It won't be long....

Our agency sent our dossier to China last week. We should get word in a few weeks about our log-in date (LID). It is from this date that the wait is calculated and it means we are officially on the "waiting list." We are currently requesting a healthy baby girl as young as possible. But, our eyes have been opened to another option, so we are thinking about it. We learned that 85% of the children in China orphanages are listed as "special needs". China considers children with cleft lips (that have often been repaired) birthmarks and burns as children with special needs. Often times these "needs" are minor and correctable. We started thinking that if our 2 older boys were born in China, they would be on this special needs list because of issues that they had. (Remember Matthew's "hole in the bum" that ended up being a hemangioma, that is on the special needs list too....) So, we are thinking about switching to this list, in which case the wait could be as little as 18 months or 2 years (instead of 4-6 years for a "healthy" child). We have to think about what things we could handle as a family and if this is the right choice for us. So, for now we are just waiting on our Emma Grace. Her stocking is hung with all of our other children's stockings and it will be every year until she is here!!!