The Waiting Game

I have said, only somewhat jokingly, on many occasions that biological parents should be required to jump through all of the hoops adoptive parents are faced with. I guarantee you we'd all be better parents and by extension society would benefit. But enough of my editorial comment.

We have received the last official clearance needed from this side of the Pacific. The U.S. government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security, has approved our application to adopt from China. The approval to our I-800A application is very specific. It states the we're approved to adopt a female up to 24 months old, from China, with certain minor medical issues.

In the meantime our placement agency, WACAP, has been busy verifying the authenticity of all of the documents and notarized statements we provided for our dossier. We're told this should be completed in the next couple of weeks, and then our dossier will be placed in the hands of the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA.)

While all of this is happening, we are working on a project that we would like to invite you to participate in. We are creating something called a "100 Good Wishes Quilt." To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei -- or "100 Good Wishes Quilt."

It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation. We invite you to please participate in this project.

We love the idea of welcoming this child into our home with a quilt that represents the good wishes you are all sending her way. Here is what we would like you to do:

1. Choose ANY 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can be from clothing or from a fabric store. It just needs to be a design and color that you like.

2. Cut ONE 6" X 6" square from the fabric.

3. Include your "good wish note". We will place all your wishes in a scrapbook that we will give to the child.

Ideas for selecting fabric squares:
*Select a fabric that is meaningful to you.
*100% cotton fabric is best, as it washes and wears better.
*If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than 1 piece of fabric. It would be so special to include good wishes from all members of your family!! In China, these quilts were originally made from garments of family and friends, which would surround the child with luck/good wishes.

Ideas for good wishes note:
Well...what would you wish for an adopted child for her life? Some ideas that come to mind are good health, perseverance, compassion, and sense of humor. Use that as a guide for your good wish note. Keep in mind that she will not read or understand your note until she is older. Also, please include a small piece of fabric on the wish.

If possible, we would like to get the fabric and notes by Thanksgiving. The quilt is being designed and assembled as a family project over the holidays. Please take a few minutes from your busy schedules to help us create this very special keepsake for Isabelle's sibling.

If you're interested in participating in this project, please leave a comment with your email address. We'll email you the address to which you can send your fabric and good wishes.

Thank you!!!