Taiwan Independent adoption info~~plus more

New Changes on face of Taiwan adoption Emerge

2010-12-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

There are two changes emerging in Taiwan and both may effect the face of adoption in a negative way for Taiwanese children and those wishing to adopt them.

The first change I have been watching for about a year and a half now and have remained relatively silent about this change. I have done so in order to allow for my own observations on the matter and report to you, the public with hopefully a more clear prospective.

The first BIG change that has been brewing involves our beloved AIT! AIT also known as American Institute Taiwan has a new trick up their sleeve. In the past, when dealing with MOST countries and adoption. The Country will be as responsible as they can with immigration laws and thus "pre-approve" a child as an orphan. They will gather all due data necessary to decide on the status on a child "presumed" by an orphanage or individual as an orphan and then rule either orphan or non orphan status before the child is even offered to the family. For Taiwan, this process is drastically changing. From now on, the children will NOT receive "pre-approved" orphan status. The family will find out if the child fulfills the immigration requirements for an orphan AFTER they travel to the giving country to pick up their child. This new move of AIT's will require that you as the adopting family be WAY MORE VIGILANT in your agency choosing than before. Please research your agency well. Make sure that they are working with orphanages that understand this new proceedure and are confident that the children will pass the orphan status requirements in order to receive an exit visa. Be prepared to stay longer on your trip to Taiwan to pick up your child if necessary and wait longer on courts and paperwork, as there have been families required to wait in country while further paperwork was gathered or received, or while a Birth parent was interviewed.

Cautions:
1: Do not choose an agency that is not WELL versed with foreign affairs, especially with Taiwan's AIT.
2: Understand that there is NO ONE over AIT in the US. Even if you call the Virginia sister office to AIT, they will tell you their hands are tied and they cannot force AIT's hand nor insist upon clearance for any child or case.
3: Research your local state Senators JUST IN CASE you do encounter a problem with your adoption process or clearance of your child's visa. Don't be afraid to call EVERY SENATOR you can in your state and demand they help.
4: Realize that your Senator does not have true Jurisdiciton over AIT. They cannot MAKE AIT clear your child's visa. They can and will however apply heat to the sittuation and become a political "squeaky wheel" on your behalf. So do not hesitate to use them.
5: Keep records of ALL your agency communications and YOUR communications with Senators and go betweens. Write down dates, names and what was said just in case as you may have to repeat them over and over again.
6: This new law has made it almost IMPOSSIBLE for independent adoption in Taiwan as it was. The reason, most of the "helpers" that were in place with the answers to help you, are now working with agencies as it is just safer and smarter to have corporate backing with AIT playing hard ball as they are. Sometimes AIT is requiring that Birth parents be found and interviewed and that can sometimes be very cost and time consuming with a failed outcome!
7: Realize that most of the children are passing. Only one or two families reported having severe issues with this new AIT proceedure.

SECOND ISSUE ARRISING IN TAIWAN

There has been talk of a new law being passed that all children will now have to be offered to the Taiwan families in country for a year before they can be offered to foreign interested families. This causes several complications. Firstly, obviously the children will be older upon exiting the country. Secondly, it is a known fact that institutionalization of a child for a year or more usually causes some kind of delays and problems whether they be severe or mild (this will be highlighted at a later date by my family's own personal experience, look for the article to come).
Thirdly, with this new law creeping on the horizon, all the waiting families already sitting at a 2-3 year wait for referral will almost undoubtedly be extended at least a year out if not longer.

I have not gathered complete info on this new law as of yet. I am now trying to confirm if special needs and older children adoptions will continue as before or not. Please bear with us as we try to find the facts on this aspect of the new law.

In the end, please be cautious of Taiwan adoptions. They are surely not what they once were in the past. The face of Taiwan adoption is changing rapidly and extremely. If you are a veteran, ask more questions and expect different answers. Proceed with caution and possibly lowered expectations as Taiwan may be experiencing some turbulents in the near future. For new comers to Taiwan adoption, please just ask many questions, allowing yourself factual understanding of the agency guidelines and Taiwan's guidelines as they change and grow.

The Agency dance or intimidation?

2009-02-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Agency dance can be delightful at times and down right frustrating at times. The agency dance is so very intricate none the less. When you first start adopting, I would say that most tips or advice other adoptive parents will give you is to be careful of the Agency you choose to work with. The Agency is going to determine the kind of service you get, they will be your only connecting lifeline between your world and the world that your child lives in. This is huge for the adoptive family and the child being adopted. There are technically two categories of Agencies for simplistic explanation. The two "types" can be one and the same however. There is first of all the Homestudy agency and secondly the placing agency.

The Homestudy agency may very well be different than the placing Agency simply because your placing agency in most scenarios does not legally have to be the same as your Homestudy agency or even in the same state that you reside (some countries will demand they be one and the same and that they be local to you). The placing agency may be in Tennessee that you choose to work with BUT you may live in Georgia. The Homestudy agency in most if not in all scenarios, has to be in your state. If the placing agency you are choosing to work with does not have a local Homestudy Social worker that can come to you, then many times the placing agency does have a "preferred network" of homestudy agencies that they contract with that they can send you to. These "preferred network homestudy" agencies have a relationship with the placing agency which may provide a discounted homestudy service to you because of the way fees are set up within the placing agency or simply will allow a more efficient working relationship between the two agencies because they work together all the time. Most Adoptive parents that have "been there done that" will suggest to you to choose your placing agency before the homestudy agency. This is suggested because of these already formed relationships and some Placing agencies will indeed choose not to work with you if you come with a homestudy that is not from their "preferred network". So choosing your "placing agency" and finding out their requirements before having a homestudy worked up is beneficial. When choosing a placing agency you may want to ask the placing agency what other countries or adoption facets they service just in case you feel at some point, like you need to change your adoption path. Make sure you ask up front and get in writing how much of the fees already paid into the venture will be rolled over to another adoptive scenario. If you change to another country or from International adoption to Domestic will they have to update your homestudy? If so, how much cost will you incur? How long will this second process take? And how much of your money paid in will transfer to this new program. Also ask terms on if the country of your choosing was to close what are the agency policies about changing countries? If they don't have a country available that matches your family and budget then what?
The Homestudy agency is going to be the one that does all the work of getting to know your family on a personal level. Evaluating you, your spouse, your children at home with you, past and present relationships, and of course your home and living style.
They will want to see that you and your spouse have worked through any infertility issues that may have been apart of your life. They want to see that your children are apart of the process and handling it in a healthy manner. They want to see that your family has worked through things in the past such as abusive relationships and problems healthily. They will weed out your weaknesses as a family unit and individually and your strengths. The Social workers are usually there to find reasons to approve your family not vice versa. I know this will land on deaf ears but here goes anyways, "Relax and don't be too uptight about the home visits." Yeah right.
You will clean your house until you can eat off the floors! You will have all your paperwork neat and prepared and you will possibly even be rushing around at the last minute sweeping up those morning crumbs Dear daughter left on the floor from her toaster strudel. None the less, there would have to be a lot in your life to have them tell you no. If you have any past such as felony or misdimeanor you will want to disclose this up front. They will deal with you much better if they know up front and nothing is found out by surprise. Don't be afraid to be real with them.
The placing agency is the agency that is going to deal directly with your child's Birth parents if you are doing a domestic or with your child's country coordinator. They are your lifeline. They will help you get extra tests, pictures, and info on your child. They are responsible to you and the country for their actions. If you are adopting internationally you may find that your process involves a very important third entity. The Third would be the orphanage or foster care of the country you are working with.
Tips for dealing with these entities.
First of all. I know very well that we all can end up in this spot where we are receiving less than tolerable service from one or both of these entities and quite frankly because of the sensitive matter of it all, we keep our lips zipped and take it. We feel intimidated by the agency because they can say yes to us or no. They can choose us for a child or make us wait longer. They can hold our pictures and updates and not deliver. The truth of it is that this intimidation can only go so far. There are lawyers that would love to hear your case. The truth of the matter is that you have paid for a service with these agencies. A service to be done in a timely manner and including all of the parts of the service you were promised. Now this is of course to be considered greatly when you are about to get gruff with your agencies. Do consider that they are servicing a lot of patrons or clients at the same time and doing a fine juggling act, do NOT allow them infinite time to do this however. There is a limit and a point where and when your undo treatment by them becomes unlawful or flat wrong. Don't be afraid to ask questions and expect answers. If you were promised a part of the service you are not receiving you have the right to ask the agency to rectify the problem and then after due time, demand that they rectify. I hate, I repeat hate, talking about the lives of children along side with business but unfortunately there is a business that these agencies are apart of and they are making money to pay their personnel, it is not wrong that you demand the personnel that your fees are paying actually do their work. Try to always keep your temper in check and be completely respectful. Continue to be open to honest reasons and explanations as to why the work remains undone, but please do not be intimidated to the point that you are paying them to mistreat you.
When dealing with independent adoption. You will more than likely have a Homestudy agency, in some states you will have to have an agency "acting" as your placing agency. This agency will usually collect fees for the usual work of a homestudy, possibly with a little extra in order to pay for any extra work they do for you in conjunction with your adoption. To find out if your state is a state where a placing agency is required, simply call your homestudy agency and ask questions. Your state requiring a placing agency, may not rule your family out from independent adoption at all if done and approached properly. They will be honest with you 9 out of 10 times. They have no reason to hide the answer from you as to whether or not you need a placing agency.
In independent, you will possibly be working with a placing entity in the form of a friend, missionary, or small orphanage not contracted with the government or other larger orphanages. There is a little more tact and understanding needed when dealing with these folks. And it is not just the issue of not paying them money to help you. If you are or aren't paying them for work rendered for you, you will want to be respectful and honest at all times. These folks are usually doing this as a labor of the heart and not asking for retribution from you, so be delicate and give them a little more room. If your source does not require a donation or retribution, you may want to consider this anyways as a gesture of good faith and friendship. No matter if you are working with all agencies or with another source, please make sure you are not ugly, mean or disrespectful at any time. Keep your mind about you and treat them as you wish to be treated. Honey goes a lot farther than vinegar. In the independent adoption, you will be working with a lot of other sources that an agency would normally work with on your behalf. So keep your head about you and pay attention. You will more than likely have a lawyer in the country that you are working with. Check into their background to the best of your ability and make sure they speak english. There will be others you will be in direct contact with. Possibly judges, AIT workers, and many others. Just take it as it comes and research every step. Your adoption will after all look very similar to that of an agency adoption, just with you doing all the paperwork and most liaison work.

Let's talk SPECIAL NEEDS adoption!

2009-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

FIRST THE DEFINITION as per ANSWERS.COM
(To view the definition in its entirety, please click HERE)

This article is about basic idea of special needs. For other uses, see Special needs (disambiguation).

Special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities such as medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition both give guidelines for clinical diagnosis. Autism, Down syndrome, developmental delays, blindness, and cystic fibrosis are examples of special needs.

More narrowly, it is a legal term applying in foster care in the United States, derived from the language in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. It is a diagnosis used to classify children as needing "more" services than those children without special needs who are in the foster care system. It is a diagnosis based on behavior, childhood and family history, and is usually made by a health care professional.

Special needs definition is further broken down by state and further more by country. Each state has it's very own definition of Special Needs as per their own laws and recognition of such.
You may find these answers per state at NACAC adoption subsidy.
You will need to view the state profile individually and investigate each state's definition of "special needs". The term "special needs" is not used to devalue your child/children or to
present your child with feelings of discrimination. It is simply a part of the adoption jargon that you must learn to deal with on a daily basis, therefore developing a thick skin to such jargon would be of benefit to you and your family at the beginning of the process so that you might stand strong for your child from day one. "Special needs" can be disabilities, age, minority race, sibling groups, at risk children, and waiting or older children. Most states have a very loose definition of the term "special needs" and will provide your children adopted through the state or government foster care with a special subsidy or "payment" in a monthly installment in order to ensure your child receives quality care through your family at all times. This amount varies by state statute and will or will not include specialty care such as psych and medical either via insurance or additional payment. This information is also listed online and can be searched at will. When adopting from a different state than that which you dwell in, the "interstate compact" will decide the state's definition of "special needs" they will use for your children and thereby deciding what amount of subsidy your child will receive for care.

COUNTRY SPECIAL NEEDS:
While there is not a list per country for special needs adoption as there is a list by state. Some of the same rules and regulations as to definitions of such apply to certain countries. Some countries will view small things such as missing finger, or anomalies on the face or skin all the way up to Down syndrome or blindness as "special needs". Off the top of my head, to name a couple, China, Hong Kong and Russia are three of these said countries. Some countries however do have many children that You or I may define as "special needs", our state may define as "special needs" or that our government may define as "special needs" but the "giving" country does not define the child as such. This DOES NOT mean that your child is not "Special needs". To name a couple of countries that are "tight" with "special needs" titles in adoption, Taiwan and Vietnam will suffice as such.
Why would you want your child to be special needs? This is an interesting dilemma indeed. Sometimes there are grants that may help you accomplish adoptions of children with "special needs" simply because they choose to use this defining element of a child or adoptive family to eliminate families not "deserving" of their grants according to their bylaws. And even though the "giving country" does not perceive your child as "special needs" the grant writers may. The second reason it is important to be able to understand if your child is or is not "special needs" is because YOU as the caregiver must be able to plan well for your child's care and future. If the child does require special interventions whatsoever, they must be considered and given due diligence to. This is not for you to label your child "special needs" to harm them but to help them and possibly help you. I would suggest that you use the term "special needs" for grants and understanding your family dynamics and not in front of your children if at all possible. Again the purpose of the term "special needs" as outlined earlier in this piece is to give understanding to all parties involved in the adoption. Personally, I look at special needs two ways. 1. The U.S. way of classification which is to give "hard to place" children and honest "special needs" children a boost by way of fee reductions and subsidies so that they may find homes with great families instead of waiting forever simply because of money issues existing in the adopting family's budget. True special needs adoptions can be more expensive once the child is home simply because of medical care and other types of care necessary to sustain the adopted child's comfort level and well being 2. When looking at a child, anything that is not "normal" and may take more care such as diet, therapies, psych treatments, medicines, and any time consuming professional visits, in my book is "special needs". This is not for fee reduction purposes, but so that the receiving family may gauge their future and costs of the child entering their home honestly by understanding the extra efforts the "special needs" child may need in order to thrive in their family unit. So as you can see, there is a logistical meaning and a cosmetic meaning but both will serve their purpose to the child by defining the child better and providing better understanding to all involved in the child's future.

A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD VS. A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

The difference between a special needs child and a child WITH special needs is YOUR Attitude!!!
There are many children in life that have a defined special need but this does not at all define your child as "special needs". My definition of "special needs" is anything that you may need to keep in your head that can harm your child at any given time. Such as asthma, allergies, diseases, learning issues, and behavior problems. OR may have to alert any caregiver to any need above normal or to watch for in the child, observe or administer to the child in the form of medicines or even special treatment. By that definition, I know I have just thereby identified most of the children you know as having special needs. So beit. "special needs" should never be an embarrassing term that makes a parent cringe but more of a way of perceiving how to define your child's very directed care and requirements. This necessary new way of thinking as the child's parents will also force your mind to keep their needs in a special room of your mind for quick calling upon when necessary.

Ok.. this is all fine and dandy, why then do they define a child's race or their behavior as special needs? This has been, honestly the most disturbing thing I as an adoptive parent have had to overcome in my own mind. While on one hand, as an adoptive parent that adopts interculturally or cross culturally I understand from A-Z the importance of continuing a child's culture and honing the child's ability to identify with their very own race, on the other hand I found it at first very alarming if not cruel that a human being would define another's race or age as a "special need". I have however since the beginning of my adoption education and journey come to an understanding that race and age do have to play a part in an adoption homestudy and the child's adoption profile make up in order for I as the adoptive parent to be completely honest and give due respect to considering the right children for my environment, living style, family members, the child's well being.. etc. I know this sounds a little off kilter but one thing I as an adoptive parent cross culturally adopting had to do was "prove" beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can A. Identify with the child's race enough to healthily interact with them, B. understand the plights of the specific minorities that exist at least to a level of helping them find their way through in a healthy psychological state and C. Be open to learning about the child open mindedly and sharing their holidays and special background to the point of enjoyment within myself so that they in turn may know I love them unconditionally. So simply stated, I can be honest about my understanding them and responsible to them in that understanding. Now age as a "special need" is more of a personal thing with each adoptive parent. One has to evaluate where you are psychologically and whether you are ready to parent say, a 9 year old. It is a known fact that children above the age of 6 will not find homes as easily as a child under the age of 6. Each family has their reasoning for choosing a child of any age. So the sole reason for a child over 6 being "special needs" is simply because they have become hard to place within the system. There is no real scientific reason, except people usually want a cute baby to love and grow with from day one. Sad but true in very many cases.

While you start your adoptive journey or continue your adoptive journey, I hope that I have helped you to understand a little more as to why the term "special needs" is so necessary in the adoption world and how to view it without it defining your child or devaluing your child.

To find out more on special needs adoption per country, simply contact an adoption agency servicing the country you wish to adopt from and ask what known "special needs" the country has recogonized as such. Keep in mind that a child you adopt that may not have noted "special needs" may very well have "special needs" found by your physician upon arrival in the U.S. So at anytime, in ANY adoption, please consider that you do not indeed know everything about your child and make sure you are ok with "special needs" as a whole just in case God blesses your family with a child with special considerations!!

TAIWAN:

A side note on Taiwan. Taiwan orphanages do not consider much as being special needs. Including heart murmur, eating problems, blue spell children, G6PD and others. So be very careful to understand that with Taiwan, what the U.S. considers special needs will not be
the same whatsoever. Do not compare Taiwan with China on this aspect either for China will
define way more as special needs than Taiwan does. So, when you sign on with an agency servicing Taiwan, please make sure to understand their definition of "WELL CHILD" or "HEALTHY CHILD". This is so important that you do this. Just be prepared for definition differences with this country.

WELCOME!

2009-02-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

WELCOME! This blog has a new look in some ways! WE have made it possible to find all our topics that have been discussed on the right of this post! ------------------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The topics are are in black and the sub contents are in burgundy. They string all down the right side of this post.
Please search over here for the topics you are looking for. They are in categories, so feel free to click away! You will also find resources here!

HOME STUDY: What about kids in the home already?

2009-02-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

HELP!! THE HOME STUDY IS COMING!!!

Home study Journey with kids at home:

The research:
I put up to polls on several sites. They ran for almost 3 days and are
presently running. The polls and result are as follows.

<>< <>< <>< <>< FIRST POLL><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

Children at home: When to tell?
If you are adopting or DID adopt while you had a child at home, did you tell them about the adoption? How much? and When?

Yes, we told them from day one so that they were in the know the whole time!

58.3%

Yes, but we waited until referral was given so the wait time was less on them.

25%

No, we felt they wouldn't understand some aspects.

16.7%

No, we didn't feel it was necessary.

Yes, but we waited until we traveled to get the child.

I don't know, we are still deciding and need some help.

total votes: 12

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< SECOND POLL><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

I had children in my home when I started my homestudy to adopt and......

The Social worker interviewed my child/children and wanted to see that they knew and were ok with our decision to adopt.

87.5%

Our Social worker didn't talk to our children at all about our adoption for some reason!

12.5%

Our social worker didn't talk to our children about the adoption because we asked her not to.

total votes: 8

<>< <>< <>< <>< RESPONSE 1 ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
"We're still waiting for a referral. . .our social worker did not talk
to our kids about the adoption because they're too young. And we plan
to start talking about our new little one once we have a referral. .
.to me, kids have so little understanding of time and it doesn't make
sense to get them excited/worried or whatever until it's closer to our
forever family day. I think it all depends on how old your children
are as to when to start talking about it."

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< RESPONSE 2 <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

"
Well as far as telling her we were going to adopt, she has been
waiting for it for a long time so she was excited to hear we were
finally going to adopt. She has been involved with my friend Sarah's
adoptions from the beginning. We are very open and honest with her
about what is happening. And we keep her involved with everything like
if there are delays, we tell her to pray to God for them and trust in
Him and she feels like she is doing something huge to help bring the
baby home. She still asks when it will happen and other questions,
like lots of kids do. But we do our best to explain that things take
time, and we need to be patient, and pray to God about it.

I really feel the kids should be part of the process from the
beginning. Make them feel like they play an important role in this
process. That they can pray for it and they can help get things ready
in the house. I mean there is so much that Sancia just wants to help
with for the adoption. When we had yard sales for fundraisers, she was
there and excited to have them. She would talk to people about the
adoption and about the baby and it wasn't even our adoption... LOL!

I guess what I am saying is, definitely don't wait until court date or
travel date to tell them. I would tell them from the beginning. I dont
know about your kids, but my daughter likes to know what is going on
in her world and doesn't like huge life altering changes sprung on
her. It causes more unnecessary stress and problems. Kids like to
know what is going on around them. It makes them feel secure. We want
her to know that even though we are adding to our family, she is still
very much apart of our lives and love.

My best advice would be to pray about it. And see what God would have
you do."

No one else has responded yet... to keep up with this poll and it's
answers.. it is available

Taiwankiddo2.blogspot.com
Taiwankiddo2-private.blogspot.com
Taiwanindependentadoptioninfo.blogspot.com

FROM THE MIND OF A SARAH:

How young have you had a SW talk to children?
Jeremiah was 3 years old when our social worker came and she
didn't do a private interview with him or anything. He also does not talk well
right now thought due to the CP. BUT she didn't know an we didn't know why he
didn't talk much but she still wasn't interseted in talking to him much. She
mostly observed David and I and watched to see if we acted age appropriately
with him and if we showed good understanding of how to deal with his age and the
problems or incidents that arose during our interviews.

What did they ask?
She asked us what various disciplines we employ with Jer and
will employ with Josiah. WE were very honest about our disciplining methods.
Usually I answer kind of vaguely however because we believe that discipline is
per case and per child. We take in their understanding level and the level of
severity with each issue. So we always tell them we don't have a pat answer for
them. We bend and grow with the child. They seem to like this answer alot for it
shows them we are taking our time and thinking through each discipline. They ask
about your relationships with the child. How you get along. What problems you
have overcome with the child. Your weaknesses in raising the child and your
strengths a you see them.

and how did you expalin it to the child.
Although Jer can't talk, his reasoning is on a 6 year old level
or higher. He is absolutely brilliant and comes up with some interesting stuff
adults don't think of. BUT we told him we were getting him a brother and we had
to do this homestudy, to please behave..lol. We told him why the lady was here
but we didn't go into great details. Now yours may ask WAY more questions or
want to know more. I would suggest just trying to not stress them out with it
even though YOU will more than likely be stressed. Make it like anyother visit
like when the pastor stops by or a friend that doesn't normally visit. Keep it
low key.

My concern is that we are not sure how much, if anything, we want to

discuss with Our children??

I would suggest that this is not a good idea. Children need to be
in the know and to have the benefit of understanding the best they can. Other
wise you may have more jealousy than necessary when the child arrives because
the other children feel pushed out of the event. I would suggest you let them in
all the way. If not from day one, then from the referral. Kids are so keen they
will pick up despite your efforts to hid it. The more you involve them the more
success I have seen. I have seen some disrupt too and the kids were fine. Sad
but fine. They got referral number 2 and the kids were happy and on mark again.
The fact is Amy, if you were pregnant you would probably make it exciting and
let them touch your belly and such. AND the fact is that women lose bio baby's
more than they have disrupted international adoptions. So you are pretty safe in
sharing the venture. We took extra steps with Jer. He was in a crib still. The
crib we need for Jo. Jer was 2 1/2 when we started this and so we got him a cool
new big boy bed and told him how Jo would get the crib now cause he is the baby.
Jer was great with this. These things are necessary so that Jer doesn't feel
replaced by Jo. Things like this is great for the kids in place because they get
to feel apart just like a pregnancy.

What do you think about talking in General terms to your children at home??

Again, I know several families that have chosen to tell their
children from the beginning and all has been great. They just explained to them
like your agency explains to you.. sometimes easier terms. For us it has been
"Don't worry Jer, Jo is coming home honey.. just not yet. God is getting it all
ready. There is a court thing but not a big deal".
Kids are much more resiliant than you think.Like I said you can wait til
referral but I wouldn't suggest it because kids intuitively know something is up
and may harbor resentment towards you for it. It isn't ugly or anything... just
a long time coming. It is great to teach
patience to even them too.

IF anything , a SW would ask them?

At the age they will be, she will want to see that you
included them. She may see this as irresponsible and she WILL ask them questions
like "Are you excited about the new sister you are going to get" and expect that
they are and they know. The reason is she has to evaluate how they are and where
they are in their thoughts with this new child. Are they jealous already? Are
they showing any signs of stress? How can she help YOU with these issues? They
will be evaluated.

OUR WAIT:

This was Jer for us. He gets so frustrated but he has done
great with the 10 month wait to get Josiah home. Skyped with him 2x's and lights
up each time. We are so glad we included him. He gets just as excited about
"BRUVER" as we do!!

Final thoughts:

Personally, I would say, give the kids a chance to be blessed
as you will be. Let God worry about these things and let them pray for their
sibling with you. It is a family afair and that is how the SW will see it. They
like to see the children at home included and ready for the child's arrival. I
honestly haven't heard this view much in the 5 years I have been in adoption and
the 1 1/2 years I have counseled adoptive parents and worked with the Taiwan
side placement organization. If you are a religious person, pray about all your
decisions involving your little souls at home.

Be Prepared: Agency Questions that say "WHAT?"

2009-02-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

HOW TO BE PREPARED AND SHOW THE AGENCY that YOU GOT THIS!!

The following are a few questions that an agency may ask you.. what are
they looking for?

What does our family do for a school aged child if I find that he has
developmental delays, behavior problems, sexual abuse, etc.

I am not sure what they want here. Do they want you to show your problem solving
technique? What I have found is that an agency wants to see that you are A.
Prepared for any challenge that you may meet and B. Well studied. The downfall
to well studied is that some that study too much tend to believe what they study
over their own gut feelings or what they pray about even and it becomes
dangerous. Anyways, I am guessing they want to see both the above A and B. So I
would show this by finding things in your local area that will help. 1. a solid
support group for adoptive families. 2. information on hand for local programs
that will help your child with developmental delays and behavioral problems. 3.
information of a psychologist that other adoptive parents suggest from your
area. In other words show them you have support and game plan if the scenarios
came about.

The effects of institutionalization. What are they?

Wow, this is a huge topic. When studying this one I was using two psych books
"Helping Children with Aggression and Conduct problems" (Also good for some of
your above information) by Micahel L. Bloomquist. AND Young Children and
Trauma-Intervention and Treatment" by Joy D. Osofsky.
The one that proved to be the most helpful was "Young Children and Trauma". It
goes much deeper than a lot of people want to go but if you are at all
interested in psych this book is very interesting and goes all the way down to
the chemicals interrupted by institutional living for children (and how to
restore them) and the psych issues it can cause such as DAD and RAD or as little
as inability for the child to calm down like most children when upset. Most
children that are institutionalized for over a year have some form of
problematics they will come to you with. This is not to scare anyone but they
can range from simple sensory issues or untrust of caregivers all the way up to
DAD and in most worse case scenarios RAD. This topic so very broad and again, I
think they just want you to show awareness to possibilities of these issues and
problem solving techniques by you and your support groups "IF" these things were
to arise.

Trust and attachment issues, tantrums, rejection of us, sleep issues,etc. What do they want me to say or know?

Some of this is covered in the book also and more than
likely Karrie's sources will talk about these things too. In
institutionalization and even rough foster care situations there can be trust
and attachment issues. Most can be undone and loved through with patience,
prayer and guidance. When Jeremiah came home he was in the orphanage 1 year 2
weeks and he screamed at us off and on for 3 months. He tried to control his
situation. He had sleep issues because of being in a bustling orphanage that
handled sleep in a poor manor (a cd player playing classical music did the
trick). He was spoiled rotten by care givers (they admitted this) and therefore
we had to break a cycle they built ( we watched him scream for one of them and
they would just hand him off to them). He would throw fits, screaming and
scooting across the floor for an hour or more for no reason at all usually
related to HIS lack of control of US. All of this
was undone in 6 months time and he was well adjusted and remains so. The rule
of thumb is that for every year in an institution, the child will face a
possible 6 months adjustment time in the family. He was very attached to us
however and still is. We did some baby wearing (not extreme), he went straight
to his own room (which he did very well with), and the fits stopped once we
stopped allowing him to have the control. (per our Social
worker's guidance)

The agency questions on local adoption support groups, language
translation, and local Thai culture groups. How do I handle these?

Again, they just want to make sure that you are
prepared to continue his culture which I think that needs to be a comfort level
for your family and him. BUT they want to see an effort as to your interest and
being able to support and grow that part of him. Most children I have seen from
Asian countries do not want a lot to do with their own culture at young ages.
Jeremiah was very put off by being around lots of Asian people at one time but
is slowly being ok with that and he has been home for a little over 2 years now.
I have heard this scenario a lot.
Anyways, I hope this all helps you out. If you need more info.. let me know..
you can take an online course that they may look highly on too.. take a look at
"With Eyes Wide Open" HERE Some of the Taiwan agencies will have their families
take this course simply because the orphanages in Taiwan like to see the
families strive to further their understanding of intercultural adoptions and
some of the possible. There are other courses too.
One thing that all agencies have liked to see about our profile was that we had
done 30 hours of state training, and had a slew load of books we had read and
research we had done. Being well studied is definitely pleasing to them.

A couple questions for our readers!!

2009-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely ladies I am asking some questions for a friend of mine in the process and would love to have your answers not only on the polls but also if you would like, leave a comment so that I can compile your wisdom! Thanks for participating.

Chinese New Year is coming!

2009-01-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year

When is Chinese New Year 2009?
Chinese New Year falls on Monday, January 26th 2009.

The Chinese New Year that is celebrated for about fifteen days is one moment in the year when the whole nation feels united as they can imagine each other's enjoyment. The Chinese New Year gets determined by the chinese new year calendar and therefore it is sometimes called the Lunar New Year. In 2009, the Chinese Lunar Year Festival would start from 26 th of January. As every one is aware of its significance, the working people in china can take weeks of holidays so that they can join the company of their near and dear ones and a feast with their family members on the chinese new year eve or Lunar New Year's Eve. Although with the changing times and increasing mobility of the people the celebration of Chinese New Year Festival has undergone some changes, everybody still very fervently follow all the customs that their elders have taught them.

Getting Crafty
If you would like some creative ideas for you and your child for New Year then follow this LINK!
The following are excerpts from this site!

There are many traditions and symbols associated with Chinese New Year. Here are a handful of the most popular practices.

Clean house and new clothes
According to Celebrate Chinese New Year by Elaine A. Kule, prior to the first day of the New Year it is customary for families to thoroughly clean their homes from top to bottom. Doing this is said to clear out any back luck from the previous year and to ready the house to accept good luck for the coming year.

All cleaning must be finished before New Year's Day so there is no chance of accidentally throwing out the good fortune of the new year. "Before New Year's Day you want to buy new clothes or cut your hair" in order to have a fresh start, says Ng. Wearing black is not allowed due to its association with death, however, wearing red is encouraged as the color is associated with warding off bad spirits.

Decorate the house
Another popular custom is to hang up signs and posters on doors and windows with the Chinese word fu written on them, which translates to luck and happiness. Buying flowers for the home is also commonplace since they symbolize the coming of spring and a new beginning. In Chinese neighborhoods, special lunar New Year flower markets often sprout up during the days prior to the New Year. Check out our charming plum blossom craft and other Chinese New Year decorations you can make for your home.

Eat with your family
On the eve of the Chinese New Year it is customary to visit with relatives and partake in a large dinner where a number of specific foods are served.

"Typically families do eight or nine dishes because they are lucky numbers," says Grace Young, author of The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. "The Chinese word for eight is baat [in Cantonese], which rhymes with faat, the word for prosperity." The word for nine means "long-lasting."

"A lot of the foods are very symbolic," explains Ng. Some popular foods include: dumplings ("because they look like golden nuggets" says Ng), oranges ("because they are perfectly round, symbolizing completeness and wholeness"), and long noodles ("served to symbolize long life").

Sticky rice cakes and sweets are also served and are tied to a story about the Kitchen God-- a Santa Claus-like figure who reports to the Jade Emperor in heaven on whether families have been good or bad through the course of the year. According to legend, when families serve the Kitchen God sticky, delicious foods, his mouth gets stuck together and therefore he cannot report any bad things about the family to the Jade Emperor.

Want to whip up some dishes for your Chinese New Year celebration? Check out our story "Chinese New Year Dishes" as well as our best-loved Chinese recipes on Kaboose.

Here are some more customs associated with Chinese New Year.

Give good luck gifts
It is a traditional practice for adults to give children little red envelopes--hong bao in Mandarin or lai-see in Cantonese--filled with money in order to symbolize wealth and prosperity for the coming year. It is also common for elders to bestow red packets to unmarried members of the family. It is a sign of respect to bow three times in order to accept the hong bao. Envelopes are not to be opened until the recipient has left the home of the giver.

Make lanterns

The New Year's festivities come to an end on the fifteenth day of the new year, which is celebrated by the Lantern Festival. According to the book Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, and the Children's Museum, Boston, the Lantern Festival honors the first full moon of the year and represents the coming of springtime.

Families will light lanterns, which symbolize the brightness of spring, and hang them on walls around the house, or on poles to be carried in lantern parades. You can create kid-friendly paper lantern crafts with your children in order to honor this tradition.

Honor the animal
Every year is associated with one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, with each animal being represented once every 12 years. These animals are often represented in decorations during the holiday. Figure out which is your Chinese zodiac animal and discover what famous people also share your sign by reading our article "Chinese Astrology: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac."

Make cute crafts of this year's Zodiac animal, the OX.

Some people believe that those born during the year of a particular animal will end up with the character traits of that animal. For example, if you were born during the year of the rat, you will grow up to be imaginative and cunning.

Here are a few ways you family can celebrate Chinese New Year in your very own home or town.

Make Chinese New Year crafts
Teach kids about Chinese heritage while they are having fun! Try making lovely crafts such as Chinese orange trays, red envelopes or plum blossoms or any other of the fantastic Chinese New Year artsy activities we have featured on Kaboose.

Read Chinese New Year books
Check out our list of great Chinese New Year books for kids and adults as well as the following list which was hand-selected for us by Sue E. Yee, Senior Children's Librarian of the Chatham Square Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City!

Preschoolers (ages 3-4)

My First Chinese New Year. Karen Katz. Henry Holt and Company, 2004.
Bright/vibrant collages illustrate this simple introduction to Chinese New Year.
This Next New Year. Janet S. Wong. Illustrated by YangSook Choi. Frances Foster, 2000.
A young boy describes how his Chinese-Korean family prepares for and celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Grade Schoolers (Ages 5-7 = K-2nd Grade)

Celebrating Chinese New Year. Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. Photographs by Lawrence Migdale. Holiday House, 1998.
Follow 10-year-old Ryan as he and his family prepare for Chinese New Year in San Francisco.
Chinese New Year Crafts. Karen E. Bledsoe. Enslow PubPublishers, 2005.
Ten simple crafts for Chinese New Year.
Happy New Year: Kung-his fa-ts’ai. Demi. Crown, 1997.
Reissued as: Happy, Happy Chinese New Year. Crown, 2003.
Basic information about the customs of Chinese New Year, profusely illustrated with Demi’s detailed drawings.The original Happy New Year (1997) is larger in format and contains a little more information.
Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year. Kate Waters & Madeline Sklovenz-Low. Photographs by Martha Cooper. Scholastic, 1990.
This is the first time 6 year old Ernie will be performing the lion dance in public. Follow him and his family in NYC’s Chinatown as they prepare for and celebrate Chinese New Year.
The Rooster’s Antlers: A Story of the Chinese Zodiac. Eric A Kimmel. Illustrated by YongSheng Xuan. Holiday House, 1999.
Dragon and Centipede trick Rooster into giving up his beautiful golden horns. Also explains how and why the zodiac animals were chosen. The colorful illustrations are reminiscent of traditional Chinese papercuts.
Sam and the Lucky Money. Karen Chinn. Illustrated by Cornelius van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. Lee & Low Books, 1995
Set in a modern day Chinatown, Sam must decide how to spend his Chinese New Year “leisee” money. He is disappointed when he realizes that he does not have enough to buy the toy that he wants. In the end, he decides to give his money to a homeless man.
Story of the Chinese Zodiac. Retold by Monica Chang. Illustrated by Arthur Lee. English Translation by Rick Charette. Yuan-Liou, 1994
Cut paper 3-dimensional collage retelling the animals’ race, rat’s treachery and explains why cat is not one of the zodiac animals.

Tweens (Ages 8-12 = 3rd-6th Grade)

Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac. Ed Young. H. Holt, 1995.
Tells of the animals' race, Rat’s betrayal and why Cat is not one of the zodiac animals. The illustrations are charcoal and pastels on a dark background, making this more appropriate for the older crowd.
The Chinese Book of Animal Powers. Al Chung-liang Huang. HarperCollins, 1999.
Large calligraphy-like illustrations depict each of the zodiac animals and explain their strengths and weaknesses.
Exploring Chinatown: A Children’s Guide to Chinese Culture. Carol Stepanchuk. Illustrated by Leland Wong. Pacific View Press, 2002.
By taking a tour of a fictitious generic Chinatown, Chinese food, traditional medicine, language and writing, festivals, religion and art are explored. Includes recipes and suggestions for activities.
Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities and Recipes. Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz & The Children’s Museum of Boston. Gulliver Bks/Harcourt Inc, 2002.
Presents background information, related stories and activities for five Chinese holidays: Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Moon Festival.

Check out a local Chinese New Year parade
Chinese New Year parades are grand celebrations where people come out to happily carouse with one another.

In addition to floats, fireworks, performances, and marching bands, parades often feature people performing "dragon" or "lion dances"

--a ritual in which a group of dancers gets under an elaborately decorated dragon or lion costume with a long silky train, and visits the homes and businesses to scare away bad luck. It is common practice for the home or business owners to "feed" red envelopes to the animal to promote good luck for the coming year, says Daria Ng, Assistant Curator of Education for MOCA.

American cities with large Chinese populations such as San Francisco, CA and New York City, NY hold annual Chinese New Year parades and events. (Visit ChineseParade.com for more information about the San Francisco parade and ExploreChinatown.com for more info about the NYC event.) Check out your local community calendar to find events in your area.

The slow boat to Taiwan....

2008-12-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

There are some new and not so new faces on the Taiwan adoption Agency boards. But not all are worthy of your patronage. There are some agencies moving much slower than others, with due reason. So please beware when looking for an agency to find your child from Taiwan through. Most agencies serving families for Taiwan adoptions are still not accepting applications for their "Healthy Child" program. So ask plenty of questions when you are discussing with an agency their rules and guidelines. Don't forget to read our section here on how to question prospective adoption agencies. This section will explain to you where the regulations regarding Taiwan adoptions quoted to you may or may not come from, How to be cautious when looking for an agency to work with for your precious journey, and what to beware of. While questioning an agency you may refer to this section for the Country rules as per USCIS and also for Orphanage rules. Since the explosion of interest in Taiwan adoptions, the agencies have taken it upon themselves more so, to make more and bigger regulations for their Prospective Adoptive Families. You may ask any questions you have about specific agencies at the Adoption_Agency_Research board on yahoo. On the Adoption Agency Research board, you may talk freely "out loud" about agencies without fear of repercussion. You may also join one of many more yahoo groups that are country specific but most will not allow you to discuss agencies "out loud". I would strongly suggest that you talk to as many clients as you can of each agency you are considering. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions. Make sure you do ask the hard questions.
A lot of agencies are still taking applications for Special needs children. The special needs in Taiwan vary from mild to severe as most countries do. Don't be afraid to ask about special needs children, sibling groups, or older children. You would be amazed how many families start as "Healthy and young as possible" and end with "The perfect Special needs or older child for our family".
If you are already through the Agency search and ready to travel to Taiwan to meet your child that you have learned and loved through pictures, you may wish to read our travel document that is specific to Taiwan. This travel document is very helpful for other countries also. It will tell you how to pack, What you will need and won't need to bring, and tips on various things in Taiwan.
To learn more about Chinese New Year, there is a thread here with some neat Taiwan videos and traditions for Chinese New Year!!
If you have questions or need a little guidance you may contact me at Taiwankiddo2@yahoo.com

Commiting to the commited!

2008-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Adoption is a far more serious topic than most will allow it to become. I mean for instance. There is a whole lot of

committing that goes on during an adoption. The parents commit to love a child they never met but somehow they

magically find a place that is perfect for the child in their heart. The child has to commit to the parents and the

siblings to be their long lost love and they have to commit to an entirely new and completely unrecognizable way of life in most cases. And in some journeys, some adoptive parents feel "commitable" (as in a special coat with very long sleeves made for consistant hugging of one's self on a daily basis)". BUT only after they have

survived the adoption journey to their sweet one do they even recognize they were that close to a new home inindated with "Teddy Rosevelt" wanna bes. I know, I jest but really darling, you have to keep your sense of

humor during adoption or you surely will wilt into a quivering ball of goo that goes by the name of "once was" and somewhere has a list of phone numbers for your imaginary "friends" which you lovingly refer to as Guido and Knuckles.
Each and every day during an adoptive journey, a family commits to their far away child again and again. Kind of

like blind faith, you leap in one day holding a dream and then soon after, find yourself madly flailing your arms and legs, water over your head and asking yourself "wasn't I holding something a second ago?
They commit to the process. To the belief that the process will bring them the referral of the child that

their heart aches for, the process that will finally get them to their child safely and allow them to hold them in

their physical arms and not just in their heart. The family commits to trying to understand their child through

small update pictures which tell only 1/100th of the story of this child and who they are and who they will be.They litterally build this child in their hearts and minds from sometimes repeat update measurements and blurry up the nose shots.
They commit to the emotions of adoption; love, fear, loneliness, sadness, happiness, euphoria, depression, anger, anxiousness, guilt, and feeling forgotten. It seems that somehow you commit to losing your mind too. You can't remember where you last parked the car. You thought you paid that bill when you should have (obviously not since you now sit in the dark singing Cumbya my Lord next to a make shift fireplace which is really a candle). You start calling your kids that are home with you the soon to be adopted child's name because your thoughts can often be found thinking somewhere else and on something else.
You commit to a roller coaster ride that you have no clue when or where it will stop. There are many ups and downs in the adoption journey and unfortunately honey, the stop watch was lost along the way somewhere (look there and you shall find the break too)! So the statement "you're in for the long hall" has taken on an entirely new and oh so personal meaning!! Though you are completely dizzy and sick to your stomach most of the ride, you still manage to stay in your seat the whole time clinging to the hope that is strapping you in.
If you are in an adoption journey such as ours, you may even have to commit some of those involved in your adoption journey such as agency personel, foster parents, family and friends because the pressures have finally gotten them stuck in a corner somewhere singing "Enry the Eigth I am I am" in a "repeat" fashion for the 100th round.
As you can see, adoption is a committment. And one that is not always pretty nor elegant. None the less, these brave families, "adoptive families" called to build their families via "adoptions" unfashionable and oftenly untimely ways, somehow make it through to the other side, not unscathed but definitely wiser through the teaching of "adoption"!
Finally, you may even learn new tricks beyond committment such as the following:

1) Time is something that only YOU and other adoptive mom's adhere to anymore because NOTHING seems to be doable in a Timely manner in an adoption journey.
2) Up is down and down is up and YOU are to pretend it is always up when in certain company.
3) Those once "taboo" questions that no one dared ask... are no longer taboo questions for your family.
4) Everything that once made sense somehow doesn't anymore.
5) That the term "no pain no gain" was evidentally coined by an adoptive family long ago that went through similar trials.
6) That the rules and regulations of adoption are really more like suggestive caveman writings on a wall that you must somehow learn to decifer and quickly, or you don't find the national treasure.
7) That you really can find a sisterhood that was once untapped by you as a resource for comfort because somehow, those other women that use all the cool abbreviations understand you!!
Hopefully, this odd but oh so true, preach it again sister post has you howling by now. If you are an adoptive parent you now see really what you are made of and are saying "Wow, been there done that."
If you are NOT an adoptive parent, you are probably in awe of what you just read and trying to make sense of it all. Don't bother unless you plan to adopt, and then I promise you will receive a one on one lesson just as most of us have.
Either way, put your jaw back up where it belongs and move onto another post. My fingers are tired and I have a whole nother day to face in THIS adoption journey and a roller coaster brake to find! "Someone PLEASE let me off this thing?"....lol!!!

Taiwan Independent adoption.. WHERE TO START!

2008-08-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, the saga in Taiwan with conventional adoption through mainstream orphanages (St. Lucy's, Chung Yi, and Cathwell) via State side Agencies is not stifled but has slowed down a bit to a crawl. With China's announcement about a year or so ago saying that regulations would change in their adoption system, was all but a happy announcement for a many of the already waiting families. The announcement brought tougher regimen to the State side agency and also tougher and Higher standards for our American families to try to meet.
Meanwhile, Rewind a month before China's new found stance. The main stream orphanages in Taiwan and the State side agencies were enjoying fairly short waiting family lists and helping families come together with ease. Almost as if Taiwan was the best Kept Secret in the adoption world. Now, we fast forward to right after the announcement by China. Where Taiwan's waiting family list in almost EVERY agency exploded, quadrupling their waiting family numbers, at least. The families leaving China's wait lists because of dejection or inability to meet the new requirements flocked to Taiwan's agencies looking for a hand up. As the months went by and the news coming from the Taiwan "been there done that" veterans spread like wild fire, the once serene and fairly small adoption community was no more and the short wait that once was is now to the Two year mark and climbing. Taiwan seems to now have become the NEW CHINA for a lot of families seeking to adopt. With the new saga and costs for Taiwan going up in most agencies, I started to research an avenue that I once turned my nose up at because of fear and lack of information. Now being wise to how the rising waiting family lists would more than likely look in about 6 months from the onset of the "adoption saga" I started considering this little thing called "Independent adoption" that I once thought was dead. Well, a little CPR and I and Independent adoption were fast friends. As I searched I found that there are several side streets to this avenue that were waiting to be tapped and explored. Wowed by my new found knowledge I started this site.
Recently I have found more company in the independent world than of recent days. What once use to be almost a silent adoption society waiting in the balances of life, is now a roaring community where more and more are flocking to. The new comers are all attracted by a shorter wait time, courted by a lot lower cost than agency, and intrigued by having more control over their adoption. Although Independent makes a definite impression on its onlookers it also gives way to a new brand of fears and a wider reality of how the system works. It does take more work on YOUR part. It does take more responsibility on the part of the adoptive parent, BUT this is not said to deter you. This is said to represent a very real and possible avenue for an independent adoption. The risks in Independent however in someways are very much comparable to agency adoption.
Independent adoption is actually a really old dog compared to the fresh new agency adoption. Matter of fact back in the day, Independent was used by even the beloved and well known St. Lucy Center (up until about 5-7 years ago when SLC decided to use agencies only to place their children). Independent adoption in Taiwan is not much unlike our domestic adoption in the states. The rules are easier to identify however.
Taiwan Independent adoption can be navigated in many ways, with the most ways being roads for born again believers or Christians. Here are some of the ways that Born again Believers can go about finding a child in Taiwan:
1) You can contact one of a few orphanages or organizations that are NOT mainstream orphanages in Taiwan
Meaning "non agency contracted".
a.) Christian Mountain Children's home
b.) Christian Salvation services (CSS)
c.) Home of God's love
d.) Morning Light Ministries
The next two are AIDS homes that sometimes have a child around 12 months of age or so that can be placed for adoption. If you contact these organizations be aware that the children are tested for AIDS for months and given a syrum. This does not guarantee that the children will remain AIDS free but you are welcome to research or contact these organizations for more information on their practices and testing schedules. IF YOU DO contact them and find a child, I strongly suggest you use your own Lawyer (a list is available in the USCIS website) and allow them to do your adoption no matter what is offered. It is just simpler in the long run and better for everyone involved. Also, we have seen families call or email one day and be told "No we have no children" and then get an email the very same day that they have located a child in one of their shelters. So call back or email at least once a week if you are serious to find a child. We have also seen families get replies back asking them if they are prepared to take AIDS baby. Please ask the organization to elaborate and discuss further as Chinese does not always translate verbatim. So please do not be afraid to ask questions.
e.) Garden of Mercy
f.) Harmony Home
If you are religious at all, you can contact a church or several churches in your sect or general belief structure and ask for help. You may want to contact a lawyer and line them up for when you find a child and then move onto the next step of contacting a church in your sect over in
Taiwan. This particular resource may also come in handy for finding a temporary foster family for your child or children to stay with while going through the courts. You may also contact specific church related hospitals in Taiwan and ask if they have knowledge of a child being abandoned or needing a family. You will find those links here: Church and Religious hospital info
If you are not religious or find no help in these places you can also look on your own or make Mandrain speaking connections and ask them to call the hospitals and the women's clinics in Taiwan. Or you may email them yourself or have your connection email for you. And ask your lawyer in Taiwan to keep their eyes and ears open for you. A lot of doing your own Independent adoption is nothing more than research and not being afraid to ask and jump in.

Look for our next post to continue this one : "The things You MUST know"

In violation of your civil rights.......

2008-08-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

On the home study front: Our home study agency is doing what many try
but I wanted to make you aware of your rights. Some agencies are
putting on their "physical forms" now that you have to have
Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Hep tests done in order to adopt. Since this
is an expensive venture that most insurance companies won't pay for
unless they "lie" on the paperwork as to why the physical is performed
and the tests required, the YOU my friend will foot the bill. AND with
these tests it can add up quickly upwards from $300 per spouse. I
looked at cheap testing where you can drive to a private lab facility
and if it is the HEP test I think it is then, it is $230 alone! Well,
I wanted to tell you gals that I have done some research on this
subject and first of all, it is ILLEGAL and a violation of your civil
rights to ask you for an AIDS test most definitely. This information
doesn't even have to be released to family of an individual without
written consent of the individual in question. I would beseech anyone
that is concerned about cost or just doesn't wish to be bothered with
this to find your state adoption laws and statutes and search them for
requirements on this matter. (Most will find this a mute topic and
that only a physical reflecting your good or relatively good health is
required since asking for these tests in part or in totality are a
violation of civil rights). You need to know what is required by your
country you are adopting from. Taiwan DOES NOT require physical forms
(only in certain situations) much rather these tests! (I think you
will find most countries do not care about specific tests, just your
overall health).
Lastly, you need to know why your agency is requesting this of you. If
your state doesn't require it, and the country doesn't require it.
Then who wants it and why?

NOTARY INFO, DO NOT GIVE IN TO UNEDUCATED NOTARIES!

2008-08-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

You've heard the saga. Some poor adoptive family turned onto the street cold, frustrated and with NAKED DOCUMENTS because the documents were in Chinese, Russian or other. They were told "No mam, we have to be able to read the document." And though most know this ISN'T TRUE, they walk away discriminated against and in disbelief as to the atrocious act they just witnessed against themselves, their adoption and their adoptive child. Well, you can STOP this from happening in the future. Be PRO-active and complain. Find the chink in their armor that has the CORRECT answers and WIN THIS FIGHT! Why am I being so dramatic? Because what they are doing is WRONG and possibly even illegal. THEY are NOT suppose to be allowed to demand of a notaries job what they are but yet they do. Well, I called one of the banks that gave us the crud line "we can't read the document and we HAVE to be able to read it" yeah right. So, I called the SEC of STATE and the National Notary association and asked them IF Notaries are suppose to read the documents and they said NO!
That if they "try" to give you legal advice, you can sue them! They also said that many notaries are not complying with the "rules set forth" for notaries and that they too are upset and tired of the bullarky! I then called the bank and talked to them and they said that their staff should have known that there is an english piece of paper that you can attach to the document that states what they are and such that they CAN INDEED notarize the document. It isn't about reading the document after all, it is about reading THEIR Box that they do THEIR Work in!!!!!!
Another bank that did the same NO NO, found out after talking to someone with more knowledge of the company that the documents can be scanned in and then translated so they have the go ahead in order to notarize the materials. SO, this is all to say.. DON"T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! THIS IS ALL UNEDUCATED BULLARKY THAT NEEDS TO BE FOUGHT!
http://www.nationalnotary.org/
It is going to take you to the Colorado site BUT it is still used in other states! Also, call your SEC of STATE and the BANK you were turned down at, mention these options I Have mentioned here and that you are well aware of what a notary is for and you demand that they not discriminate against you! We really need to buck up and stop this madness before notarization is a dead art and our documents are forever naked! Do Not allow discrimination to enter your adoption via a "person unwilling to do their job as it should be done".

Welcome to the Adoption world.. why am I here?

2008-07-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's all about adoption. Are you right for adoption? How do you adopt? There are so many avenues for adoption. These avenues can be so confusing and scary for the travelers in this journey. Agencies claiming that their regulations are the country or orphanage regulations, insterstate compacts, and different rules from state to state can make a newby in the adoption world say "Oh My". There is no need for this daunting feeling that aches in the pit of your stomach, but don't worry, it is natural for a new Adoptive parent to feel bewildered and stressed before they even sign with an adoption agency or pick their avenue to travel for their adoption journey. I am hoping that you will find my writing as a beacon of hope in this sea of information. I am not at all claiming to know everything about adoption, but I am willing to offer to you what I do know. So, sit down, take a deep breath and read. Soak it up, then when you are ready, step away from your computer and start your adoption journey.

Are you in your adoption journey but feel as though others are not understanding you? Do you feel pressured by outsiders to act a certain way? Are you frustrated with your agency or adoption professional?

This is all pretty normal in the adoption community. Just like any relationship that means anything. It takes work and understanding on both sides and I know how it feels when you are doing all the understanding and those around you are refusing to understand you. The sometimes daily screaming in your mind tends to become deafening during a long adoption journey. I am going to try to still that voice in your head that is screaming for acknoweldgement. I want to offer you hope and understanding about adoption but not so much understanding you can't function as an adoptive parent. Yes, it is possible to read so much you numb your own built in skills and make bringing your new family member home anything but a delight. So take heed and understand the first rule of adoption. The person that wrote that book is more than likely a self proclaimed professional and has not adopted ALL the children in the world, so they too will have a limited understanding of your child. Does this mean to not read these books or even what I am typing to you? No, not at all. Just make sure to keep your head in check and let your opinions have room to breathe so that when that wonderful day arrives and you are picking your child up, you are not holding a bag of tricks meant for someone elses child. Trust me, you DO have instincts and they are worth while. Just because your child is adopted does not make them a special secret diseased being. Just a little different. Adopting a child is a balance. A wonderful and beautiful balance and I hope to help you see that as time goes on. So, now that we have the first ground rule laid, and you understand that I am just a person like you, sharing what I have learned and found to work, we can now move forward and start learning. Stick around. I like you.

The Hakka People: Your Taiwanese child could be Hakka!

2008-07-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Hakka people are one of the majority groups in China and are
a sub group of the Han Chinese. They predominantly originally
presided in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian China.
The origination of the Hakka people is still a mystery and
contested to this day.
The Hakka People have over time, migrated to not only several
provinces in China, but also to many other countries such as
Australia, Canada, United States and Parts of Europe. Their successful
migration and acclamation to their new surroundings
despite the many challenges he Hakkas faced, highlights their strength
as a people and culture making them a substantial influence
on Chinese history by providing key revolutionary, political, and military
leaders to the chinese culture both in China and overseas,
forever changing the face of Chinese history.
As the Hakka moved to new territories, where Punti did not reside.
The Hakkas became the 'Punti' population for these areas
over time. Because of the Hakka's lack of desire to conform to the Qing
dynasty, by refusing to bind their women's feet, the Hakka
people were displaced and persecuted for their culture which differed
greatly from the Manchu. Thus over the past 40 years, because
of transitions in China, the Hakka, along with the Hoklo and Shanghai
people, have been 'localized' and adopted as Punti identity.
Occupationally the Hakka people found their beginnings based in
agriculture along with 95% of China in that day and time.
Finding work hard to find their lack of employment lead them to other
Naturalistic and earthy endeavors such as folk lore art,
music, and literary writings. Their new endeavor as a people proved
successful in the famed folk lore songs "mountain song"
and "eight tones".
The culture of the Hakka's not only offered wonderfully new and
different art and music but also an entirely different cooking
style was introduced by the Hakkas. Their keen knowledge of foods and
how to preserve their natural flavors by cooking them
just so so proved valuable to their people not only for sustenance and
individuality but also became famous, but amongst
another nation. The United Kingdom's Chinese restaurants, unlike the
U.S. serving Cantonese style Chinese food, they serve
Hakka Chinese style food. Most of the United Kingdom's Chinese
restaurants are owned by none other than Hakka families.
Formosa Island, more commonly known as Taiwan, also finds itself a
home to the Hakka people. Although the Hakka people
in Taiwan, makes up 15% of the population, the Hakka's still find
themselves being persecuted and prefer to reside in the hills
in hopes of escaping the glares and stares of the Non Hakka villagers.
The Hakkas in Taiwan reside mainly in the mountainous
regions and hilly regions of Taiwan, but are also found in Ping Tung
(where Jo hails from), Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung counties.
The years have been kind to the Hakkas however. Despite their
persecution and differences in culture, the Hakka's have made
several contributions to the Chinese History. One key Hakka decedent,
which was a failed Qing Scholar and once apart of the
Qing dynasty, tried to make his claim to fame by self proclaiming
himself as Jesus' brother and spreading his own version of
the Christian faith across the Southern provinces of China.
The missionaries of course disavoweled Hong for his "new religion".
Hong's teachings however, were accepted and the movement eventually
formed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (Taiping Tian Guo).
This "movement" also came close to single handedly toppling the Qing
Dynasty and in turn contributing to the military failure of
said Qing Dynasty.
Other Contributions of the Hakka people politically, artistically,
and in all other venues has also proven the Hakka people to
be quite valuable in many counts to Chinese history on the mainland
and also across the globe. Just to name a few Prominent
contributors which hail from the Hakka people:
Chen Yuchang, Shi Dakai, and Li Xuicheng contributed politically.
Guo Moruo, Han Suyin, and Luo Xianglin were literary
figures.
Alex Man, Luo Dayou, S.H.E. and Shino Jin which made their fame
through entertainment.
Lin Fengmian, Hong Huang Yin, and Hsn Mu-Jheng were famous for
their musicality. Mu-Jheng was the composer of
"Mountain Song".
The Hakka architecture is also not too far removed from it's
Naturalistic roots. As it offers a new yet simple design, using
mainly circles and squares for the main structures. The Circles and
squares, not only serve as multi family living quarters but
also as a type of fortress to keep unwanted guests out and all the
inhabitants of the structure safe and secure. These structures
are Tu Lou.

Since finding our son Josiah, we have learned that he has a blood
deficiency called G6PD, Glucose 6 Phosphate
dehydrogenase deficiency. This deficiency basically attacks the red
blood cells. Making the red blood cells die quicker than a normal
healthy body. How does this connect to the Hakka people?
The Hakka people are known for eating one of the main items
that the sufferers of G6PD must avoid, which is Fava Beans,
or any bean known to man. Since the Hakkas have such a fine cuisine,
which is heavily inindated with Fava beans, when one
of their children is known to have this, they will usually seek out a
family to adopt the child. There are Four levels to the
deficiency, 1 being Ground Zero, and 4 being the best case scenario.
As you may imagine, level one means that the amount
of possible triggers for the deficiency to push the carrier into anemia,
of course is higher. Meaning that more things will need
to be avoided by the carrier. The amount and severity of the deficiencies
reaction to a trigger will become lower or null and void
the farther away from Ground Zero your numbers are or in lamen terms,
the higher your red blood cell count is, the better off YOU
are if a "trigger" is introduced into your system. The level and numbers
also dictate how long your red blood cells will
last and also how long or invasive a trigger will or can be on said system
if it is introduced for any reason to the carrier's body.
If removing the trigger does not make the anemic reaction relent, then
a blood transfusion may be the only viable route to be had.
Right now Jo sits on about a 2-3 level. Meaning he will have to avoid all
sulpha drugs, all quinine drugs, possibly tylenol and most
pain killers, All beans known to man, and possibly but not likely avoid soy
products including hidden soy product such as Soy
lethicin and Guar Gum. The carriers of said deficiency usually live
very whole and long lives however, usually without incedent. It is
said that most carriers "effected" by the G6PD are male and that 11%
of Asian males are carriers of the deficiency. They are rarely a
level one however. This does not all mean that this deficiency is indeed
indicative to the Hakka people, just more likely to not
have a normal life amongst a culture that eats the main triggers consistently.

Some Hakka Links to See:

Morning Light CHALLENGE!!

2008-06-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

http://morninglightac.chipin.com/morning-light-ministries

Morning Light Children's home!!

2008-06-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

WE are having a challenge. WE have a space for the children folks.. BUT we need a nanny and an AC. The main thing right now that YOU Can help with is the AC and ask around church for the nanny!!!

WE are asking everyone to consider adding just $10.00 to the fund. We need $1200 to get the AC in the building. Please consider this. We have children being turned away and need this home open!!!!

Thank you for your time and your consideration.
http://morninglightac.chipin.com/morning-light-ministries

If you are considering independent adoption in Taiwan in the future or even today, this may one day be your child's home and my child's home.. let's make it a special and comfortable one together!
Sarah k

TECO INFORMATION

2008-06-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

The following is information that you will need for "authenticating" the documents you just collected.

Each TECO office serves particular states. NOT EVERY state has their own TECO office.
Here is the link to the list of offices: http://www.teco.org/links.htm

The application for authentication:
http://www.taiwan-kcteco.org/downloads/certification.pdf

Translator Services

2008-06-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

The following information is for a Translation service in Taiwan.
They charge from $150 USD to $500 USD for translation of your homestudy
and your state laws. The amount charged to you will depend completely upon
how many pages you need translated. If you do converse with this company
you need to put Attention Peggy Wu on all your communications.

URL: www.at-link.us

Peggy Wu
AT-Link
ATA Corporate Member
Tel.: +886-2-2776-3577
Fax: +886-2-2776-3665
Email: Tmaster@at-link.us
URL: www.at-link.us

AIT Contact info

2008-06-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.ait.org.tw/en/visa/iv/IV_info.asp

American citizens interested in adopting a Taiwan orphan should contact AIT for information. Please call 886-2-2162-2000 ext. 2005 or fax 886-2-2162-2253.

If you call, remember they are 13hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

I am working on getting a solid email for someone that will answer our questions.

This contact is important to Families that are wishing to adopt independently in Taiwan.
This contact is where you will get the "NECESSARY" laws of adoption for your state, which you
reside in. This is the best place to find these state laws because they will be the ones that AIT and the Taiwan Courts will accept! So, for those of you looking for your state laws, which you WILL NEED, call AIT And ask them to send them to you or the translator.

Immunizations Chatter!

2008-05-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello folks, I was just talking on another board about immunizations and heard the "NEW THING" for our lovely doctors to do is to urge you to redo your child's Taiwan immunizations. I would not suggest this for fear of hurting the child. There are a few reasons to really "Consider why NOT to give these shots again. You will have to sign a document while at the AIT exit interview that states you will get any of these needed vaccinations for your child within 30days. I have not found an exemption to this 30 day rule.

1. These shots from Taiwan are usually of the same value, medical integrity and potency as our U.S. Shots. The AIT accepts them as true immunizations, and majority of "well studied" doctors will also accept them as such.
2. There are alarming levels of mercury in these shots, duplicating these shots would possibly open your child up for injury and that would not be necessary.
3. Some doctors will have you sign a document releasing them from all harm of these shots, even though they insisted they be done again without proper documentation of it being a necessary thing.

For those of you on the edge of Vaccinations and wishing for more information as the the "diploid tissue (aborted fetus related) and high levels of Mercury, here are some sites to check out for information.
National Vaccination Center
Think Twice
Exemption Forms (medical and RELIGIOUS exemption forms, yes it is legal)
Vaccination waivers (another source for exemption forms)
Vaccination ingredient lists(Whats in them???)

We recently had a nasty message that the poster left and will not be placed on this blog. For one they did not read that I was targetting RE-administering immunizations for adopted children from over seas, which therefore makes their response very one sided and not applicable. Number two they were not considering that every parent has their reasons for considering such an act, and that this site is predominantly adoption related. So if you are going to leave a message on the matter, try reading the actual post please!!! This is not a post to be flamed!
I won't even mention the one aspect they did mention that should be considered IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING NOT DOING SHOTS AT ALL, because it is still not related to RE DOING a child's vaccines when they have been done before and really could hurt a child a SECOND TIME around in the same vaccine family!!!

2008-05-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Blogovers for donations!
Ok, so, I have gained a new hobby and want to help our adoption however I can. So, I am here to introduce a new service from AlwaysNaturallyYours.com

I will now be offering Blog Over Services! A Header like the one's on the left, will be a donation of
$25.00 plus cost of the kit. This includes pictures you wish to have added to the Header.

For an entire blog over like the ones you can see if you click on the headers below,
Donation of $50.00 plus cost of kit.

To order a BLOG OVER SERVICE contact me at Taiwankiddo2@yahoo.com

in order to make arrangements! Thank you for helping get Josiah home!
Or you can order through my store (COMING SOON!!!)

NEW Resources for INDEPENDENT!!!!

2008-05-13T00:02:00.001-07:00

I have been snooping online again. I know there are a lot of you "Do it yourselfers" out there that are interested in finding your way through Taiwan adoption with out an agency or an organization. With the recent facelift (to be announced in full later) that Taiwan orphanages are "possibly receiving" via their regulations and qualifications for Adoptive parents, the Taiwan boards are busting at the seems of families waiting for referrals and some are starting to worry. If you are looking into other avenues you are not alone. I have received several emails in the last several days of those wishing to know more about the world of "independent adoption:Via Beautiful Formosa". So here you go ladies, some more possible leads for you. Here are some new resources for Taiwan Independent adoption:

Unwed mother home associated with Christian Salvation Services

Taiwan church list

Minnonite Christian hospital

Minnoite Hospital

Taitung Christian Hospital

That is all for now... more to come later!!!

Testing!

2008-05-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

I am just wondering as I look at my two blogs of thoughts, time and heart if the mic is even on? LOL.

New pictures of Josiah

2008-05-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

To see them all, go to Taiwankiddo2.blogspot .com

The Splitting of the Blogs!!

2008-05-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dearest ladies and gents. Do to the confusion being caused by having a dual purpose blog (Taiwan info and also family blog, I have decided to split the family blog off.
The address of the blog you are viewing will be the "Taiwan info blog" and will be located at http://taiwanindependentadoptioninfo.blogspot.com/

The family blog (which I just redesigned) will now be located at Taiwankiddo2.blogspot.com You will receive updates on Josiah and read
about our family life over there. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may
cause your links..lol.

A BROTHER FOR YOU! ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2008-04-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

Introducing: Our new Son!!!Josiah with his caregiver, in Taiwan
Please keep in mind that we are doing a private adoption, therefore are in a MUCH smaller waiting pool than agency adoption.

So, many of you know that my husband and I requested a girl quite humbly, BUT we have recently found that God had other plans. I know you probably weren't expecting an announcement from us about a referral this soon but hey, God works in mysterious ways!!! We are so blessed and just can't hide our little almost one month old secret any longer. So, here I am to tell the world. Not only, that we are we not adopting a girl this round, we already have our child identified!!!!! His name is *drum roll please*
Josiah Daniel
That's right. Josiah was born in Ping Tong county, Taiwan on March 29th, 2008, a whopping 5.5 lbs in weight, lots of hair and sweet as can be. He is staying with missionary friends for now, and we are so happy and blessed to have him in such a warm and loving Christian home!!!! We have already received referral pics and an update but were waiting for the right time to share our little one with you all. Josiah is truly a miracle baby, being born in almost NO amniotic fluid. He is 1/4 or so aborigine. We do not know as of yet which tribe or even if birth mom knows. He is in great health and we are told he is a good baby! He has tried to coo twice, scaring himself at the sound of his own voice. He is drinking 4-5 ounces of formula every 3 hours and is also learning how to smile. So, without further ado we introduce Josiah Daniel to you!

Josiah a day or two
after birth. The first
of two referral pictures.Josiah referral photo one Josiah referral photo two Referral picture number two

Thank you Deana and Luke and Trena and Holly for all that you have done and are doing to help. God bless you all!!

AN INSIDE LOOK INTO INDEPENDENT!

2008-04-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

The big 4! The big FOUR! The Fourth month! Ok, so it has been four months since we signed on with Morning Light. Our last adoption through Taiwan was a whopping 3 1/2 weeks to referral and 6 months from application to pick up! Of course this was when the milk and honey flowed freely and there were a gazillion people waiting in line! Even though we are with a small Missionary lead organization, time still ticks by, but hopefully just not as long as with the American agencies. Things are so different with a non agency adoption or Independent adoption. Foster care has to be located for your referral, paperwork is different, there is MORE travel across the island than with agency.
HERE IS THE SUPPOSED DIALOG of the intricacies of INDEPENDENT ADOPTION TAIWAN VS. Agency:
What could be so different you ask? Well, let's start with how an agency adoption would go.
First of all, you receive your referral WAY differently. The referral with an agency goes something like this.....
You either receive a call or an email with either a waiting child they are offering you or a child that has just come up for adoption within their network. You receive their picture (90% of the time or more) and their background, family history, health concerns if there are any to consider.
You think about it, pray about it and then accept or deny.
After referral acceptance, you get the contracts and the power of attorneys, which you first oogle over because they are sooo COOL! copy in triplicates times triplicates times a bunch more..lol. You get those notarized and then authenticated. Then they all go to TECO which says, "Yep, these are cool" and then they send them either to you or your agency. Your agency makes MORE COPIES of everything in triplicates times triplicates. You, If you are smarter than the average adopting bear, will take a copy of all these documents and carry one set WITH YOU, just in case, including copies of your passport ( I know they say no color, but do it anyways), AND you will leave a copy of your taxes and your whole "dossier packet" with a friend or trusted family member back in the states (including your passport copies) just in case you leave your documents in a taxi one day while in Taiwan and have to go to AIT to get your child's exit interview done and OOPS you don't have the info, BUT WAIT! YOU DO! Because you were smart, it is back at home, safe and sound and can be faxed or emailed right over.
Ok so you did the contracts and everything, you have all the info and now you are ready. You wait and wait, and wait, and GUESS WHAT? YOU WAIT! BUT WAIT, that's not all you also won a trip to "you don't know a thing ville". That's right, you don't get ANY INFO (depending on what agency and what judge and what orphanage). You possibly won't know when your court log in date was, when your court date is or was, or even when first ruling happened. So, you wait for the all fateful TRAVEL CALL! Once you get the travel call, you will have about 2-4 weeks to make your travel arrangements (depending on agency, orphanage, and AIT appointments already lined up since they only allow so many a week for adoption interviews).
So, you make travel arrangements for you and your oh so excited spouse, pack, repack, and finally pack again. You have the well known and famous "travel meeting" with your agency. Your blood is pumping, you have so many questions and they have answers for all. You are somewhat relieved now that you are up to speed. You make one more check of your luggage and your paperwork. You take your paperwork on the plane IN YOUR CARRY ON! So that you don't have to worry about the luggage not arriving or it getting ran over and your whole life history and nitty gritty info being all over the runway! You fly to Taipei, Taiwan. A twelve hour flight of butterflies in the tummy, watching the plane on the map with great anticipation, trying to occupy your reeling mind with airline movies, trying to sleep everynow and then when the butterflies grant you permission, or just talking to your hubby about how great your child is going to be (you know, what their cry sounds like, what their laugh is like, will they like you?, what are they doing right now?).
Ok, so you survived your flight, which is very nice and you couldn't have asked for better service if you took EVA AIR That is (small plug for our fave Taiwan flyer). You get off the plane, and even though you read the guidelines your agency sent you telling you NOT TO POINT!!!!!!! You get off the plane either graugy from sleeping or flat frenzied and excited and you POINT AT THE SIGN YOUR DRIVER IS HOLDING! You die of embarrassment and then vow to never point again! So you change your evil ways immediately and then you present your hand palm up towards the sign in correction. All the while excitedly yelling to your travel party, "there it is".
You worry for a split second "we have to go through customs" then you realize "there really isn't a customs to really speak of, no one is stopping you, no one even cares" so you grab your bags, make an instant check of the stroller to make sure all wheels are still attached, then make your way to your driver's car or van. You load it all up, quickly, since they like to do things quickly. You go on what the American's would call a rollercoaster or race track back home. You try to take in all the sites as they Wizz by you through the van windows. You try to snap a shot here and there and they are blurry since you are going oh 80 or so!! As you near down town Taipei you get more excited. Your thoughts are "Wow, I am really in TAiwan, this is soooo cool!" and then for some it turns to "WE are going to FINALLY MEET OUR CHILD, I FEEL SICK!"..lol.
Ok, so you came to grips with the fact you are no longer in Kansas Toto and you hang on for the remainder of your trip to your hotel. Some of you may choose to go directly to rail or another plane however if your child is in Tainan. None the less, your trip will end up at a hotel somewhere in Taipei or Tainan. You will meet your child either the next day or if you traveled earlier, in a day or two. You will again feel those butterflies, except this time they seem to have turned into BATS! You meet your child, you cry, you take pictures, you cry, you watch your husband playing with his son or daughter for the very first time, YOU CRY, you learn about their life there at the orphanage, you meet their caregivers YOU REALLY CRY because you are grateful for the love you see them giving your child, you give them their gifts, maybe listen to a letter from birthmom or YOU MEET HER!YOU CRY AGAIN! Finally, your day in the sun, your first day with the new love of your life, the day you waited for, the day you prayed for, Your Child's Gotchya day is almost gone, sniff sniff. You either board a plane or train or taxi and make it back to your hotel, which is more than likely in Taipei since AIT appointment is usually the day after you pick up your child, and THAT is in Taipei. You go the next day to AIT and you forget your money in the room (don't forget, all NTW or USD or a credit card but credit is unreliable and you don't want ANYTHING to hold up your child's visa). So you go back to the hotel and get the money. You arrive at the VERY SCARY guards standing outside and they ask you what your business is. You tell them and they smile, you think "they can do that?" lol. So you enter AIT. The appointment is easier than you had assumed. You run into another Afamily and say hi. Are they from your board? You go back to your hotel or site see. Next day you go back to AIT and get the VISA for your child. AGAIN, easier than you had assumed. That night or the next day you usually frantically pack your possessions up again to fly home, this time with the ultimate "Made in Taiwan" souvenir. You smile, many natives smile back. Life is good. You come back to mass crowds to meet you and your new sweet heart! You are dog tired. You make it through it all and think "where did the time go?".
Ok, so we just did an agency trip. Are you tired? I am.

Independent! Ok so, so far, this is what we have seen. Your birthmom has not always relinquished rights, which whether you know it or not, sometimes that is the case in agency too, but it seems to be more pronounced with independent. You get minimal info on your child up front sometimes, because they are not always born and you don't have the pull an agency does to muscle info out of the birthmom's doctors. You don't get a picture immediately, because this isn't agency land and that isn't a necessary thing..lol. You may get it a few days later though after you find out about your child. If your child is not born yet, then that is self explanatory, right? Unless you are partial to the alien look of a sonogram, then I would forgo this stage for a picture. Ok, so, since this isn't a normal referral you are use to, meaning agency style. I would assume, You feel very off kilter and kind of confused. Is this my kid? Is this it for our family? AFTER grueling back and forths in your thougths. You accept the child as your own. BUT the birth mom is under age and cannot sign the papers until she is 20, or SS are taking their time to get you the info on the kid or kids, or it is not born yet and again that is self explanitory (can't sign over what doesn't exist!). So, your waiting starts here instead of the courts. So you wait, and wait and WAIT! Details are nailed down as you go. They have to be because all cases are different. So, you just hang in there. Checking your email everyday for new information on the case. Your Taiwan side organization are great though and they get any info to you immediately. You are grateful. You seem to get more info than with agency because you are apart of the decision making process. You have a say so, since it is your adoption. You know WAY more than you did with your agency adoption and you are kept in the loop at all times. This is the nice part!!!! You get more updates than agency. So, depending on your birthmom's circumstance, you may have to wait a couple of months to be able to start the adoption. Depending on when she is due, is she 20?, will mom and dad sign on her behalf. You have to pay for your foster care. Which depends on who has the child as to how much they want. Some just want you to pay for formula and diapers or food and send clothing. Others want 400 USD. Until the home is up and running this is the way things are, so you deal with it. You find out your child is in oh say Taichung, so your court process will happen there. You finally get your contracts, you do the same process with them as with the agency, except there are NO triplicates times triplicates, BUT you are smart again this time and make a copy of everything for you to carry with you and one to leave at home. Ok, so you are through that stage! Pretty painless, just like with agency. Your papers go to the court either by SW or Lawyer. You get to skype sometimes with your child, even an infant. You get like 50 photos instead of 2 or 3 up the nose shots or some months not at all. YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON THE WHOLE TIME however. EVEN when your child gets a tooth!!! AGAIN, a nice thing to have on your side. You know court log in, court date, first ruling and then you get THE TRAVEL CALL. You have control over this somewhat though and you can leave as early as a week, to go and get your child. You frantically get your flights and hotel in order. Pack, repack. You don't have time for the final pack..lol. So, you just get on the plane and go, go, go. Where? To Taipei of course, just like with agency. BUT, your child is wherever your foster care is, so you go and pick them up say in Taichung. BUT they were born in Taitung, so you load up on a plane or a train again and go to Taitung to change the household registry YOURSELF, which means you get the "friendly IR-visa" and no readoption in some states. They will be a citizen upon touch down. Then you want to thank those that helped with finding your child so you go and visit with the missionaries, then the unwed home, so more planes or trains or automobiles for you. SO, you have already traveled half the island possibly. Lastly, you too have to do the agency thing and go to AIT for the exit interview and then second day, the visa. You of course are smart and do the whole document copy thing and make sure you have the all NTW or USD for payment, because rememer? WE don't trust the credit card. So, you are done and ready for the flight home with the newest member of your family. The butterflies come back, after all, they don't want you to fly alone. Your child does fine on the way home and you are greeted by what seems to be all of your home town if not the entire state! After all, you survived an adoption and have a super sweet kid to show for your efforts, pain, agony and sheer exhaustion!!!!! THE END!
Life is going ok, I have lots to do and NOT ENOUGH TIME to do it in. There are things going on behind our scenes that we are agonizing over! Emails need to be emailed, yard sales had, jewelry made! YIKES! I am so overwhelmed right now. Anyways, we hope to be doing a "real update" of some kind in the near future. Bear with us!

Your Chance is Here!

2008-04-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Cyber world! Now is your chance to support a Birthmom. His Hands Taiwan has a birthmom and baby boy who are in desperate need of your help. This is His Hands first birthmom case sense opening their doors on March 1st. Mom is in an abusive relationship and baby is also involved seeing as they live with the abusive boyfriend of mom. Baby is 16 months old and in need of a surgery for a hernia. There is all the information you can hope for at this site HIS HANDS.
Please if you can find it in your heart, this Birthmom needs your prayers and help so does baby Adam.
On up note, His Hands has done so very well with this young birthmom and the situation has been a blessing to all involved! Thank you for your time.

ADOPTIVE MOM'S EXPRESSIVE BRACELET

2008-04-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

To order: please go to AlwaysNaturallyYours.com
Bracelets are available with
Blue, Pink, or White baby pearl.
AND Blue or White mother of
pearl. For only $15.00

Grand revealing of: The Adoptive Mom's
"Expressions" bracelet.

Introducing a new line of bracelets that appeals to
the adoptive mother's heart! Designed by Sarah k.
an adoptive mother herself on behalf of Asia's
adoptive Mothers everywhere. This is a ONE OF A KIND
concept, never before shared and now available to you today.
"Expressions" is a "wordless" bracelet that says everything
in an adoptive mom's heart and mind with perfectly chosen
and perfectly placed beads which tell the tale of one mother's
journey to her adopted child in turn bringing two moms
together in love. The build of the bracelet includes key writings
and symbolism that will forever remind any adoptive mother
of her journey to her precious child.

~~~The beautiful centerpiece of the bracelet is an asian
flavored picture with the Simplified chinese characters for
either Taiwan or China all designed and hand inscribed
by Sarah K. herself.
~~~The blue sparkling beads on either side are called
"Gallaxy stars" and represent the very large and very
same beautiful starry night that Birthmother, child, and
adoptive mother sleep beneath night after night.
~~~The mother of pearl circle encompassing a beautiful
fresh water pearl in white, blue, or pink; to the right of
"the country" represents the Birthmother and the child
she carried and protected until the adoptive mom could find them.
~~~The empty Mother of Pearl circle to the left of "the country"
represents the Adoptive mom on the other side of the world,
waiting to find or reach the Birthmom and child.
~~~The Red "Emporer's Crystal" represents the invisible
red thread linking the two mothers and baby.
The belief is as follows:
"An invisible red thread connects those who are
destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."
- an ancient Chinese belief
~~~The Hearts at the ends represents the well known
Adoption Creed that most adoptive moms hide in their
heart along with the dream of their child to be.

Adoption Creed

Not flesh of my flesh    Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously    My own. Never forget    For a single minute: You didn't grow under my heart    But in it.
 --Fleur Conkling Heyliger
~~~Lastly, Adoptive mom's and dad's, or those wishing to give the perfect adoption memory, can add a cross to their bracelet for no extra cost. Representing the perfect reflection that adoption is of Christ's adoption of us into His Kingdom as His children.

The proceeds from the sales of this bracelet will go to
bringing home a child from Taiwan.

BUDGET! REPOST

2008-03-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

TAIWAN ADOPTION COSTS

I am going to type the fees rundown
below.
Agency Adoption fees
$500-$1000 App Fee (not included in the fees below
$14,000-17,900 (healthy infant program,
price depends on orphanage your child resides in and
which agency you sign with. Price may vary by
individual program within each agency )
The payments will happen sorta like this, When
you get
referral of child and sign the contracts they are sent
to your agencyfrom Teco 7,000 or so will be due.
The rest is
due a few weeks before travel to get your child.
What is included in these fees:
Legal document translation and preparation
Agency adoption coordination and expenses
In Country Coordination
Orphanage and Humanitarian Donations
(In the following breakdown I will refer to
"first half" fees as
usual fees incurred before referral or during
wait for travel call)
Not included:
$1,000-3700 Homestudy (First half)
(Some include the finalization and
Post placement visits in this
amount ask)
$670 INS (First half)
$70-80 fingerprinting INS (first half)
$380 Child Visa fees (last half)
$125-180 Passports for 2
$3000 Plane tickets (last half)
$400-1000 Hotel (last half)
$300-400 food (last half)
$550 in country travel if child resides in
Tainan (last half)
$260-500 Agency Post placement coordination
(last half)
$100-300 Misc. expenses such as birth certs,
TECO, and
such (first half)
$300-1000 Doctors fees for physicals possibly not
coverd by insurance and shots for travel.
(first half)
$100-200 For shipping gifts and donations to new
child (first half)
$1000-3000 finalization fees (last half)
I think by time all was done and said we spent around
25k-27k.

Independent adoption Fees
$200-500 orphanage donation
1000-3700 Home study (some include the finalization
and post
Placement visits in this amount, ask)
$670 INS
$70-80 fingerprinting through INS
$125-180 Passports for 2 (higher end is for expedited)
$380 Child's Visa fees
$3000 Plane tickets (last half)
$400-1000 Hotel (last half)
$300-400 food (last half)
$200-550 in country travel if child resides in another
(last half)
000 Doctors appointments not required for independent.
$200 in mailings to and from Taiwan
$170 Translation of documents
$1000-3000 in finalization if not covered by your
Homestudy.
Estimated (HIGH END of independent is 13800)
Normal total should be around..... 8000-10000

These are rough estiments. Please plug in your agency
or adoption coordinator numbers and such in order to
get a more realistic number. Of course your hotel,
food and flight are somewhat at your mercy and or
the mercy of the people that you are working with
for your travel arrangements.

Burdens can come in such small packages....

2008-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

I am feeling so unbelievably saddened today. I am thinking of Taiwan right now and it's people. I am thinking of what Taiwan as a Country will face this coming summer. As spring approaches you and I think of putting our gardens up and watching our wonderful children play and discover God's wonderful bounty and creation. We consider family vacation and outings with our little ones. Bar B Q's will be a frequent affair in our house and so will outside play and fun. Mowing will be a new chore for the coming months as God awakens each little green blade of grass, flower and tree and transforms a sleeping world. I will watch Jeremiah enjoy the sprinklers again this year and see a smile come across him that will melt my heart for the umpteenth time. I will go about my warm and beautiful days with a lighter heart because I will be breathing fresh air and able to run and be free. As much as I would like to only think about the gifts of spring and summer, because of my present plight in life, my heart is a bit laden with burden. You may ask how after such a description. My burden is for that of another people. The people of which came my son. As I sit here, the facts and numbers of this summer run around in my head and they combat the pretty little dream like thoughts. The numbers totally 400,000 abortions in Taiwan, mostly happening end of summer and early fall months. The number of unwed mothers that will be mothers no more because they chose what they felt is survival and self preservation. I am burdened on behalf of EACH little girl that will lay with someone out of wed lock and lose her innocents only to find more heart ache and unlove at the end. The little girl that once only thought of the newest trend, the latest bobble of beauty, or the most desired and treasured cell phone. I can see her, She was laughing just yesterday, playing with her friends and shopping for fun teen clothing. She just went to a movie and was talking, oh so carefree about the theme of such with a dear one. But that was yesterday, today she is now 2 months pregnant and the whole world is on her little shoulders. She is crying herself to sleep and her family is pressuring her to make a decision before it is "too late". She is reminded everytime she rounds one of life's corners that she is no longer just a teen, but she is now a mother. Her thoughts have turned from the latest trend to, "how do I survive this?" She will be making a decision that will change her life NO MATTER what this week. She will choose life or death, quite plainly put. Life or death for herself, socially, emotionally, literally and life or death for an unborn baby physically and literally. She will be talking to people like His Hands Taiwan, the women's clinic, and missionaries like Luke and Deana Pan, trying to find her way to an answer she feels won't kill her. She will find herself asking herself questions that only an adult should have to answer, but she has no choice about that assignment. It has already been made, she will answer. She will contact orphanages across Taiwan in hopes that they have room for her baby, and when she finds none, she will possibly choose abortion and end the baby's life.
So you ask, "why is it my burden today?" Well my friend, I not only feel a strong burden to adopt from the beautiful "Formosa" but I feel a burden to help the unwed mothers, the teens "Formosa". I wish I could talk to each one and tell them there is not love in the act they are about to take place in, that there is a God that loves them and He wishes to allow them to be children a bit longer. I want to tell them of His saving grace and out stretched hands. I want to tell them that there are people out here praying for them, though we don't know them or their plight in life. AND If I am too late to tell them all of this, then I want so desperately to tell them that there is a God that made that life they carry, there are parents that long for that life they carry and the life they carry longs for a first breath and a chance. I want to tell them that there are people willing and waiting to help them and that there are many out there with the opposite burden of them, the burden of baren womb. I want to tell them that their life is so very important and I want to offer them love. I want to tell them that there is an orphanage that DOES have room.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am telling you that I am completely guilty of having unbiased compassion for another human being needing love, understanding, and guidance.
I am completely guilty of carrying a burden that would not have been of me, if it were not given.
I am guilty for loving the teen girls of Taiwan whom's fate is my burden.
Now, I am faced with the act of trying to find funding for an orphanage that NEEDS to be built in Taiwan. An orphanage that has beating hearts and will hands waiting to spread the love of God and waiting to save lives, both teen sized and baby sized. BUT I cannot find the very much needed funding to make this burden no more. The funds that will banish it with the arrival of a building. A building that will house these lost souls and small ones too. A building that will for a time give the dear teens of Taiwan a little more time to be children. I ask all that read this, if you know someone that can or will help build an orphanage and make this happen for the teens and women of Taiwan please contact me. I have a burden that I need to share.
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Dearonebaby@aol.com

Special needs little girl needs a home!

2008-02-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

Do you have room for Li Wen in YOUR heart??????

Hello families!
Do you have room in your heart for a special needs little girl from Taiwan???? She is said to be delightful and funny.
Her name is Li Wen, This picture does not do her justice! She has cerebal palsy and walks with braces, though she can get around and feed herself and such. She is not wheelchair bound. She is currently functioning at the level of a 3yr old (at last evaluation). Her grandparents are taking care of her and want to find a home for her before they pass away.
They are not sure if Li can function at a higher level or not. She may be able to blossom into so much with the right family to guide and love her. Grandma and Grandpa don't want her institutionalized, they want her in a home that will love her and get her the therapy and education she needs to do her best. She is a sweetie.

If you have any questions about these two beautiful children, please do contact me: panshrmu@mlchome.org We don't take money for our services, we just ask that they find homes full of God's love and care.

What Can YOU do?

2008-02-20T21:39:00.001-08:00

Taiwan is a little island located off of China and is prodomenately, an Asian country. The small Asian country, though not technically part of the Republic of China, is made up of Chinse, Japanese, aboringinese, and Dutch ancestory. The language of Taiwan is mainly Mandarin Chinese but is split up by generations really which only makes slight variations of the Mandarin Chinese language. The older generation speaks Japanese with Mandarin mixed in, while the next generation was Mandarin. Their schools teach ENGLISH as a second language. The Taiwan people are a people of rich culture, beautiful song and artistic creation, genius in many subjects including that of electronics and such. Taiwan has put their best foot forward in producing many fine items and trading them with other countries. They are one of the biggest "little" distributors in the world. Well, as time has gone by, along with traditions that far out last most of those of the America's and with superstitious minds taboot. (Don't give scissors or knifes as a gift, it means you are cutting the friendship off). The Taiwanese culture also holds a very strong and well maintained stigmatism towards unwed mothers. It is not like here in the U.S. where a fair part of the time, a family will stand next to a pregnant teen that wishes to keep their child, keeping a child in the U.S. under these circumstances is realistic and a distasteful but supported venture. In Taiwan the culture dictates that an unwed mother be treated as an outcast if you will, a social black spot so to speak. Therefore, the teens and unwed mothers of Taiwan do not usually keep their children. Their options are adoption or abortion. To further the pain of choosing one of these two options for their unborn, the kind option of adoption is sometimes taken from the birth mother leaving her with the only option she feels is a viable option for her self preservation, abortion of the unborn child. How is the option of adoption taken from her? Well, there are presently approximately 32 orphanages in Taiwan right now, with only 4 of those being in the public eye and functioning "placing" orphanages. Three of those orphanages are government or Catholic ran working only with agencies for child placement and charging large sums for adoptions and ONE of those 4 is Born again believer ran, placing with born again believers only but for "cost" only, meaning adoptive families pay a little less than half an agency adoption. While all of this information is fine and dandy, these 32 orphanages are all FULL majority of the time, and some are children that are not even adoptable which in turn means no in and out flow making for a full orphanage most of the time and few spots to work with allowing for movement of children in and out. Meaning that many unwed mothers are turned away each year, mainly summer time for Taiwan's young pregnant teens. Which in turn means that the women of Taiwan choose what they feel is their ONLY answer to self preservation, ABORTION! Morning Light Ministries, which is ran by Missionaries Luke and Deana Pan. While Morning light's main objective is not an orphanage, it is yet an objective and as you can read above a VERY NEEDED objective for Taiwan's people. Morning Light Ministries is wishing to start a brand new VERY NEEDED orphanage in Taitung Taiwan. They are just waiting on funding and the right building or land to build on, so that they can start this venture. They are being mentored by the Home of God's Love in Yilan Taiwan (opposite end of the island). Home of God's love is the one born again orphanage in existance in Taiwan at this point. They have been placing with families for 20 years and have helped literally hundreds of children over the years. The government has asked Home of God's love to build a second building, in turn expanding Home of God's love ability to reach more families of Taiwan and more families of the U.S. The Taiwanese government is now also helping Morning Light to obtain registration allowing them to have full abilities in Taiwan dealing with children. Now they just need the home for the children they need to touch. Morning Light is planning on being much like Home of God's love in as they will not be working with U.S. side agencies because they wish to keep the costs low on adoptions, so low that it is virtually cost adoption. Meanwhile, Luke Pan has a China trip to prepare for and Deana has a phsycology course to take to better prepare her for their new callings, and also homeschool her precious children along with taking care of the foster kids they have in home, and they both run the Taitung Bible church and do their normal out reach ministries. Whew! Is that all? Yes, so what can YOU do? You can contribute by donating money to Morning Light via the Chip in on their site http://mlchome.org/default.aspx you can also donate without leaving here.. it is right to your right.... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> See it? Yeah, that's it... click on the orange button....
now copy the line of text in the white box within the brown box and paste it into your browser on an empty open page... that's right..... there you go... easy huh?
You can also offer prayer for Morning Light and all of the helpers as we try to get the orphanage built or bought. That the right building or land would be available and soon! And that the Pan's would recognize that IT IS the building or land for the orphanage. That the registration would go smoothly and that all would have the strength to do what they can do and the God given intelligence to know what is too much and they can't do. Thank you for your ear and time. We appreciate all that you are going to do to help the people of Taiwan.

Morning Light Fund Raiser!

2008-02-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Hello all!
I am starting a fund raiser for Morning Light Ministries. Morning Light Missionaries, Deana and Luke Pan are Independent Baptist sent. The funds collected will be put into the building fund for purchasing a building or building a building to be used for an orphanage in Taitung Taiwan. If you wish to help there are a few ways to do so. You can first of all donate $1 or more in the "Chip In" box to the right for MORNING LIGHT. Then you can copy the address for it and put into an email and email it to your friends and family asking them to donate just $1 and then send it on to their family and friends. Just think, If this gets to 10,000 people and they all donate just $1, then that is $10,000 to help build the orphanage and save little lives in Taiwan! PLEASE HELP! Thank you for your ear!
Sarah k.

Chinese New Year Videos!!!

2008-02-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

TOO CUTE CHINESE GIRLS DANCE TO NEW YEAR SONG AND SING!

NEW YEAR ACROBATICS!

LION DANCING

DRAGON DANCING

Chinese New Year Calendar!

2008-02-06T11:13:00.001-08:00

THE DAYS BEFORE CHINESE NEW YEAR! Guonian (is a typical greeting during new year meaning that you made it through the old year!)

SO, Guonian!!!!! And I mean that, it has been a hard year in our house. The first act of the New year is actually done days in advance to the first new year day!

Preparations for the Chinese New Year in old China started well in advance of the New Year's Day. The 20th of the Twelfth Moon was set aside for the annual housecleaning, or the "sweeping of the grounds". Every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned in preparation for the new year. SpringCouplets, written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, were put on the walls or on the sides of the gate-ways. These couplets, short poems written in Classical Chinese, were expressions of good wishes for the family in the coming year. In addition, symbolic flowers and fruits were used to decorate the house, and colorful new year pictures (NIAN HUA) were placed on the walls (for more descriptions of the symbolism of the flowers and fruits.

Kitchen God
After the house was cleaned it was time to bid farewell to the Kitchen God, or Zaowang. In traditional China, the Kitchen God was regarded as the guardian of the family hearth. He was identified as the inventor of fire, which was necessary for cooking and was also the censor of household morals. By tradition, the Kitchen God left the house on the 23rd of the last month to report to heaven on the behavior of the family. At this time, the family did everything possible to obtain a favorable report from the Kitchen God. On the evening of the 23rd, the family would give the Kitchen God a ritualistic farewell dinner with sweet foods and honey. Some said this was a bribe, others said it sealed his mouth from saying bad things.

Free from the every-watchful eyes of the Kitchen God, who was supposed to return on the first day of the New Year, the family now prepared for the upcoming celebrations. In old China, stores closed shop on the last two or three days of the year and remained closed for the first week of the New Year. Consequently, families were busy in the last week of the old year stocking up on foods and gifts. Chinese New Year presents are similar in spirit to Christmas presents, although the Chinese tended more often to give food items, such as fruits and tea. The last days of the old year was also the time to settle accumulated. debts.

Family Celebration
On the last day of the old year, everyone was busy either in preparing food for the next two days, or in going to the barbers and getting tidied up for the New Year’s Day. Tradition stipulated that all food be pre-pared before the New Year’s Day, so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, could be put away to avoid cutting the "luck" of the New Year. The kitchen and well were not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year.

The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations were strickly family affairs. All members of the family would gather for the important family meal on the evening of the New year’s Eve. Even if a family member could not attend, an empty seat would be kept to symbolize that person’s presence at the banquet. At midnight following the banquet, the younger members of the family would bow and pay their respects to their parents and elders.

Turning Over a New Leaf
The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar. The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. Chinese New Year, as the Western new Year, signified turning over a new leaf. Socially, it was a time for family reunions, and for visiting friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stressed the importance of family ties. The Chinese New year's Eve dinner gathering was among the most important family occasions of the year.

1st Day of New Year
Lai-See (red envelopes you all hear about)

On New Year’s Day, the children were given Red Lai-See Envelopes , good luck money wrapped in little red envelopes. On New Year’s day, everyone had on new clothes, and would put on his best behavior. It was considered improper to tell a lie, raise one’s voice, use indecent language, or break anything on the first day of the year.

Starting from the second day, people began going out to visit friends and relatives, taking with them gifts and Lai-See for the children. Visitors would be greeted with traditional New year delicacies, such as melon seeds, flowers, fruits, tray of togetherness, and NIANGAO, New Year cakes.

7th Day of New Year
Everybody’s Birthday
The entire first week was a time for socializing and amusement. On the streets, the stores were closed and an air of gaiety prevailed. There were numberous lion dances, acrobats, theatrical shows, and other diversions. Firecrackers, which symbolized driving away evil spirits, were heard throughout the first two weeks of the New year. The Seventh Day of the New Year was called "everybody’s birthday" as everyone was considered one year older as of that date. (In traditional China, individual birthdays were not considered as important as the New Year’s date. Everyone added a year to his age at New Year’s time rather than at his birthday.)

SIDE NOTE: This is probably why when we researched birthdays and how they celebrate it that we found that they really didn't beyond the first year and birth! Red envelopes were also given when a child was born.

15th Day

Lantern Festival - 15th Day
The New Year celebrations ended on the 15th of the First Moon with the Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, people carried lanterns into the streets to take part in a great parade. Young men would highlight the parade with a dragon dance. The dragon was made of bamboo, silk, and paper, and might stretch for more than hundred feet in length. The bobbing and weaving of the dragon was an impressive sight, and formed a fitting finish to the New Year festival.

SIDE NOTE: Our family is going to put our hopes and wishes on helium balloons in Marker and place a glow bracelet or blinking light inside and release them all at once to celebrate the Lantern festival! We will take pictures if we can and et you know how it went! I think it will be wonderful. Not as beautiful as the real thing but pretty none the less!

Flowers: Flowers are an important part of the New year decorations. In old China, much use was made of natural products in celebrations as well as in daily life. The two flowers most associated with the New Year are the plum blossom and the water narcissus

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2008-02-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year Glitter Graphics

To hear the video, please pause the player to the right in the side bar.
The music you are listening to, is a variety of New Year music, including one from Taiwan traditional New Year music! Wonderfully cheery isn't it? I hope you enjoy.

Chinese New Year is a 15 day celebration, beginning on February 7th on the mainland and I believe I also read somewhere that it is beginning on February 6th in Taiwan, but remember that Taiwan and China are about 14 hours ahead of us, so they could have meant the 6 th here but the 7th there..lol. During the Chinese New Year, the country of Taiwan pretty much lay down their jobs in a lot of their jobs and go to festivals and events that are all apart of the celebration, at least government jobs do....we know this because of the court speed ups you experience right before the new year and the court slow downs you experience right during and after the new year!

In some aspects, the Chinese New Year does resemble the American New Year. They have fire works, they have new year resolutions, new year hopes and dreams... etc. In some ways however their new year is so different and wonderful! They have dragon dancing, parades, and Lantern festivals just to name a few things! Isn't it awesome what your new child has or will bring to your life? I am so happy that we have this part of us now to share with Jeremiah each and every year. It is such a colorful celebration with hope and new days to look forward too!

This Sunday, Jeremiah will wear his favorite outfit.. his traditional chinese outfit that we got him while in Taiwan. He loves wearing his outfit for his special occasions! And wouldn't you know it? He looks so snazzy in it too?! Anyways, he will wear his outfit to church so that they too can share in his country's celebration! I just wish we could let off some of those sky lanterns... too cool!!!!!! So, to wrap this up, Happy New Year!!!!!!

(as found on Infoplease.com)
A Ratty Year

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were all born in the year of the rat.

Fireworks and Family Feasts

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

Although as a Christian family, we do not believe in the "legend" or celebrate the spiritual side of the New Year, we do share the culture of the New Year celebration with our Taiwanese adopted son! We are so happy to add his wonderful and rich culture to ours as we live and grow together. I think the Lantern festival is just beautiful and would love to see that in person, Maybe one day little man! I hope to one day see him involved in his cultural celebrations such as the dragon dance or the Lantern festival! Just beautiful. Thank you Jeremiah for sharing your wonderful heritage with us every day! We love you! Shing Shang Hau!

(ifnoplease.com)

New contact addresses for......

2008-02-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some new contact addresses for those wishing to work with Christian Mountain Children's home. They work through these agencies in Taiwan and have requested that any family wishing to work with them contact these agencies!

Catholic Welfare Services
Room 907, Central Building (9th Floor)
2 Chung Shan North Road, Section 1
Taipei, Taiwan
tel: 311-0223, 311-7642

Christian Salvation Service
397 Hsin Yi Road, Section 4
Taipei, Taiwan
tel: 707-8736

The Pearl Buck Foundation
Room 950, Central Building (9th Floor)
2 Chung Shan North Road, Section 1
Taipei, Taiwan tel: 331-8690

BOTTLES,BINKIES, AND FORMULA! OH MY!

2008-01-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Orphanage Care in Taiwan:

Bottles, Pacies and Formula OH MY!

I know your mind is going a million Miles per hour.
We've gone over what to pack and what not too,
but I am sure you are still thinking that there is something else
you can do to be a better mom! You are thinking, I know they
said don't bother to bring bottles but I have to try,
or that the pacies are different from ours and so is the formula
......BUT!

Ok..let's start with this statement. "Many that have gone
before you brought these things and either it worked or not
for them".
Let's face it, adoption is a hit and miss, trial and error kind of world.
Now that you have signed up, get imaginative and if you
do ask the ladies on the forums, try to listen to what is being said
even though you are itching with excitement. We all
know that just like those that have gone before you, YOU TOO
are hoping for a perfect journey and wanting to be prepared!
If you feel you must try to bring bottles for your child and they
are in St. Lucy Center. The bottles they use are essentially some
of the cheapest on our American market. Feel free to go on to
Taiwan with out, they will give you a bottle or two from the
orphanage and then you can go to a pharmacy or a department
store and match what you were given up with what they have OR
I can tell you here and now what they are like so that you can
keep yourself busy during the wait to travel and search for them..lol.
The only way I can explain it is to tell you what to look for in
the U.S. The nipples in Taiwan have an x type mark on the top of the
bottle that is missing one of the legs. So it looks like a 3 legged x
of sorts or it will have an x shape on the top of the nipple.

Nuby has some like this but the nipple is caved in a little
which our child transitioned to fine..BUT yours may not.
None the less, the one you are looking for has this x on
top.

Anyways, the reason why they use these nipples is because
in Taiwan, their nipples like this come with spreaders. They
are a little object that you poke
through the nipple that opens these legs up to the desired flow.
Older children around 10-12 months nipples are opened pretty
much all the way, for max flow. Now, these nipples can be found
here BUT they do not come with a spreader... so here is what I
did. First
of all I wasted luggage space by insisting I would bring MY
choice of bottle and hope the baby liked them...guess what?
DIDN'T work lol. So, my next attempt was to take the bottles
the orphanage gave us in Taiwan and go to the department
store next to our hotel
and match up what I was given with what they had.
I found the same kind of nipple and similar shape bottle and
we were in business. I bought an extra 2 bottles and 3 additional
nipples. The bottles came with the spreader to open the nipple
for max flow.
THEN after returning, I went searching again for the nipples
and the bottles. I found them in run of the mill Playtex and
some cheap brands and the bumpy NUBY nipples have the x on
the nipple too.
Just look for the 3 leg x or an x on the top of the nipple.
Though ours doesn't come with a spreader, if you got one in
Taiwan, you are set. They work on these nipples too! For a
transition bottle I got the NUBY, want to be sipper bottles.
Our child would not accept a regular sippy cup for quite a
while and he was age 1, so I had to get imaginative and search
for something that would
"trick" him into progression. SO, I looked and looked and found
the NUBY system. Which allows for an adjustable flow in the nipple
and then a second "sippy cup" style nipple that still resembles a
bottle nipple in sorts. He fell for it hook line and sinker!

After that it was easy sailing NOT! I then offered him a latex coated hard
sippy cup spout until he accepted and finally, I transitioned him to
a hard plastic sippy cup! WHEW! Was that all? YEP!
As for Binkies! THEY DO LOOK FOREIGN! I don't have
one that he didn't end up biting off the tip left or I would show
you one.
If you must try to buy a pacie for your baby, I would suggest
Round nipple and straight, very little to no contour! I would suggest
though that if you do not want to waste money, to buy some extra
in Taiwan and then compare them when home. We had 3 or 4
extras and he destroyed or got a hole in everyone over a year time.
On a trip to Colorado he wrecked the last binkie! We were then
in a *loud booming movie voice" BINKIE EMERGENCY!
So, I bought I think 5 of 6 packages at 4 dollars a pop of binkies that
resembled the newly burried and dearly departed binkie and had
him try them all. He finally found one style by playtex that he
approved of and we were in business yet again. So, the binkie
emergency was virtually avoided to a point and the child was happy
yet again. WHY NOT JUST TAKE IT AWAY you say? Well,
because I felt that I had ripped pretty much EVERY BLESSED
thing from this poor kid he once new in one years time...
SO, I decided that the binkie was his call along with the sippy cup
transition (that one not so much). We did wean him down to
a binkie only at naps and bedtime though I think about 6 months
after he was home, and then a few months before age 2 he
finally kicked the binkie! Well, actually he got dangerous with the biting
the tip off and we HAD to say good bye to our dear friend.
Lastly, the Formula! At SLC they were putting a cereal
by nestle' in the bottle with the formula. We could not find either
in the states.
So, I would suggest that you buy a LARGE can at the department
store, or pharmacy. We had to find ours at the pharmacy because
ours was not findable at the departmentstore. Buy one or two of the
cereal and mix your bottles DRY formula up for traveling around
TAiwan for the day or carry a formula distributor. We did BOTH and
it worked great. On the plane we took the WHOLE lg can on board
and mixed 3-4 bottles DRY and just added water! AT SLC they did
not warm the bottles up so he took it at room temp. Awesome!
Made my life WAY easier! If you think of it though, by time they
would get around to feeding everyone, the bottles were probably
room temp anyways! So that is probably why he preferred it this way.
Once home I transfered our child to a NATURAL formula
by baby organics! We were very happy with this product and we also
used their cereal. He spit this formula up a lot less. We
mixed it pretty much according to what they mixed his formula in
Taiwan and added the cereal until our DR. appointment.
At the appointment he took him off of formula IMMEDIATELY and
put him on WHOLE milk and food. Which was a given! LOL.
Some parents preferred to mix the new formula with the old.
This didn't quite make sense to me so we just went ahead and
changed him and it was for the good! You are the child's mother,
if you feel a DR. visit for this info is needed go for it, otherwise
it is up to you. You can even breastfeed!!!! Yep, that's right.
You have that ability all built in too!!!! Amazing? YEP!
So, to recap, there are nipples that match SLC that you can
get state side! There are "similar" binkies but no true twins for
the binkies in Taiwan! And the formula is not going to be gotten
here in the U.S. more than likely so you will just have to transfer
your child over to another Formula. OR you can breastfeed!
I will try to get info on Chung Yi bottles and post that next time!!!!

Traveling soon???? What to pack!!!!

2008-01-12T22:32:00.001-08:00

Travel: Packing Document:

Hello Ladies! So you have waited and waited and um well waited until you couldn't wait anymore! You have ridden the adoption
rollercoaster to heights that are unexplainable and to lows that are just as equally unexplainable. You have called your girlfriend
and typed to all of your forum friends until your fingers are numb and "FONT" is now your middle name. Now you have received
"THE CALL", that you have heard about from so many people. You have cried uncontrollably, you have jumped up and down and
now have an appoinment with the chiropractor and the bottom line is that You have been given the green light to pack and make arrangements.
All the packing drills up to this point has been for this moment, the very action of "Packing" for a trip to Taiwan to meet your child.
DON'T Panic!!!!!! But DO pack those comfy shoes and make sure there are chips for the camera... oh and don't forget......
This document is about to become your packing buddy! That's right.. just go down the list. Here we will list the DO TAKES
vs. The DON'T TAKES! So pull up a cushion and watch the drama unfold as we see what really should go and what should stay...

DO TAKES! (let's start with clothing) Taiwan is a VERY HOT country, in which the summer heat can reach a sweltering
100plus with ease. What does this mean for you Northerners that have never lived in Frightful Florida??? (It is not at all pretty
when it comes to heat) This means that you are about to experience a hot like no other..lol. Not only is it going to be hot but
you are representing your country and in another culture, so what is correct clothing? Well, while we were there we did not see
many native woment wearing anything less than a nice capri. Most women were in capris, slacks/jeans or dresses. Men were mostly
in jeans or slacks mainly with the occassional shorts. I personally suggest long flowing skirts for women. I found them to be
much lighter and a lot more confortable while in the heat. Look at it as an investment in personal airconditioning..lol. So, with
that said, pack what you think you will be comfortable in. If it is during the winter, you might want to concentrate a little more
on pants and a light jacket.
Shoes for you and hubby. I would concentrate on comfort. I took my chocos and David took a couple pair of shoes. If you get
around, you will do some walking,so be comfortable. ON a recent poll in a Taiwan group of shoes to wear, Chocos was number
2 with Crocks being the leader! When we traveled our agency told us to keep in mind that the memorials and the temples may
require certain dress and sure enough, Chiang Kai Chek did. They wanted closed toe shoes, no sandles so keep that in mind
too if you are planning on site seeing.
Some hotels offer laundry, but with you just getting to know your little one for the first time I would suggest not making more
headache for yourself and rely on the clothes you bring.

YOU AND HUBBY!
A nice church type outfit to pick up your little on in and possibly for attending AIT meeting.
A mixture of casual and nice clothing.
2 pair comfortable shoes each just in case one pair doesn't work for you or you wish to switch for a day.
bathing suits if your hotel has a pool
Pajamas
A hat if you are sensative to heat.
Of course plenty of underclothes, more than normal because of the possible sweating you will do while in Taiwan.
Sun glasses
tooth brush
tooth paste

Your child's clothing is a whole nother story! I am sure your orphanage person will give you pretty good ideas of how big
or small your child is, but I would suggest that you bring 2 sizes of clothing just in case and at least 2 pair of shoes!
The shoes was the big problem with our pick up. We brought 4s he was in a 5 1/2. Can you say Big foot? If you are
picking up a child over 2 I would strongly suggest you wait to buy clothing until a week or two before leaving so
that you are getting accurate sizes. Or you can "forget" the shoes all together and buy some Ellie roos and
squeaker shoes!!!!!!

BABY or CHILD!

2 different size shorts, pants dresses.
2 different sized shoes (possibly sandals since it is hot)
You can pick up diapers in Taiwan at department stores but if you wish then bring one package of diapers.
Hat or bonnet for hot sun.
Onesies and pajamas for sleeping or romping in your room
(when packing your diaper bag for travel, make sure you have a few changes of clothes including a soft (no zipper) sleeper.
Our little one got a chaffed chest from the zipper and soiled a few outfits while traveling. It is a long ride home folks.)

THE MEDICINE CABINET
Ok.. not exaclty, but you will need to bring some medicines. The medicines we use can be found pretty easily in Taiwan, BUT
they are a little less strength than ours even if it says it is the same strength and I would strongly suggest that you don't
rely on finding it in Taiwan simply because you are picking up your child and do not want to have to travel across a
country needlessly during an emergency if you can avoid it... take the time to get to know your child... So here is a list that
we found helpful. We have info for you if you need an english speaking doctor while in Taipei and your orphanage will
be reachable I am sure if you need one in their hometown. Your child may be on country insurance still so if they get sick
just take them in and show them the Insurance card provided. Regardless, Doctors are very reasonably priced

Allergy medicine for you and baby/child such as benedryl (helps on plane ride too to keep baby's ears relaxed)
Allergy cream
Eye drops if you are a contact wearer both sterile and re wetting
Tylenol or other
Cough syrup
Orajel or Teething tablets by Hilands (teething tablets are wonderful)
An antibiotic for stomach ailments or small infections for you and hubby
Prescription medications (if you take these in a carry on, they must be less than 4 oz and in a ziplock bag)
Pepeto bismal or Tums
Gas medication
Imodium
Contact kit for contact wearers
Eye glasses
Noczema for sun burns
Baby powder
Butt cream for baby
Sun screen for all
baby/child tylenol
Baby toiletries for first bath with mom and dad (burt's bees shampoo bar and soap was wonderful for travel)
Thermometer for you and a child/baby thermometer with non vasaline base if it is a bottom one.
Nit/lice remover only if your child is in an orphanage sittuation.
Bandaids
Neosporin

IT"S FOR THE BABY/CHILD
* DO NOT BRING: I would not suggest you bring bottles unless you are told for sure what ones they are using. The ones we brought were all
wrong and he would not touch them. SO, just go and match them up with the ones in the department store and you should be
fine. Buy a few for home.
* DO NOT BRING BINKIES: Their binkies are WAY different from American ones and hard to match up in form and shape. If your child's binkie looks foreign to you, find them while in the country and buy at least 5.
*DO NOT BRING: Formula, buy that in country and buy one extra to take home.. I would suggest buying one of those formula dispensers for
in the diaper bag while traveling around Taiwan. HOWEVER, premeasuring the powder in bottles is fairly easy for traveling
or take the whole container on the plain with you (FILL WITH BOTTLED< productid="2590956">

MONEY!!!!
DO BRING: Money Belt. Be careful though when carrying your passports in them. They tend to get wrinkly if the money belt is next to the skin. You have to carry your passports at all times so this is just something you will have to figure out!
*Call your banks and credit card companies BEFORE you travel and let them know you are going out of the country, and when. They can (and do) freeze accts they tag as having suspicious activity.. which means you could get stuck in Taiwan with no ability to get cash UNTIL you reach them by phone.
*TWO DIFFERENT BANK or credit cards (WE took a prepaid thank God that saved our lives at Taipei 101, we could use our
bank cards for all ATMS but the ones in Taipei 101 and in Tain Mu. The prepaid however worked great!!!! no green dot)
*EXCHANGE money on the U.S. side when possibleI personally would exchange at the U.S. International airport! You will have a chance if are in the LA airport right after you cross into the international area after the ticket booths. The one we used was to the left on the way to customs! It didn't seem that bad. You can also do exchange in the airport in Taiwan BUT your taxi will more than likely be waiting and they rushed us unbelievably! They can only park for so long and they want to load immediately! You can also get NTWDollars out of the ATM's there and they are in Chinese and English. I would suggest however bringing 2 different kinds of bank or credit cards! We brought our bank card and we also (thank God) brought a special prepaid card that I had set up with 600$ on it just in case. Which all of the ATMS except "bank of China took" which Bank of China was what was in Tain Mu and also in the Taipei 101. So, I whipped out the prepaid at the Taipei 101 and it worked!!!! So, moral of the story, easier to exchange and from what I hear cheaper to exchange in the U.S. airport!
*AIT APPOINTMENT!!
Also, for AIT, pay all in USD or NTW. The credit card machine isn't always working and it WILL HOLD your visa up!

*YOU DON'T need an electrical adapter for Taiwan. Your things will work fine in their sockets.
Also SOME CELL PHONES WORK IN TAIWAN SO CALL AND FIND OUT IF YOURS DOES! VERIZON DOES WORK!!!!!!!!
*But this is a whole nother file...
*A phone card left at home for calling you back, Will get back to you with the one that we used that used barely anyminutes.
*A phone card for the trip for you to use.
*Lap top if you wish to keep in touch with back at home and you can skype call if you have it with you.

FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SNACKS!!!!!! Pack snacks for YOU!!!!! Maybe even some real food.
Some parents have gotten to Taiwan and just didn't eat! Dorritos do not even taste like dorritos, burgers don't taste like burgers
and the Snozzberries don't taste like Snozzberries (this line donated by Willie Wonka) Let's face it........ you are
not in Kansas anymore honey and your little doggy is eating all your comfort food!!!!!! That's right. Even though there are
restaurants parading around in "KFC" clothing and Pizza Huts, they do taste a little different. I mean when was the last time
you went up to Micky D's and asked for a shrimp burger on a rice bun? And paid 150 NTW dollars for said burger????????
UM.. maybe never! In Taiwan, there are like 2 or 3 grades of beef, one is called Australian beef, another is "I am not sure
beef, does in MEOW?, and the last is American beef! They use a any of the three over there so please ask what beef it is before
ordering. If you like chinese food, that is great. You should be able to eat, BUT it is not like our Chinese food. Our food is
known as CANTONESE food to the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese eat CHINESE food. It is quite good, but nothing says
"Passport please" like sitting in a foreign country while they point at ONE chicken dish, ONE beef dish, and ONE fish
dish out of 20 items and you are expected to point and eat! Don't get me wrong it was good but we could have used some good
OLE American junk food. Especially since Jer was not cooperating with us and we spent a lot of time in the room.. well that and
I was sick. Also, if you are really bad at chop sticks BRING FORKS!!!!!!! No really, even orphanages do not have forks even though
they sometimes serve you a lunch when you visit to pick up your child! Trust me.. I disregarded the food and I still regretted this
decision, even though we ate ok but not great since we were stuck in the room. And I was so excited when I found 'TACO"
dorritos at the 7-11 (they are everywhere along with starbucks) and they were horrible!!!!!! I also was not good at chop sticks
and did not bring forks or spoons and well, I had a crash course while eating, holding a new baby I don't know during nap time!!!!
Let's just say that I am a pro at chopsticks now after such an interesting experience!!!
Really, Mcdonalds is not bad, KFC has corn soup instead of fries or wedges and sides we know. Pizza hut was a real treat
and you MUST, MUST, MUST visit that YUMMY famous DUMPLING place in Taipei. Also, have some MILK TEA or PEARL
TEA... it is a must while in Taiwan!!!!! IF you are a picky eater though... Load your luggage up with food to take to TAiwan.
Also, while there try the beef Jerky at the airport.. it is WONDERFUL! and You cannot bring it into the states because it
is beef!!! YOu will have to declare it and you won't get it in and it WILL Cause you a delay!!!!

OTHER STUFF!!!!!!
*Please make sure you have copies of all your INS paperwork, Tax returns, and dossier in a safe place at home or with a relative/
friend just in case it is lost or left. One family left it in taxi on a trip and it was awful trying to get the info together.

*Also make copies of your passport and lisence and keep them with you just in case and leave copies of those behind too!

***Please see File "Contentspediatrictravelkit" for a kit of medicines and such that can be mimiced or bought for your trip.

Ok.. so we are packed and we didn't even need the kitchen sink....! The bathroom sink will do just fine!!!!!!

Laws for adoption from Taiwan VS. Orphanage regulations

2008-01-11T23:33:00.000-08:00

Taiwan Law for adoption via the U.S. Government site....

I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS: The articles of law relating to adoption in Taiwan are
found in the Civil Code (Family and Children Welfare Act in Book VI), Articles 1072 through 1083.

* The adopting parents must be at least twenty years older than the child(ren) to be adopted.
* No child adopted may be:
1. Directly related by blood;
2. Directly related by marriage, except in the adoption of the other spouse’s child as a stepchild; and
3. Indirectly related by blood, such as cousins (unless removed by a certain degree), the spouse of a sibling, or a
sibling of your spouse. (Taiwan law is very detailed about what degree of indirect blood relation is excluded from adoption.
If prospective adoptive parents are concerned about possible blood ties with the child they wish to adopt, they should contact
AIT for clarification before proceeding with the adoption.)

Taiwanese regulations further stipulate that adopting parents must be adults not older than 55 years of age. A married person
who adopts a child shall do so jointly with his/her spouse.
Taiwan Orphanage Requirements or Regulations for
adopting Parents

Orphanage Criteria for adoptive parents:
(orphanage specific regulations and rules)

CATHWELL

Criteria for Prospective Adoptive Parents

* The adoptive parents must be at least twenty years
older than the adoptee.
* Where a married person adopts a child, he/she must
do so jointly with his/her spouse.
* Our organization requires the applicants to be under
45 years old and to be married at least five years.
* Preference is given to CHILDLESS couples.
* A letter addresses to prospective birthmother should
be attached with home study.
* Please keep in touch with Cathwel once in a while before
you are offered a proposal. So we are sure that you still have
interest in working with us.

St. LUCY CENTER

The Qualifications of adoptive parents :

* The adoptive parents must be at least twenty years
older than the adoptee.
* The applicants must be under 50 years old.
* The applicants must be married at least five years

CHUNG YI

Couples who have the following qualifications:

*Live either in Taiwan or outside Taiwan,
ages between 25 to 50 years old,
married over 2 years are eligible to adopt.
The age difference between the

*adopter and adoptee should be over 20 years old.

*Have a fixed living place and regular jobs and can
afford rear children economically.

*Are mentally and physically healthy, couples who
without criminal records and
who can provide rearing and parenting to the adoptee.

*Whose family members can honestly accept, love and care
adoptee families and willing to accommodate adopting procedures
and participate in preparation courses and also willing to try.

HOME OF GOD'S LOVE (NOT ACCEPTING APPS,
temporarily on hold)

1. We pray concerning the placement of each child, and ask
prospective parents to do the same, seeking God’s direction in
placing just the right child in their home.
2. Both parents must be active Christians and must provide
5 references attesting to their
Christian maturity and suitability for parenthood. We do not
adopt to single parents, although
we have helped some, (who locate their own child), with their
paperwork and childcare during
processing.
3. Priority goes to couples who cannot bear their own children
and due to this waiting list,
families with children of their own would be advised to seek
adoption through other agencies.
4. We tend to place children with couples who have no other
children but weigh each situation
and child – seeking the Lord’s guidance.
5. We prefer to adopt to Chinese families. We feel both parents
and child will have a better
adjustment. However, due to the scarcity of childless Chinese
Christian couples, most of our
children have gone abroad.

MORNING LIGHT (applying for registration in Taiwan,
not yet an orphanage and NOT ACCEPTING APPS AT THIS
TIME)

Here at MLC, we are not an organization directly looking for kids
to adopt out. We do have
though, connections through the agencies here that contact when
a child is available. We do
not necessarily have the child/children in our home, but they are
in a foster home or in a
children's home here in Taiwan.
Our first priority at MLC is to place children in an evangelical
Christian home. As Christians
ourselves, we do not feel we can allow a child to go into a home
of an unbeliever. We do have
people ask us about infants, toddlers and older children. We can
search for the child they want,
but not necessarily find one right away.

ADDING COOL TAIWAN VIDEOS>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2008-01-08T00:55:00.000-08:00

WE ARE THE WORLD IN CHINESE.....TOOO COOL!!!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DMQpmp4v4ao&feature=PlayList&p=AB74DCED4AB3259C&index=3
DRAGON DANCING
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gPGWKvk4lTY&feature=PlayList&p=AB74DCED4AB3259C&index=0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HJLIO06_2OQ&feature=PlayList&p=AB74DCED4AB3259C&index=1
MORE TO COME!!!!!

TAIWAN ADOPTION COSTS

2008-01-07T22:28:00.001-08:00

Taiwan Independent Adoption Announcement! MORNINGLIGHT

2008-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all! We are helping get the word out that Morning light will be putting a temporary moritorium on their program until the families thin out. They are accepting a few more apps and then they are going to put the hold on. So please if you contacted Deana and need to get your app from her to fill it out and get it in for approval please do so now. Thank you.

Chip In

2008-01-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

Just adding a chip in box for anyone wanting to help support our adoption in Taiwan. We are not too sure if this road will be long or short seeing as we are adopting privately.. BUT we do know that all of your prayers and financial help is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

So you want to adopt through TAIWAN??? Or anywhere?

2008-01-04T10:47:00.002-08:00

Hello, Welcome to the confusing yet wonderful world of adoption via Taiwan. If you are like I was, you are probably searching for an agency or an adoption path that fits your family profile, your budget, your desired time frame, and possibly even how long you want to be in country. Well, with China adding and changing their rules around, in turn eliminating the option for some to adopt from China, it is now thrusting these parents to other asian countries to find their little ones and Taiwan is quickly becoming the country to adopt from. With their lax rules Which are as follows from the U.S. Government site.
I will start by suggesting that you ask about requirements of the country, the orphanages they work with specifically, and also the agency itself and ask them to divide the rules and regs up by that standard. If they are claiming a reg that is not in the below state department list, and they are claiming it is.. BEWARE!

A. ASK ABOUT RULES AND REGS of the orphanages, country and agency

I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS: The articles of law relating to adoption in Taiwan are found in the Civil Code (Family and Children Welfare Act in Book VI), Articles 1072 through 1083.

The adopting parents must be at least twenty years older than the child(ren) to be adopted.
No child adopted may be:
1. Directly related by blood;
2. Directly related by marriage, except in the adoption of the other spouse’s child as a stepchild; and
3. Indirectly related by blood, such as cousins (unless removed by a certain degree), the spouse of a sibling, or a sibling of your spouse. (Taiwan law is very detailed about what degree of indirect blood relation is excluded from adoption. If prospective adoptive parents are concerned about possible blood ties with the child they wish to adopt, they should contact AIT for clarification before proceeding with the adoption.)

Taiwanese regulations further stipulate that adopting parents must be adults not older than 55 years of age. A married person who adopts a child shall do so jointly with his/her spouse.

So, with that said, I would secondly suggest that when you speak to an agency or an independent adoption source, you ask what THEIR rules and regulations are or policies for placement with their families. St. Lucy Center and Chung Yi's rules are more like "suggestions" that can be over turned. They do review a family on a case by case basis. Some regs do come from the orphanages such as:

II. ORPHANAGE REGS:

Must be over the age of 25 or 20 years older than the child (second is in an older child adoption)
Must be married 5 years or more.
Must not have criminal history (although this is a suggested rule, and can be overturned)
Must be in good health (This is not by any means meaning that if you have an issue that you won't be considered again, these are used really as GUIDELINES and not a hard line of fact)

Now, the agencies however are adding a higher level of insult or hoops to be jumped by requiring even more... such as:

II. A. Agency rules:

Must be over 30.
Must not have a Body Mass Index over 30 or 40%
Must not have any health problems existing.
Cannot choose sex of child to be adopted.
Cannot add to your family if you have X amount of children.
Must wait until child in your home is X months or years old.
Cannot adopt from Taiwan unless you are XXX religion.

Please ask your agency for guidelines and policies for their programs before signing and make sure they line up with your goals and desires for your journey. MOST agencies will represent that their rules are orphanage or country specific and THEY ARE NOT!
Please, if you are being told that your agency is wanting you to comply with any of the afore mentioned (paragraph II A.) and your family is wishing for a different outcome.... please do not hesitate to contact another agency until you find what you are desiring as far as stipulations.
For instance a family told me that they were wanting to adopt, BUT they had 5 children and the agency they contacted told them that they could not help them, BUT they put them in another program under the guise that this "other" program would be better for their family. YOU SHOULD NOT BE CO-Hearsed into a situation you do not want to comply with. There are other agencies with other programs that very well may suit you. LOOK ELSEWHERE!

B. ASK ABOUT GAG CLAUSES THAT PREVENT PAST CLIENTS OF THE AGENCY TO SHARE EXPERIENCES OPENLY AND HONESTLY.

I. Most if not all agencies that will have you sign a very scary contract. This contract usually is standard in many ways... BUT there are some agencies that will put a clause in the contract known as a GAG clause, that will legally bind you and their clients in totality to never be allowed to discuss a wrong doing, bad experience, or a distateful subject matter outside the company. Therefore you will be in danger of lawsuit if you do have a horrible experience and are caught sharing.
II. These same agencies that employ the GAG CLAUSE, are also sending spies into the adoption world on forums you discuss on and in chat rooms in order to lore you out and catch you discussing a bad ordeal you had or are having with your agency so that they can hold their GAG clause over your head. They do not identify themselves until you have been caught, if then. They act as a questioning parent or uninterested party.

C. WHEN DECIDING ON AN AGENCY, JOIN FORUMS SUCH AS

Adoption_Agency_Research@yahoo.com and ask questions about the agencies or inteties/resources you are desiring to work with to bring your child home.
I. Other helpful sites for fishing for answers are:
a. AdoptingfromTaiwan@yahoo.com
b.ChristianInternationalAdoption@yahoo.com,
c. Adopting_from_Taiwan@yahoo.com (recommend research on this group only)
d.Adoption.com (forums: International adoption/General Asian forum

D. ASK IF THE AGENCY PROVIDES A "TAIWAN SIDE" HELPER

I. This is a person that works on the inside of Taiwan to ask questions more directly, go to the orphanage to represent your desire or need for your child and meets you in country to help you with the first meeting with your child and to translate while there. MANY do not supply this. This is a comfort level for some families feel they must have.

E. ASK HOW IN DEPTH THE AGENCY WILL PREPARE YOU FOR TRAVEL

I. The agency we worked with was SUPERIOR in this topic. They provided WAY above what we were expecting as traveling parents.
a. They provided handmade taxi cards to insure an easier time getting around. These cards included address in Mandarin to an english speaking doctor, major hotels, shopping, sites, AIT, orphanages.. etc. They proved INVALUABLE.
b. They provided us with a type of commercial taxi card which was from Taiwan with more in depth info and more sites and such.
c. They provided us with an in depth look via web look into Taiwan's culture, traditions and what was expected of us as Americans. This was most helpful in buying gifts since flowers are usually given at funerals only by Taiwan tradition, and the Taiwanese do not open gifts in front of people, they are put aside until later. Things like this can really cause a kink in your trip when you are already frazzled about all the goings on about to happen.
d. Are they going to do a conference meeting before you travel.. either by phone or in person?
This is an information gathering meeting between you and an agency REP where they help answer any last minute questions on the papers you must take over to AIT, to explain airports and lack of food before your departing gate (VERY IMPORTANT), where the best place for money exchange is, any last minute questions about your child or the proceedures.

F. WHEN QUESTIONING OTHERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH AN AGENCY AS AN aPARENT, ASK THEM:

I. How was the communication?
II. How well do you feel they prepared you?
III. Are they hand holders?
IV. Were there any questions you asked that went unanswered?
V. Did you have any problems with getting information on your child after requesting it?
VI.Were there any bumps or major events during your adoption with them? If so, how did the agency handle it?

G. IF CONSIDERING INDEPENDENT ADOPTION
I. Try to grasp a firm understanding of the dossier paperwork first or find a good source/helper that has "been there done that" so that you are not so alone in the process
II. Recognize the differences:
a. Paperwork will be your responsibility first and fore most even with a Taiwan side coordinator.
b. The system is not as cut and dry as an experienced agency
c. Will you have to find a foster family for your child while the court proceedings are happening?
d. What all are they helping you with on their end?
e. Travel may be longer or shorter since the Visa may be acquired differently than with agencies.
f. What will they do to insure your child meets INS requirements?
g. What kind of background will you receive? What are they requiring of their placing families to insure your child has a solid transition?
h. What kind of Visa are you receiving for your child?

H. WHEN ADOPTING THROUGH AN AGENCY OR INDEPENDENT

I. Ask if there are any fees you should know about that are not listed and cross reference those with other Aparents online for affirmation.
II. Make sure you understand their routine and policies and when monies are due.
III. Ask about what kind of support is in place for you and your little one in Taiwan if there be an emergency or a need arise.
IV. What kind of contacts they have in Taiwan besides for just agency wise?

I. PADS-POST ADOPTION DEPRESSION

I. Know it is real and can strike anyone at anytime. Even experienced bio and adoptive parents.
II. Study it before hand so you can recognize the signs and be aware of a problem sneaking to steel your joy of your adoption.
III. DON'T hesitate to reach out on the forums to talk about any signs or symptoms of pads.
IV. DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED. When I did a poll on PADS most did not know about PADS before adopting, but a shocking number of trusted friends silently dealt with this ordeal and then came out about it almost a year after their adoption placement.
V. DO share your feelings with other Aparents and talk out adjustment issues and celebrations of the small triumphs in your adoption.
VI. DO NOT EXPECT to have no bumps, bruises, adjustments, behavior problems or other.
VII. Once you are through the dark waters and you are "IN LOVE" with your child, please pass this message on and share what you experienced so others may be more prepared for their adoption and possible PADS.

J. NOW THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO ADOPT...
I. Please, RELAX, although I know that is hard (ok.. impossible for most), take up a new hobby.. others have found that
a. Blogging helps a bunch because you can share your blog with other aparents and vent or celebrate, which both are invaluable acts during your hard journey.. heck the wait is hard enough!!!
b. Scrapbooking. I personally scrapbooked all Jer's wonderful photos we got by surprise visitors to the nursery or through our updates.
c. Keep a Journal you can hand on to baby or the child when they are older so they feel apart of the overall Journey.
II. Take off those Rose colored glasses and just sit back.
a. A large majority of parents I talk to are wearing Rose colored glasses. They do make the "responsible parent" list however because they Do consider most of the questions most adoptive parents do, but too few go the extra mile to get support, REAL SUPPORT in place just in case there is a medical issue that was not discussed that pops up after returning home. Or the aparent just doesn't really listen to the facts that their child can have behavioral problems, eating problems, quarky habits, delays in skills etc. SO, what are you going to do about it????
Read a few books, REALLY listen to those that have gone before you.. they are pretty smart!
BUT DO NOT take everything to heart about your child that you read in books. After all they are still SOME ONE ELSES experiences that May or may not colide with your life.
b. Do not got Medical GA GA! These international doctors here in the U.S. can only know so much and they have not examined YOUR CHILD personally. NOT every test can be ran on every child to insure yours is healthy. Do not rely on head circumferance. Simply ask your DR if it seems alarming. Adoption is a LEAP OF FAITH FIRST AND FOREMOST. What Taiwan may or may not see as a Special need may or may not be one in the U.S. Also, some medical info will translate differently than what our terms are.. so DO NOT OBSESS Over this!!!!!
c. Do not hesitate to hound your agency if you have an IMPORTANT question. And most of all DO NOT hesitate to go to the boards for things that your fellow Aparents can field for you so that your agency gal or guy has time to handle the questions that your friends cannot answer.
d. DO NOT FREAK OUT if you do not love your child immediately. I know this sounds odd, and even horrible in some circles, BUT IT HAPPENS MORE THAN NOT AND MOST WON'T TALK ABOUT IT OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT!!!!!!!!! Please, do not be embarrassed but do know, that it is very normal part of the adoption Journey and in most cases will go away with time.. and it is usually a sign of PADS of some degree sneaking up on you.
e. MOST OF ALL... please enjoy this time. You may never experience Taiwan or adoption again. SO SOAK IT ALL IN! Take lots of pictures of the crazy "travel phone call" and the outfit you bought to bring your child home in.... DO SHARE!!!!! Everyone loves to hear about a new life getting a forever family!!!!! So don't hesitate to GLOAT ABOUT THAT WONDERFUL CHILD OF YOURS BIG OR SMALL!!!!!

Repost Taiwan info

2008-01-04T10:47:00.001-08:00

Taiwan info

Although Taiwan has over 32 orphanages, Taiwan has 3 baby nurseries presently in the game publicly.
One is Cathwell http://www.cs.org.tw/ which is ONLY and THE ONLY birthmother program. LONGEST WAIT. Works with 2 agencies I know for sure.
St. Lucy Center http://www.stlucycenter.org/ is in Tainan and they do not like the BParents to meet the adoptive parents. They are the second longest wait. They work with several of the U.S. agencies you see.
Chung Yi http://www.cybaby.org.tw/E_Page_Show.asp?Page_ID=2 is the third and FINAL that works with public agencies. They are in Taichung and are attached to an older child orphanage. They are the shortest wait depending on what agency you go with. They presently work with 2-3 U.S. specific agencies.
There are two private orphanages/nurseries that work with BORN AGAIN believers only... Home of God's Love http://www.thehomeofgodslove.org/ (not taking apps right now) and then there is an organization Morning Light missions http://mlchome.org/adopting.aspx that can help locate a child for you and total fees are around 12k.
Lastly there is a gov Christian branch csstpe1983@yahoo.com.tw . http://seed100.com/csstpe/about-children-women-service-en.htm and there is also an AIDS Mercy home mercyh@ms42.hinet.net that adopts out children that were born to AIDS parents but the child has been tested for months until cleared for adoption with a negative result.
There is also another older child adoption but I think it is Chung Yi Linked.
On top of all of this, there is the fostercare system which I think works through Chung Yi firstly then SLC lastly.
Now, Some agencies will put you into a pool if they work with SLC and Chung Yi (not in a birthmom program). The pool is for both orphanages. Then there are some that works with SLC only but can get referrals from the foster care system.
Right now there is the one agency quoting the shortest waits along with one other agency (both SLC program specific) but you cannot choose gender. They have just implemented an abandoned child program on top of all of this though which is cheaper than the mainstream programs. ONe agency has put a temp moretorium on their (healthy infant) apps because of their waiting family pool becoming too large.. they wish to allow that to settle down and will reopen their program A around April the 16th.

If anyone needs info as to who to avoid, who has the most, or any info on waits and such.. please email me.

VEGAS BABY!

2008-01-02T23:02:00.000-08:00

I just have to share this.. I was shocked! I had been buying these "delta dollars" which are for our area to shop with. The dollars when spent downtown are entered into a drawing for prizes, such as a gift certificate and such. So, today I get a call from the chamber of commerce. He goes.. "Sarah?" I go "yeah". He goes "remember shopping downtown at the Health wise food store? You used some delta dollars to pay with?" I was like "yeah"... I am thinking at this point I am in trouble for something..lol. He goes well, you won something. I was like "really?" I am thinking that I got a $25 gift certificate or something.. he proceeds..."are you over 21?" I was like "I am actually 32.. so I think I can pass for that..lol" He goes "Well, you won the trip to VEGAS!!!!!!" I was like "NO WAY!!!! YOU ARE KIDDING!!!!" He goes "NO you won..!!!!" So ladies.. I won a trip to VEGAS for David and I. Airflight, hotel stay for 3 nights and shuttle service!!!!! Can you believe it??? I am still in shock! I was screaming and bouncing all over the kitchen. I think Jer thinks I am nuts!!!!!!!! I have never won something so big and of all things.. the grand prize.... WOW!!!!!
I am in disbelief but God knew we needed a vacation. This has been a very hard move for us! Thank you Jesus! Of course we are not gamblers BUT I will love to take pictures for my portfolio of the lighted town and to visit all the wonderful hotels and such. I can't wait!!!!!

Happy New Year Kitty!

2007-12-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

Make custom Glitter Graphics

A Message from Our Adult Kitty Levi!!!!!!!!

NEW LINKS

2007-12-27T00:58:00.000-08:00

Please take time to check out my new links! There are lots of Adoptive family's links that you can check out and follow their journey also and see what they have to say about Taiwan and where they are in the process! Also, there are plenty of sites on Taiwan adoption, including agencies, orphanages/nurseries in Taiwan and forums for support while YOU Adopt!

New product to raise money....

2007-12-26T23:45:00.000-08:00

Well, here is my newest product I am working on making to help raise money to bring Tirzah Joy home from Taiwan! What do you think????
This item will be available shortly for purchase at AlwaysNaturallyYours.com
There will be different styles available as always!!!!
On the adoption front. I will be starting our picture pages this week so that I can get them off to Morning light in Taiwan. The Pans will be back there in a few days and will be wanting them soon. Next I will be working on our ref letters and then homestudy will be in February if God willing if not then March. So keep thinking of us!!! And prayers are always welcomed!

Oh Edible Christmas tree village

2007-12-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, these are the crazy things our new Tirzah Joy will have to look forward too...lol. Can you say "edible tree village" Tirzah? That's right, the intire thing was edible. Not only edible BUT each tree had cake baked inside a sugar cone, then they were smeared with melted chocolate morsals, next they were "designed" with white icing so that it looked like it snowed on each tree, then they were all decorated with colorful items, lastly they were placed on a plate that was sprinkled with powdered sugar so that it looked like it freshly snowed in the village.

All were placed around the gingerbread house so that it looked like a house in a forest. So, Tirzah should be a "Suzy homemaker" after helping put together Mama's parties...lol.

Interesed in Private adoption in Taiwan?

2007-12-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

Good news! Private adoption is very much alive and well in Taiwan. If you were to ask me to tell you some things about Private adoption though.. I would start with..."Adoption of any kind is not for the week of heart, and private is a step above that."
Private adoption in Taiwan basically means that there is no american side agency to represent you in Taiwan, to find a child for you that is available for adoption, and there will be no one to hold your hand through your adoption or paperwork.
Depending upon the private institute you decide on working with, they may or may not do such things as help with paperwork, represent you in court and take custody of your child during the court procedures.
Here is a little check list that you might want to look at before deciding to adopt via private channels.
1. Are you willing to do most if not all the paperwork yourself with little help?
2. Do you desire to work more closely with the Taiwanese people?
3. Are you prepared for any "unexpected moments" that may arise from working with a private organization?
4. Are you ok with learning more about the Taiwan/American adoption process so that you can make better and more informed decisions about your adoption journey?
5. Are you ok with possibly having less information about your child than with a typical agency?
The above yes or no list is basically just a little of what you need to think about before jumping into a private adoption. Just as with America's domestic adoption, there are more risks and problems that can arise at any moment. BUT also just like America's domestic adoption, there is plenty of success with Private Taiwan adoptions.
With ANY adoption there are risks and possibilities beyond your control... but that is a whole other post.

If I survive Christmas.....

2007-12-20T21:46:00.001-08:00

Ok.. so, I have a million and one things on my plate right now and the week is running away with me. I can't believe that Christmas SOOOOOO close! What is a gal to do? On top of all of this, I now get to make picture pages for Morning light and ask my elders/deacons in my church and the pastor to write reference letters for David and I. I have some picture projects that I am working on for my sister and mother for a late anniversary present and birthday present. The pictures are of the grand children.. this is what I have so far....
I have two nephews that do not want to cooperate.
Do you know how hard it is to do a suprise picture
collection for someone if part of the family won't cooperate??? UGH! Anyways, so I guess my adoption update is this... we need to do the ref letters and the picture pages. Of course we have some time to do so seeing as our homestudy isn't done yet. I think I am just delighfully stressed! LOL!!!!!!!

Introducing.. Brilliant works of Druw

2007-12-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU DRUW!!!!!

Well, I just made friends with a brilliant man that takes pictures. His eye on life is unbelievable. He said I could use some pictures for this blog. As we are so excited to adopt from Taiwan, Tiatung to be exact, I thought it would be nice to have some beautiful pictures on the blog so that all of you can see just how beautiful Taiwan really is. If you were like us, on our last adoption trip to Taiwan, due to me being sick and our new son grumpy, we were held captive in our hotels for most the time and I did not get to see a lot of Taiwan, as I hoped I would see a lot more! So, Druw, this fascinating photographer has allowed me to borrow a couple images and I wanted to give due credit to the wonderful artist behind them.... Here they are..... TAIWAN!
These next two are just simply breathtaking.... I will ask Druw where they were taken.... I would love to stand here when we go to get our new family member.....

After these photos, my longing to go back to this beautiful and mysterious island is just overwhelming. Thank you Druw for the small link to where our newest family member will be.

Taiwan info

2007-12-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Although Taiwan has over 32 orphanages, Taiwan has 3 baby nurseries presently in the game publicly.
One is Cathwell http://www.cs.org.tw/ which is ONLY and THE ONLY birthmother program. LONGEST WAIT. Works with 2 agencies I know for sure.
St. Lucy Center http://www.stlucycenter.org/ is in Tainan and they do not like the BParents to meet the adoptive parents. They are the second longest wait. They work with several of the U.S. agencies you see.
Chung Yi http://www.cybaby.org.tw/E_Page_Show.asp?Page_ID=2 is the third and FINAL that works with public agencies. They are in Taichung and are attached to an older child orphanage. They are the shortest wait depending on what agency you go with. They presently work with 2-3 U.S. specific agencies.
There are two private orphanages/nurseries that work with BORN AGAIN believers only... Home of God's http://www.thehomeofgodslove.org/ (not taking apps right now) and then there is an organization Morning Light missions http://mlchome.org/adopting.aspx that can help locate a child for you and total fees are around 12k.
Lastly there is a gov Christian branch csstpe1983@yahoo.com.tw. http://seed100.com/csstpe/about-children-women-service-en.htm and there is also an AIDS Mercy home mercyh@ms42.hinet.net that adopts out children that were born to AIDS parents but the child has been tested for months until cleared for adoption with a negative result.
There is also another older child adoption but I think it is Nursery 3 Linked.
On top of all of this, there is the fostercare system which I think works through Nursery 3 firstly then Nursery 2 lastly.
Now, Some agencies will put you into a pool if they work with SLC and Chung Yi (not in a birthmom program). The pool is for both orphanages. Then there are some that works with SLC only but can get referrals from the foster care system.
Right now there is the one agency quoting the shortest waits along with one other agency (both nursery 3 program specific) but you cannot choose gender. They have just implemented an abandoned child program on top of all of this though which is cheaper than the mainstream programs. ONe agency has put a temp moretorium on their (healthy infant) apps because of their waiting family pool becoming too large.. they wish to allow that to settle down and will reopen their program A around April the 16th.
If anyone needs info as to who to avoid, who has the most, or any info on waits and such.. please email me.

Crazy person, adoption NUMBER 2 from Taiwan!

2007-12-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ok.. so here we are again.. We used real honest to goodness ink on the papers folks..lol...we have one foot in the wading pool of adoption. We are down in the "sprint position" ready to run at the guns fire. We are.... INSANE! Ok.. maybe not insane but I do remember a day, ok several days... after we brought Jeremiah home from Taiwan October of 2007 that I was pretty much sure we would not be doing this again. Our adjustment was going roughly. Our expectations were met, underestimated, abolished and surpassed all in one journey. Our wildest dreams turned out to be exactly that.. WILD! Anyways, Jeremiah, which is the wonderful little man and ultimate blessing we obtained through our last journey is doing great! He is requesting a brudder or sitter now. SO, Now we are facing the long walk to Taiwan again, ok.. walk then flight. Once again, those naive but lovely dreams are dancing in our heads. What will our child be like? Where will we find them? When will we find them? What will we know about them?
This time we are heading for a different part of the island with anticipations and expectations to visit Tainan and also Taipei, BUT our main visitation will take place in Taitung.

I have NO clue as to how this one will work this time because we are adopting privately through Morning Light Ministries. You heard it.. PRIVATELY! I know.. the word alone scares some into a quivering ball of goo, but we are confident that we are following the path that God has set in motion for our family. We have yet to start the homestudy BUT we are OFFICIALLY WAITING.. we need to file our I600 and such too! YIKES... ya know it is when you see yourself type the words that you realize that you are already knee deep in the journey yet again..lol. Anyways, I will be posting some info on here about our private journey through adoption for those to view that are just wanting to see how we manage this time, how the process moves along this route, or if I really am insane. So there you have it... we are officially on route to number two via Taiwan. Please stay seated and keep hands, arms and feet in the car at all times. When the car comes to a complete and utter stop, please grab small children by the hand (or husbands so they don't get lost) and step out of the right side of the car.. and please remember to gather all belongings and take them with you!!!!!!! Unless they are neat, then you may accidentally leave them..lol. So, stay tuned to the crazy ramblings of an adoptive parent.. ROUND TWO!!!!!