On Friday I decided to call CJIS to see if they could give me any information on Brian' s prints. I figured the worst they could say is no. I was so happy to hear that they received Brian's prints from the FBI and that they are good! We should receive our copy in about 2 weeks. When we receive that document we will be able to send our completed home study to USCIS in Baltimore. When it is approved they will send us our I-171H (this gives us approval to bring Ava into the U.S.) I have been told that USCIS turn-around time is about 2 weeks. All of our paperwork will then be authenticated, sent to our agency, translated and sent to China. We are hoping that our dossier will be sent to China in September. Keep your fingers crossed!

While I was visiting some adoption blogs the other day I found a link to a video clip of an orphanage in China. It broke my heart to see these poor babies (47 in one room) in cribs without a mattress or soft place to sleep. Instead of mattresses their cribs are lined with wooden boards. It just made me so sad to think of Ava living in such a place someday. I know they give the best care that they can in orphanages but it's heartbreaking. Hopefully she will be lucky enough to get a foster Mom and live in someones home while she is waiting for us. Since we started this process we have been supported by our family and friends. But we have learned that not everyone understands or accepts why we are adopting internationally. I told a patient at work that we we're adopting a baby girl from China...his reply was "why would you want one of those babies". He's lucky I was at work and couldn't say what I wanted to. Another patient felt the need to make sure that I knew she will be "Chinese". Like that would have just slipped past us!! I think the worst was a conversation I had with a new employee at work. When she found out that we we're adopting from China she decided to give me her opinion. She cant understand why we would adopt internationally when there are plenty of children who need homes in the U.S. I explained to her that adopting internationally is our personal decision. That the wait for a infant in the U.S. is long and that you must compete with many other couples to be selected. She then suggested the foster care system. This may sound selfish but we do not want to get attached to a child and then have DCYF give him/her back to their drug addicted parent. She did not accept our reasons and continued to plead her case as if she was determined to change my mind. At this point I became angry and explained how these poor children are abandoned in the streets, sent to live in orphanages with little chances of being adopted by a Chinese family. If it wasn't for international adoption these poor girls would live in an orphanage until they are of age with very little love or education. I understand that many people agree with her point of view because she is not the first person that we have heard it from. I'd like to show all of them this clip and ask them why these poor little girls don't deserve a good home just as much as an American child does?

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