Rockin' & Rollin'!

We got some great news today. SO, first off, I was able to walk in early for my USCIS fingerprints. Big Praise.  Second, as soon as I notified our case worker that we were done, she notified the national benefits center. They agreed to pull our file TODAY for review!!!  Not three weeks from now, but TODAY! :-)

Third, Heidi received word that China will accept our dossier with a COPY of the I800a approval rather than waiting for the official, authenticated version. This will allow us to possibly get DTC (Dossier to China) THIS WEEK!

All we need now is the official nod from the NBC and to get our last few docs back from D.C. and we are all set!

Not that it compares to all that great news, but we also sold a few more items from our sale today. WooHoo!!!

Blog Updates

So now that I have some uninterrupted time on my hands...I am able to spend a little more time fiddling with the blog and tweaking some of the features to better organize the posts. One such change was to create a separate "tab" or page for the fundraising info.  So, if you look at the top of the page, you will now see a home tab and a tab titled, "Current Fundraising".  I will update this page as needed to keep it current.

I also added a couple of cool "widgets" to my site.  One is the birthday countdown.  This calculates in real time to countdown to our son's 14th birthday.  You will be able to easily check where we are compared to our deadline of his birthday.

The second cool feature is the fundraising thermometer.  Each time we receive funds through direct donation or one of our fundraising efforts, we will update the thermometer to keep everyone informed about our progress.  The money raised to date includes grants received from adoption agencies as well as monies raised through an assortment of methods.  With God's plan and your help, we are confident that we will make it to China in time!

Let me know how you enjoy the new look!

Angie

Updated Photos!

So this afternoon while I was assisting the troops with the massive wagon train across town moving all the donations for our yard sale tomorrow, I received an update from the adoption agency with new medical translations, and updated pictures. I swear it looks like he's grown a foot since February!  Come buy up all these great deal. I will have three boys to feed soon!! lol

In the middle

Perhaps a picture of his housemates?

I wonder if he plays?

Items for Sale-- Look under Current Fundraising Tab

If you are looking for the preview items that are still for sale this weekend, click on the NEW Fundraising Tab next to the HOME page. I am gradually updating my blog. Thanks! Angie

Fingerprinting Time!

So, in the craziness of our lives right now, it occurred to me today that Tom and Tommy are leaving on Saturday to attend the SIG Camp (Summer Institute for the Gifted) in Sarasota, FL and will be gone three weeks!  Not that I didn't know they were going, but I guess I forgot to consider that this could somehow complicate our adoption process.  So, I quickly asked our case worker about this. The main concern was that Tom would not be in town for his USCIS Fingerprinting appointment and that waiting three weeks for him to return could compromise our already tight timeline. She made a quick call to USCIS and they were gracious enough to fax her a copy of Tom's appointment letter which, (thank you God!) just happened to be drafted yesterday.  It never ceases to amaze me how God has stayed one step ahead of us throughout this entire process. Talk about the ultimate Risk Manager!! lol

So, since these appt. letters will originate in Charleston, there is a strong chance that both our letters will come tomorrow and we can attempt to walk in early for our fingerprints.  Either way, Tom will go and get his taken care of.  This actually puts us in a position to gain a day or two (or three) on our timeline.  I will be sure to post something as soon as we know more.

Blessings, Angie

Birth Certificate Received!

Hallelujah!! We finally received the CORRECT version of Tom's Rhode Island Birth Certificate.  After tracking the shipment from UPS, I found out that it wasn't even picked up from RI State office until last Friday. For those of you counting, yes, that means that after paying all that extra money for expediting, it sat in their office for an entire week before it was mailed.  Definitely one of those deep breath, trust that God is in control moments where what you really want to do is yell at a bureaucrat!  

I opened it long enough to make a copy and shove it back into an overnight envelope that will head to WA state tonight.  Then, just as quickly, it will pop back into another overnight envelope with our final dossier docs and head to the consulate in Washington DC for final seals.

Once this step is completed, we are ready for DTC! (Dossier to China).  This is a huge milestone for the adoption process.  Thank you for your prayers.  Keep them coming.

The Rylands

I800A Processed

So today we received the notice from USCIS that they received our I800A application and that it is being processed. I will scan that and email to our case worker on Monday so that she can notify her contact at the MO office that it is on its way.  This will help expedite that step. We are still waiting on the replacement birth certificate from RI.  It was processed last Friday, but for some reason, UPS has not delivered it yet. We need that immediately, so please pray that it will arrive soon. Once it does, I will overnight it to WA and they will overnight it, along with a few other documents to the consulate in Washington DC for the "great seal".  This is the last step for document authentication.  As soon as we are allowed to get fingerprinted by USCIS, we will be ready to submit our dossier to China.

I wanted to take a moment to thank each of you who have been following this blog and lifting our family in prayer.  It is so encouraging to us knowing that our brothers and sisters are taking the time to intercede for us in this way.  Your prayers are being heard!

So far, we have made $400 toward our goal selling donated items on Craigslist.  All that, and the sale day isn't even here yet!  Each day we have accepted more donations and I am confident that we will meet our goal and be able to pay for at least one plane ticket with these funds.  That will be a tremendous burden off our shoulders.  Our church friends, family, neighbors and even total strangers have been so generous in donating items for this sale.  It will be HUGE and one that you locals will not want to miss.  I am pricing things very low and praying that volume will take care of our needs rather than trying to price things higher.

Stepping out in faith...
The Rylands

Home Study Officially approved by DSS!

So, I found out today that the approval of our home study was completed last Friday and it is now on its way to USCIS for processing.  It took a little more than a week, but we are grateful that this step is complete. Please continue to pray with us that each step of this journey be as short as possible. We can not take anything for granted. Our timeline is still extremely tight in order to make travel approval by August 1st.
Thanks friends!

Angie

Community Sale Items

Wow!  Our garage looks like a storage shed!  We are getting some really neat donations for the sale.  Items of note so far include dressers, TVs (3-4), a roll-top desk, a dorm sized refrigerator, a gorgeous end table from Havertys, 2 large suitcases, nice coffee makers, a set of tires (for S-10), Boom box with IPod dock, storage shelves for bathrooms, kids bike/helmet, easy bake oven, and of course, the traditional- clothes of all sizes, shoes, books.....

Be thinking about what you might want to buy or donate as June 11th comes closer.  A HUGE thank you to those who have donated items so far. We still need more, but we are excited each day to see what items have been sent our way, some by people we don't even know!

One note about the clothes-- my experience (and I have YEARS of yard sale experience) hee-hee, is that the selection of clothing is not much to get excited about at most yard sales. However, I have personally sorted through each donated bag of clothes and there are some REALLY NICE things here ya'll!  Ladies, teenagers, mens, baby & children's sizes. Some with the tags still attached.  Named brand things.  Coats, gowns, church attire, and casual.  It might well be worth your while to come dig.

We anticipate several more pieces of furniture to come in this week, so if you are in the market for larger items, let me know and I can call you for a "pre-sale".  (Anything we don't have to haul across town is a plus!)

Thanks!
Angie

Update to the Hiccups/ Fundraiser Update

So, I finally received word that the home study that was sent overnight to SC DSS on Monday this week FINALLY arrived on the desk of its intended recipient. :-)  So, she will review it tomorrow.  Then, if all goes well, it will be sent to the Missouri office of USCIS for processing.  I am unclear how long this step will take, but my case manager at WACAP (placement agency) assures me that she has contacts there that can assist with this step.

As for the birth certificate, I finally got someone to return my call this afternoon from RI Vital Records and they agreed to expedite the second request and send directly to the secretary of state for Authentication.  So, we are hopeful that this can come back to us by Tuesday (since Monday is a Holiday).  Fingers crossed!

Heidi (case worker) emailed today and said that she is still working on our calendar of events and we should have that soon. This will give us some visibility into the remaining steps of the process and help us stay on track.  We are praying that we will get Travel approval BEFORE August 1.  Not only because this will help assure a timely completion before his birthday, but also because if we do not get approval to travel by that date, the new laws state that we will need to undergo home assessments from a social worker for 5 years.  These reviews are $300 each and we will need 6 of them rather than the 3 that are required as of now. (1 month home, 6 months home and 1 year home).  If we receive travel approval before 8/1, then we are in much better shape.

Donations for our community yard sale are coming in little by bit and we have been sorting things into categories each evening. Our garage looks a bit like a storage locker at this point, but we are so grateful for the generosity of our friends.  We have even gotten donations from strangers which has been very humbling.  I hope that all of you who are local will come join us on the morning of June 11th to shop!  We will have some super deals.  Even the clothes being donated are really nice. We will have furniture (chairs, dressers...), gowns, clothing, books, kitchen items, baby clothes & toys/equipment, bikes....  If you have things that you would like to clear out of your home for a good cause, we will be glad to take them for the sale.  My goal is to fill Carl & Lisa's yard to the brim.  Our personal goal is to raise  enough to cover at least one plane ticket to China (roughly $2000).  I realize that this is ambitious, but I am confident that it can be done.  Two more weeks... mark your calendars!

I guess that is it for now.  Sweet dreams to you all! Good night!
Love, The Rylands

Our first hiccups-- who said we were accepting those anyway?

Did I mention I don't like delays? Well, today, as I was talking to our new adoption case worker, I learned that the beautiful state of RI sent us a version (certified,yes) of Tom's birth certificate that the Secretary of State in RI will not authenticate.  What does that mean?  Well, basically, it means that the step we thought we completed almost a month ago now will have to start all over.  So, tomorrow, I will send a second request for his birth certificate, pay more money to rush it and hope that they send us the right one this time. (Ugh.)  I will pray that this will not hinder any of our other processes already underway.

Our case worker, Heidi, is working on a calendar for us that will detail the rest of the process and show us what has to happen and by when in order to get Junchi before his birthday in late August.  It will be very helpful for me to have something like this to keep us always looking one step ahead.

Our homestudy was delivered overnight mail to SC DSS on Monday, but apparently was not delivered from the mailroom to the social worker in charge, so she still has not approved, or even seen our home study.  I hope that she will get it tomorrow and can turn it around quickly.  So, let's call that hiccup #2.

As far as we know right now, these are the only two issues at hand. A lot for me, but nothing for an all-knowing God who is never surprised.  So, we rest in His plan for our family and scurry around doing those things that we are able to control. :-)

Have a blessed evening everyone!
Angie

Boys, Boys & More Boys!

We often laugh about the fact that we ended up with so many boys in our families. Tom grew up, after the death of his Father in WW2, being raised by his Mother and her sisters and extended family. Lots of ladies.  And, for most of his early adulthood, lived with his first wife, Anne and their two daughters. Again, mostly ladies.  The next generation, however, is loaded with boys!  We now have one 6 year old boy and another (13) on the way. Tom is blessed with 5, yes, 5 grandsons.  My sister Amy has two 20 month old twin boys.  Our family gatherings are now full of testosterone!  What a switch.  Of course, we have some wonderful nieces also, but the balance has certainly shifted.

We traveled to Virginia this weekend to celebrate the wedding of my youngest brother, Adam to his new bride Kristin.  The setting could not have been more picturesque.  We were atop a mountain in Big Island, VA overlooking the blue ridge mountains.  the sun was bright and the clouds were scarce.  It was a truly lovely day.

Kristin & Adam Jewell

Tommy w/ Aunt Kristin

Tommy w/ Uncle Adam

Then, we traveled to Lawrenceville,VA to meet (in person for the first time) Tom's newest grandson, Jaxon Farmer.  We had a fun time (especially Tommy) visiting with his daughters and their families.  Tommy loved getting to see his two "big sisters" and his nephews (two of whom are actually older than he :-)  I don't think those boys stopped talking for two seconds the entire time they were together.  I learned that it IS NOT just my son who can't seem to stay still in a chair! LOL  It was very reassuring to me. :-)

Mason, Berkeley, Tommy

Jaxon (lower corner)Tommy, Berkeley, Mason, Jacob, Judson

It was the perfect way to celebrate our good news of pre-aproval from China.  We are so blessed and we can't wait to share this great family of ours with our new son soon!

The Rylands

PA Received!!!

After attending a pre-wedding picnic for my baby brother and his fiance', I checked email to find out that our placement agency heard word from the China adoption authority that we have officially been granted pre-approval to pursue Junchi's adoption! What a huge relief and answer to prayer!  This was a critical step in the process that allows us to move forward and officially submit our dossier to China after we get through all the US Immigrations steps.  Thank you to those who have been praying for our son and our family.  Your support means so much to us.  We are excited to move on to the next phase.

Blessings to you....
The Rylands

Home Study on the MOVE!

So, now that we have finally received our SC SLED checks we can put the finishing touches on our Home Study. So, today, it will be on the move. Three copies to Washington, one to SC DSS and one to us for safekeeping.

Next Step-- DSS approval.  We hope that this can be accomplished by Monday and then from there it will go to USCIS along with our I-800A form for Immigration approval.  It is great to see some movement after almost a full week with none.

Please continue to pray that our Pre-approval from China comes quickly.

Thanks all!
Angie

Home Study Approval #1-- WooHoo!!!

We have a completed home study and it was approved today by our placement agency!  Yeah!  We are one step closer to our new life.  Our next step is to get it to SC DSS in Columbia for approval.  My new goal is to have that step completed no later than Monday and to have the home study documents submitted to US CIS next week.  Our dossier is complete and waiting final authentication.  It looks like there will be no delays in submitting it to China once we receive immigration approval here in the states.  Thank you for your continued prayers and also for those who have already donated items for our community yard sale.  I know it is going to be a very successful day!

Blessings,
The Rylands

Fundraiser No. 3! Kristen's Critters!

My cousin Brett's dear sweet wife Kristen has a real talent for crochet!  In fact, she has been making all these items for some time now and she has offered to donate a portion of her profits from the sale of these items to our adoption fund.  So, PLEASE check them out. My favorite are the hair clips, but the baby critters and the headbands are cute too.  All you need to do is send her a message from her facebook page and mention my name.  She will connect your sale with our fundraiser.  Check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/kristenscritters   All items ship for $3.50; plus $1.50 for each additional item ordered

Snazzy Hair Clips- Great for Summer looks!
Flower Clips - $5

Oink!!
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Headbands - $3

Sm Fish 6” $22
Lg Fish 8 ½" $30

Teddy Set
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Bzzzz!
Sm Bumble Bee 5 ½" $22
Lg Bumble Bee 8” $30

Cutsie Bib!
All Critter Bibs $16

Chicken Dance!
Bird 4 ½ $18

Bird Hat
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Toddler Bows!
Bow Clips - $3

Chickie!
Bird 4 ½ $18

Elephant 8 ½” $25

Flower

Ribbit!  Ribbit!
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Giraffe Hat
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Girl Owl Set

Ladies Cap

Boy Owl Hat
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Sunday go to meetin' tie!

Monkey Hat
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Monkey Set
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Zebra, Red, Hot pink , light purple (light pink not pictured) Available!! ALL TUTU's Just $10!!

Add Star button for .25// Crocheted flower $5

Zebra Tutu! Way Cool!! $10

Owl Caps
Critter Hats $23-$30
(depending on hat size & detail)

Did I tell you she was talented?  She can do custom orders too with enough notice.  Please think of who in your family would like one of these custom cuties!

Check out her site and place your orders.  We are down to three months! Angie

We have Passports!

We received our passports today!  Now we have everything that we need for our dossier.  We are hoping to get PA (Pre-approval) from China this week and approvals from WACAP on our home study.  We anticipate getting all our criminal background checks in this week as well, so this is an important week of closure.

Mom and I went shopping for "big boy" clothes today and had a great time at the Community Thrift Store and the Goodwill Outlet Store. Tonight we take a break and relax with some friends over dinner at home.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Angie

Home Study DRAFT Complete!

We are happy to announce that our home study has been emailed to the placement agency in WA and they are in the process of reviewing it for accuracy.  At the same time, they are beginning the process of authenticating our dossier documents as this must be done in each state and locality of origin for each respective document.  For those of you who don't speak "adoption", that means that if we submit a birth certificate from Michigan, and I turn in a certified copy, the agency must return it to the MI secretary of state to authenticate that it did indeed come from them and that the signature on the document was duly authorized to certify it.  Talk about thorough!

We also received word today that our passports are finished and being sent overnight, so we anticipate seeing those tomorrow sometime.  This is another key milestone as the dossier can not be completed without copies of our passport pages.  At this point, we have received assistance from Senator DeMint's office to expedite our FBI clearances and hope to have those early next week.

Once all those little pieces are tied together neatly, then the home study and I-800A can be submitted to USCIS (Immigration) for their processing and approval.  We will wait for them to send us an appointment letter to schedule our next set of fingerprints.  (yes, one last time...)  After Immigration comes the final piece of the dossier and then it can be sent to the Adoption Authority in China.

While I can not yet say what a perfect timeline looks like for all of these steps, I can say that we have met our initial goal which was to have a completed home study done by "mid-May".  Thank you all for walking with us through this process and for your consistent support!  Don't forget to help us spread the word about our fundraiser on June 11th and make sure you clean out your closets and garages to see what you might have to donate for the community sale!  Love, The Rylands

Happy Mother's Day!

This is our first Mother's Day that Tommy, our 6 1/2 year old son has been fully engaged in making this a special day for me.  It is so fun to see children enjoy days like this. He jumped on the bed at 6:30 this morning and handed me my Mother's Day card.  Then, with a huge smile on his face, he announced that he and Dad had made my favorite-- cheesy eggs! He was so proud that they had "kept their secret" from me all week.  We enjoyed a brief cuddle in bed and then were called to breakfast by my wonderful husband.  

Once downstairs, I was greeted by another card, this one from my husband and a beautiful orchid corsage that my boys had picked up for me to wear to church.  I haven't had a corsage since the High School Prom.  Tommy led us in a prayer together, remembering to pray for his new "big brother" and we had a yummy meal.

As we got dressed for church, Tommy decided that he needed to wear a tie today since it was such a special occasion! :-) So, off he went to church with his leather flip flop sandles, khaki short, short sleeved white button-down shirt and a pastel tie!  What a sight.  That's what passes for formal here in the south. lol

I am especially blessed today and have a real peace about the weeks and months to come as we prepare to welcome another sweet boy into our family.  I pray that he is well and happy today and that we will see him soon.

Happy Mother's Day to all! Angie

God is good!!!!

This afternoon while I was at work, I received a phone call from our placement agency.  Our contact there said that she had some good news for us.... (Always a great way to start a new weekend..)

She said that she had applied (unbeknown to me) for a hardship grant and we were approved!  She said that the agency has a small allocation of funds for special cases where there is financial hardship and they were now able to offer us an additional grant of $2100!  This, combined with the private donation that had already been assigned to our son means that ALL of our placement agency fees will be covered!  God is so good!  He is faithful and I can't wait to share with this boy, who has likely never heard the gospel how the God of the Universe cared about him and his future.

It was a well timed reminder that, as my Mother said the other day, "We can only do our part and we have to be ok with letting God take care of the rest."  A lesson that I wonder if I will ever completely learn.  Thank you all for your prayers and for your continued support. We still have a long road ahead and more financial challenges to face before our son can come home, but I couldn't wait to share this with each of you so that you can celebrate God's goodness and provision with us.  Have a blessed weekend!

The Rylands