New week, new post

So, I am going to try to post something weekly so you have something to read. There will be a lot of down time as we wait for paperwork to be completed in China, so I'll do my best to keep things exciting.

What the next step? Well, we've asked (through an in-country staff member from our agency) for some photos and updated measurements on Xander. We know the request has been made, so now we wait to receive them. Unfortunately, sometimes new measurements can bring some fear, if the measurements seem a bit small or skewed in one direction, but it can typically be explained. Sometimes measurements are taken very quickly, almost just to get a number so they have something to report. It is nothing like measurements taken at a pediatrician's office in the US. The photos will also help with documenting his progress and development, I can hardly wait.

This week we are going to send him a care package. There are businesses that provide pre-made care packages and send them to your child in the orphanage. It is really a great service. We are able to send photos of our family that he will receive in a photo album, and typically the nannies will show him and tell him who the people are in the photos. The hope is that if they show him enough he may recognize us when we get there! We are also including some questions to the nannies and a return envelope, it's not guaranteed, but we hope they write us back. And finally we are including a disposable camera. The instructions are for the nannies to take pictures of him from now until we come get him, give us the camera when we get there, and then we will have pictures of him during the time that we can't be with him. Families do this all the time, and more often than not the cameras get used and letters get returned, hopefully that will be the case for us.

As far as the paperwork goes, we are waiting for our file to be transferred from our first agency to our second agency. Nothing monumental will occur when this happens, but it is a much needed step. We will be notified when it does happen and then we start waiting for the next thing...which is a BIG deal!