March 16, 2020 is the date on our Pre-Approval letter from the Chinese Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA). It was the 17th before we received the email telling us of this great news. It seems like such a long time ago. On the letter it gave us until September 12, 2020 to finish the process of having all our paperwork submitted to China in our dossier. When I read that date, my thoughts were that we may be in China by that time. Then the “15 days to slow the spread” just keep being stretched and stretched out farther and farther. We finally got all of our paperwork done and submitted to CCCWA but it was well after the September 12th deadline. We had to make one extension request to get it all done. We are still waiting on our LOA, (Letter of Approval) and our TA (Travel Approval) from CCCWA. I don’t like the wait but what I do know is Wei Wei is worth waiting for.
She has grown so much since we first saw her picture back in January 2020 on the Waiting Child List. Her short hair has grown long and she is defiantly taller than she was. She lost a tooth not too long ago and in a picture we received today you can see the new tooth breaking through. Wei Wei and a few others in her orphanage have been selected to learn how to play ping pong. I don’t think none of them have ever played before but she seemed excited about it. Today we also received a few pictures and even videos of her getting to know the sport. We have been so blessed by the care the orphanage workers give her and us. They have shared so many moments with us while we wait. We have heard about the many parents that continue to wait without any word or pictures of their child. It still seems as if we have lost so many moments together but that is so insignificant compared to all she has lost in her life already. Nine years in a institution is a long time. Knowing so little about us and what the future holds must be scary. I am sure what will be even worse for her will be wondering about her past from now on. Even if she comes to terms with her situation, answering the many questions she will get about her adoption as she moves through life will bring her trauma up over and over again. That is something we all need to think about before we ask what seems like simple questions to an adoptee. We will support and love her for who she is and wants to be in the future and try to help her through the challenges of being an adoptee in a foreign country. Everyday is a day closer, is something we say a lot. We thank God for you and we love you Wei Wei !
Please pray for Wei Wei and the many others on both sides of adoption process that are still waiting.