Quarterly Updates

  Since we've been matched since last July with our daughter, you might wonder what goes on in our adoption while we wait to go get her! What communication do we have, and how can we communicate with her.

Well, we can send her a care package twice a year. It has to fit flat in a gallon ziploc bag and weigh a pound. Let's just say with those limitations, we have to get fairly creative on our packages. We sent her a package when we were matched which included a photo album called her 'Family/Welcome Album.' Photos included pictures of us, close family (i.e. grandparents), our home, pets and fun things we will do with her.

These are our only communication to her and her foster family!

Then, we receive Progress Reports every four months. The Thai foster program we work with do these every four months the entirety of the child being in their care. So, when we were matched, we receive every progress report done on our daughter.

To our encouragement, last week we received her latest report. It is done by a social worker and covers her health, development, likes, dislikes and preparing adoption steps completed.

These reports are our only glimpse into who our daughter is, so needless to say, when we get them, it is a highlight in our adoption process.

We also receive about seven or eight pictures of our daughter. These typically show development such as stacking blocks, writing or playing (we cannot share any here due to Thai guidelines & the safety of our adoption). We do not receive videos, so I remember for our son, I was most excited to hear his voice for the first time - what you can't get from a photograph!

From our Progress Report this week, our adoption is feeling more real everyday. These are the steps our daughter's foster family is taking:

"The girl has been prepared for adoption. The foster mother supports her to look at the photo album of her adopting parents and talks to her about adoption every day. Now, the girl knows her adopting parents and likes to look at the photo album. The girl knows her adopting parents and can point to the photo of her adopting parents and elder brother correctly.

The girl likes to show the photo of her adopting parents hanged on the wall in her house, by pointing to the photo to visitors and says that they are my daddy and mummy."

The little communication we get can sometimes make our adoption feel like a dream or not our current reality. But then when we get updates like this, it couldn't be more real!!! And let me tell you, we are so ready for the day we meet her face to face <3