...I can hear Grandpa' saying 'Go Phillies'). For me, I picked out (you guessed it...) a Tarheels ballcap (of course, our son is free to like any ACC team of his choosing...).

In the package, I'm also including a book called "Smiles" that has pictures of many babies smiling (very cute - and I love the many ethnicities represented in the book), as well as a picture of us (so Colin can have his own picture of his Mom and Dad). On the back of the page, I wrote (well, I hope it translates correctly), "to our son" from "Dad and Mom".

I packed the box and traveled to FedEx, so that I could mail the package to Rosie. We can't wait until we hear more about our son when the V. family arrives in VL!

Room Renovations...Phase One

Belated Happy 4th of July to everyone. Yesterday was a fun-filled day in the Heberlig household: Phase One of Colin's room renovation. Fortunately, we've already painted the room (a very cool Carolina Blue -- go Heels! color called "Stratosphere").

Last weekend, we had purchased a crib (which changes into a toddler, then youth bed) and dresser/changing table from our neighbor (she's moving, so bought it for a really good price...). One slight problem, our extra mattress is still in the bedroom as well.

Solution? Get the mattress into the extra bedroom (aka "the pink room"). But, in order to do that, we had to move Eric's twin bed out of the pink room (ever notice how solutions sometime create new problems?). So, we move Eric's bed frame into the attic (thank goodness it wasn't blasted hot yesterday) and the mattresses into the garage.

Next step: clutter reduction. You know, it's amazing how much junk two people can accumulate in a short amount of time. We went through our things and disposed (or donated to Goodwill as appropriate) of items we no longer needed (including MANY copies of journal articles Eric used in graduate school...after all, it has been 10 years since he graduated from The Ohio State University).

It took a good bit of the early afternoon but the clutter is gone (in the pink room at least). I'm looking forward to picking up the new bed we purchased from my CM friend Caroline (another True Blue Tarheel fan) on Monday.

Once the bed is in place, we can move the mattress into it's new home. Then we shall palaver forward to Phase Two of Room Renovations (whenever that might occur...).

Colin's Best Buddy is Coming Home!

I just found out today that Rosie (one of the Mommies from the CHSFS-DTV Yahoo group) has received a confirmed travel date to travel to VN to pick up her DD (darling daughter) Phuong (Miriam - aka "Miri") from Colin's orphanage. She has to be in Ho Chi Min (formerly Saigon) on or before July 15th.

I'm so excited that Rosie will be able to bring her little girl home.

Here is a picture of Phuong. She is the cute little girl sitting in front of Colin (in the picture where he just woke up from his nap and is wearing all white).

Safe travels Rosie and the V. family!

How Unexpectedly Wonderful Life Can Be

Receiving Colin Nhan's referral was quite unexpected. I feel as though I will suddenly wake up and find out what I had been experiencing was nothing more than a dream...

What makes this referral so incredible is the time frame in which it was received. Our dossier (official paperwork) was submitted to the Department of International Adoptions (DIA) and "logged in" (officially received) in March. CHSFS (our agency) informed us to anticipate a wait of approximately 9-12 months before we would receive a referral.

In calculating the math, we had hoped (and expected) to receive a referral sometime between December and March (believe it or not, I made a birthday wish on my 35th birthday this past April that we would receive a referral by Christmas). Our referral came within 3 1/2 months...WOW!!!

There were two main factors that I think assisted us in receiving a referral so quickly. 1) We were willing to consider a boy or a girl (well, if we want to be completely accurate, we were also open to adopting siblings). Apparently, many families involved in international adoption are wanting to adopt infant girls. This leads us to factor #2) We were open to adopting a child who wasn't an infant. In our case, our home study was approved and based on our acceptance of a single child adoption up to 24 months of age (or sibling set up to 48 months of age) at the time of referral.

Now (if all goes well), instead of receiving a referral by March, we're hoping that Colin Nhan will be home by then...