when it all started...china adoption

For those of you who do not know our history. I thought I'd add a little here. After we were unsucessful in 2 domestic adoption over 3 years we decided to re- assess our plan. We decided to explore an adoption through China. The china program was a stable one and had a good history. We were told there were changes coming and luckily we were able to send our dossie to China before they went into place. Our log in date, LID, was 5/16/07.
Then we sat back for the wait expecting it to be 9-18 months before we would meet our daughter. Remember previously adoptable children were predominantly girls.
When the wait time grew and grew many of our friends, family, and acquaintances began asking why we did not change countries or why didn't we adopt from the USA (domestic). Seems someone always takes the opposite point of view to any issue.
We explained you could not be listed in more than one country at the time and that it was quite costly. Also we had an issue with our original agency having to close.(it was a very stressful 2008 while we waited to see if our dream was ending again) When we were moved to Holt it became our 4th agency and we just couldn't go through all that paperwork again! We are grateful to Seedlings for choosing Holt as the takeover program.
Our 4th agency turned into our blessing. Holt has access to the China Child of promise (COP) program. COP is a minor correctable health conditions listing of waiting children. After alot of soul searching we chose to list in this program, as well as stay on the standard list. (Standard program has now matched children up to @april 2006- wait time is 42-47 months and still lengthening) We were told boys were also available and we said we would be open to either a Boy or Girl. Really... think about it if we had become pregnant, God would have choosen then too, so we gave it up to him for finding our baby. We joined COP in August 2009.
After 4 months of nail biting through each listing we received our call. Ben's health condition is truely minor which was another blessing. I think God knew we had had our fill of illness after 2009.
We sent in our LOI to tell China we were interested in adopting him on 12/2/09.
China sent us our Letter of acceptance to confirm this 1/14/2010. Then we waited for the next approval from China - Travel authority (TA). This came as we awaited an update on our home study 2/8/2010. We are currently in a holding pattern for USCIS clearance and update on our prior I-171 approval to include a boy up to age 2y with a special need. Once this arrives our agency will ask for a consulate appointment in China for Ben and we can set our travel dates.

Our referral call

So after the amzing grief our family had experience through most of 2009, a promise for the future came to us on 12/1/09.
When our adoption social worker called me at work to tell me we were matched with a baby boy who had just turned 1 years old, I was floored.
So much was rushing through my mind and heart.
Could we really hope and be happy again?
It appeared we could! We can!
Luo Rui was perfect and I knew then, as I heard his information and tried to process all of this, that he would be our son.
We did all the formal steps, sent in our LOI, and sent the medical information to an international pediatric doctor.
She gave us a good report the next morning!
So began our Journey to Benjamin Rui...our journey of JOY and LOVE to China to bring home Our Son to his Forever Family.