Surprises in the Mail!

We were very excited to come home today and find not one, but TWO important documents in the mail!  We finally received our FBI background check results AND our U.S. Passports!  We were most excited about the FBI check, as these are the last documents we needed to complete our home study.  Now we can move on to preparing the dossier that will be sent to China (collection of documents that will accompany our official request to adopt a child), completing U.S. forms to request permission to adopt abroad (I-800 form), applying for grants, etc.  We're just SO excited that this first big hurdle is almost over!  We had been told recently that wait times for the FBI forms could be as long as 12 weeks, and ours came back in about 5 weeks!  It was a pleasanat surprise and gives us some excitement/momentum to move forward.

I was also excited about a book that I ordered that came in the mail this week.  I have ordered several adoption-themed books for myself as well as picture books for Alexis.  This one is titled, Just Add One Chinese Sister.  The title answers the question a little boy has, "How do you become a big brother?"  It is a really sweet book that provides a memoir for a little girl who has been adopted from China, with side notes on each page from the "big brother" about how he felt through the whole process.  It will be a great asset for Alexis, and for Annabelle some day!