Alphabet Soup

Anyone in the adoption process can tell you that you acquire a whole new language while on the journey to bring your child home. 

First, you get the homestudy and file your I800a with USCIS. Then you are fingerprinted and receive your I797. Next comes your dossier, state seals, and consulate approvals so you can become DTC. 

Then you celebrate, because DTC was a lot of work. Soon after, you are LID and waiting the long wait for LOA aka LSC. Once received, you seek TA before you can have your CA scheduled and plan for Gotcha day. 

I think we are LID at this point. That means our big batch of paperwork has been received and entered into the system in China. We now have a 2-3 month wait for our LOA (official match approval for Ava). Once we receive LOA, we start applying for visas in order to bring our girl home. We will also be able to publicly share her pictures at that point. And let me tell you, she is so beautiful. 

And if you are lost, we hope to have Ava home in 4-6 months from now. I feel like we have been saying 6 more months for the last six months, but well... That's adoption for ya.