FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions we've either already been asked or think people might want to ask:

1. Why are you adopting again?

So we can buy family four-packs to events! Okay, the real answer is that basically we don't feel like our family is complete, and there is room for another child in our home. Although we love our life with Jonas, we're excited about giving him a sibling and having two children in our family. Aubree is looking forward to bringing some balance to the boy-girl ratio in the house as well!

2. Why China? Why not Kyrgyzstan again?

The adoption program has been well-established in China for many years. It runs like a well-oiled machine. Timelines are predictable, the program is stable, and you can bring home a fairly young, fairly healthy child fairly quickly. The same cannot be said for Kyrgyzstan. We got very lucky with Jonas.

3. There are lots of girls to adopt from China because of the one-child policy, right?

WRONG! First of all, the one-child policy no longer exists. For a myriad of reasons (many of which I don't agree with), adoptive parents prefer girls across the board. They obviously haven't met Jonas! Therefore, it's much easier and quicker to adopt a boy from China.

4. I thought it took several years to adopt from China?

You are correct in that the Non-Special Needs Adoption Program in China has a waiting list that is years long. You basically can't really sign up for that anymore. However, the Special Needs program is alive and well. There are several agencies who facilitate adoptions, and thousands of Chinese children are brought home to the United States every year. Special needs can range in severity, and adoptive parents can indicate what conditions they are open to accepting.

5. What stage of the process are you in now?

We are home with our little girl! You can check out the Timeline tab for previous steps in the process. You can also check out the Glossary tab to learn about terms.

6. So what is your daughter's special need?

Our child has a minor, fairly common heart condition called a ventricular septal defect (VSD). It was already repaired with a catheterized (not open heart) surgery in China, and she should have no long-term effects other than the need for cardiology follow-up appointments. It's basically not a special need at all! Other than the heart defect, she seems perfectly healthy.

7. What else do you know about your daughter?

She was born on December 28, and she's from a city called Fuzhou in the Jiangxi province of China. She lives with a foster family on the orphanage grounds there and even has a foster brother who's about the same age (good practice for having Jonas as her brother!). Abandonment is illegal in China, so nobody ever really knows anything about Chinese adoptees' birthparents. We know her Chinese name, and we received pictures and videos of her from May of 2016 and afterward.

8. Why aren't you adopting a younger child?

We could have submitted our dossier and waited (along with several others) for an infant or toddler-aged girl. However, when such a healthy girl was presented to us, and we found out that she is only a few days younger than Jonas, we decided that she could be a good fit for our family. Older children are harder to place, and we felt like we had no reason to say no to this lovely little girl who needs a home. Besides, Aubree has always wanted twins!

9. What is the process/timeline for getting her home?

Unlike the three trip process to Kyrgyzstan, China only requires one trip of about two weeks in length. Your child is handed over to you at the beginning of this trip. This happened in January of 2017, and our blog posts around that time period describe the process.

10. Why are you having a fundraiser?

There are several reasons for this. Mainly, the whole adoption process has moved so quickly this time that we literally do not have the money to cover some of the required costs. Our financial situation is very different than it was for our first adoption. When Zack quit his position at Accenture to work locally (for Jonas's sake), he took a nearly 50% pay cut. His current employer also does not offer the $10,000 adoption assistance benefit. On top of that, we had to replace both our air conditioning unit and water heater this summer. Ouch! We try to cut costs where possible (we only have one car, Jonas's clothes and toys are from consignment sales, etc.), but we just don't have $35,000+ in our bank account right now. We are humbly asking our friends and family to help make our dream of expanding our family a reality.

11. Anything else I should know?

Please be excited for us! Act like you would if someone announced a pregnancy, because for us, this is as close as we get to that experience. We know it will be difficult adopting an older child, having two children of the same age, dealing with language differences, etc., but we'd just appreciate people being happy for us and hoping for the best.

12. How can I help?

Do you have any girl clothes? Just kidding...sort of. If you are able to contribute financially, please buy a piece (or two or ten!) in our puzzle fundraiser. The AdoptTogether link is on the right sidebar. Otherwise, we'd just appreciate your prayers, love, and support. Thank you!