Ramya's Adoption is Officially Official

Though we left India with Ramya fully adopted, it is recommended that you re-adopt in your state to make sure that everything is done correctly in the US as well.  Some states require you to re-adopt, and even though Arizona doesn't, going through the process is still a good idea, just in case you end up moving to another state where they would want it done.  For us, though, it was really important to go through with the re-adoption because none of the paperwork we have has her full name.  Everything just said "Ramya FNU" (full name unknown).  When we tried to get her a social security card and birth certificate, not having a last name was a problem.  This means we cannot apply for long-term care for her, as she doesn't have paperwork verifying her last name. 

Today was our official re-adoption day.  We headed down to court, which just so happens to be the same court building my parent's brought me to when I was adopted, and were granted a full adoption through the state of Arizona.  I didn't think I would get emotional, as it's been final for so long now, but just hearing the judge say that she was fully ours and hearing her full name read out loud brought tears to my eyes.  I had, of course, read on paper that she was ours, but hearing those words out loud really impacted me. 

The judge was really sweet and really went above and beyond to make it special.  They had so many families in and out, but she still took her time with us.  They asked us all the "legal" questions, and then the judge told Ramya that she had read her entire folder of information (and trust me, it was a big one!) and that she was a very lucky girl.  She told her that she could tell our family really wanted her and that we were the perfect for each other.  She then looked at David and I and told us that she knows we are very lucky too. 

Here are a few pictures from our special day...

 

Oh, and the middle name we chose for Ramya is "Lynn".  My dad's name is James and my mom is Lynda, so I was named Jamie Lynn.  When we were naming Madi, we named her Madilynn Joy (Joy is my mom's middle name), so she would have "Lynn" in her name as well.  To keep going with the family name of Lynn, we decided to go with Ramya Lynn.  I think it's just perfect for her!

A Slideshow of our India Adoption Trip

What it Means to be a Girl/Woman in India and Insights in to Our Adoption

This is a guest post from my good friend, Amanda, about what it means to be a girl/woman in India.  Thanks SO much Amanda for sharing!!

When Jamie and her family started their journey for adoption, I was amazed – I was in elementary school when I saw some video news magazine show on kids in Romanian orphanages and how desolate their situation was. I grew up poor, I didn’t necessarily know it at that time, but I had a family rich in love. Jamie and her family are doing something great for the girl they’re adopting. My husband is from India and I’ve been there three times and the abject poverty among the poor in this third-world country is overwhelming. I first saw real poverty in Mexico DF while a college student, and to this day, I try to remember what is “real” when it comes to needs. I try not to be overindulgent, but I know I fail miserably at keeping things minimal/necessary for my family.

Jamie’s bringing a new daughter into her family is more than just adding Ramya to her family – she’ll be lifting a girl up from an orphanage which may or may not be loving and giving stability. She’ll know joy and love. She’ll know the caring life for her. Even if Ramya was with her own family, there’s a good chance she’d face poverty, child marriage, abuse and illiteracy. While India has a growing middle class, 50% of girls are married by age 18. Child marriages are illegal but common. While India has multi-national corporations setting up shop (more than just call centers), they have the world’s largest number of illiterates and girls are most likely to be taken out of school and instead do menial jobs. India may be known for non-violence through Gandhi, 55 percent of women suffer violence and every 6 hours a woman is killed or commits suicide. While your doctor or someone in the office is likely Indian, education of the “girl child” is something India is working hard to push for (education of girls is free), but families still see education as a cost rather than something that will better their daughter’s life. While dowry is illegal in India, it is still extremely common.

Here in the US, we had a nanny for a short time who was well educated. Her family had spent their life savings to educate her well enough to go to a good university, so she could marry better. Her husband’s family asked for dowry and the had to give. Now she feels like a burden. She was sending the baby sitting money back to her dad so he could have his medicine that was sustaining his life. She had a daughter but didn’t want to get pregnant again in case it was another daughter. Her husband wanted another child and said he’d accept a boy or girl, but wanted to be able to get pregnant in the US so she could abort if she was pregnant with a girl. I am extremely pro-life and it was hard for me to hear this. Female infanticide is still common in India, even among middle-class city dwellers. Each life is not innocent and protected – instead the burden of poverty, high population and mentality of the worth of women prevents girls from really having a fair chance.

What we see here is a journey for a girl to have a real life. A real chance. A real hope. I admire this family for what they are doing and am in awe of all the support they have had.

Check out Amanda's blog!   www.attachedmoms.com

A Recap of Fees Paid, an Estimate of Fees to Come, and an Updated Timeline

Here are the fees we have paid so far in our adoption process:

• Oasis homestudy application fee- $75
• Fingerprints (getting them taken)- $35
• Fingerprints (court fees to process)- $62
• Adoption Learning Partners adoption videos- $149
• Dr. Luberto- Physicals- $65
• Oasis homestudy fee- $1,250
• Birth certificate copies x 3 (Conner, Madi, and Jamie)- $60
• Apostles- $36
• Apostles (yes more ;))- $69
• Apostles- $6
• David's birth certificate copy- $15
• Apostle- $2
• Department of Homeland Security (i-800a)- $890
• Apostle- $6
• WACAP (application fees, agency fees, international processing fees, file maintenance fees, and post placement report transmittal fees)- $16,800

Total paid (there are probably a few more minor charges, but you get the point ;)) thus far: $19,520

Upcoming fees (these are based on Jessica's estimate from WACAP and talking with Oasis):

• Ramya’s US entry visa fee: $404 paid to US embassy in India
• Ramya’s visa medical visit fee: typically around $150 paid to MaxMedcenter in India
• Flights: typically $1,800-$3,000 per person for roundtrip airfare (2,000 x 4 =  $8,000 + 1,000 for Ramya's return trip = $9,000)
• Lodging, ground transportation, and meals in India: typically $600-$1,200 per person (we are hoping to use timeshare weeks that my aunt and uncle are letting us use, so for now we are not including lodging, $1,500)
• Post placement services: depends on Oasis’s fees, but typically $300-$600 per report plus mileage for usually two required reports paid to Oasis ($960)
• US finalization: typically $100-$1,800 depending on your state’s requirements and adoption attorney fees if needed ($250)
• Misc. fees for passports, court fees in India, etc.... $300

Estimated total: $12,564 (unless we end up needing a hotel)

The good news is that we should be getting a good tax refund, have our fundraiser garage sale coming up (and are getting LOTS of good goodies for it!!), and still have more bracelets to sell.  Oh, and we will be doing a fundraiser at Peter Piper Pizza as well (info to come soon).  Hopefully once that is all said and done, we will be VERY close to our goal!!  YEAH!

I will be updating our "money needed" to reflect our specific current needs.

As for an updated timeline on when we should be able to get her home, here is the remaining process/time estimations:

• USCIS will send your file to the US embassy in Delhi: takes about 2 weeks
• The embassy will send you an email asking for your DS230. When you receive this, forward it to me and I will reply to them for you: takes about a week to get the email and I can reply the same day
• The embassy will issue your Article 5 as their approval for you to move forward: takes about 2 weeks after I reply to the email
• We notify Vathsalya that you received your Article 5 so they can move your dossier through the local authorities to review and send to CARA. At the same time the embassy will forward your Article 5 to CARA. When CARA has both, they will issue your NOC (no objection certificate): takes about one month
• The court process can begin; Vathsalya and their lawyers handle it from here. Typically there are three court proceedings which occur over a span of about 3-6 months. At the end you’ll get your guardianship court order.
• Then the orphanage will obtain a passport application appointment and apply for Ramya’s passport: about a month
• We wait for the passport: about two months
• Once the passport is received, you can move forward with travel plans to pick her up!

So that's that!  For now, please be praying for God's protection for Ramya and for our paperwork to move through India much faster than expected.  Thank you for all of your prayers and support!!

What a Nice Surprise and on the Perfect Day!!

Look what came in the mail today, just in time for Ramya's birthday...

That, my friends, is our i-800 provisional approval!  A i-800 is...

To determine the child's eligibility for classification as a Convention adoptee. The petition is filed by the U.S. Citizen prospective adoptive parent to finalize the immigration process of a child who habitually resides in a Convention country. http://adoption.about.com/od/international/a/I800.htm

... and basically it means that our paperwork can start getting processed in India!  YEAH!  We still have a long road ahead of us (possibly 8 months to 12 months), but we are getting closer!!

It's here!!!!!!

Today we got notice that our i-800a was approved!  That means that the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has approved us as adoptive parents for an internationally adopted child, specifically one child from India. 

The next step for us is getting approved in India, which can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.  Our paperwork has been in India for some time now, but we couldn't get approval there until this cleared.

We are so excited for this progress!  Thanks for cheering us on and walking this journey with us! 

Dear Ramya,

My heart aches not having you here.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about you and pray for you.  I am doing everything within my power to bring you home and I cannot wait for the day they say you are ours!  I wish there was a way to get you home faster, but I am trying to trust that God has a plan and that His timing is perfect.  

You have so many people that love you already.  We have been having garage sales and selling special bracelets to help raise the money we need to get you here.  So many people have generously donated their time and treasures to help us.  We are already over half way to our goal!!  We are blessed beyond measure to have so many people supporting us and walking this journey with us.  We are all excited to bring you home.

Today the local consignment store that I love, Hissyfits, was having a big sale, and I had store credit, so I went shopping!  When I prepare to bring you home, I feel closer and more connected to you.  I found a lot of cute clothes for you, and I cannot wait to put you in them!  You are such a beautiful girl and it's going to be so fun dressing you up!  I do not know what size you will wear so I got a few different sizes.  If they don't fit you, don't worry, your sister can always wear them.  Maybe you two will be the same size for a while!  I think you will like Hissyfits.  Conner, your brother, and Madi, your sister, love to go there and pick out new clothes and toys.  I am also working on getting you an Ergo carrier.  I am going to buy one from my friend, Marissa, and it should work perfect for you!  My friend, Amanda, said that there are no sidewalks in India, so bringing a wheelchair for you and Madi won't work.  I plan to carry you on my back so that we can see the city together.  Don't worry, I don't mind, I am excited to get the chance to be close to you.  I hope that won't be hard for you.  Snuggling is one of my favorite things to do!  Here is a picture of some of your new clothing...

I got you a cute, warm jacket, two pairs of pants, four skirts, two dresses, and two shirts.  I hope that you love them!  When we get you home, I will let you pick out some special outfits and some cute little shoes too.  Maybe we can even get you some cute hairbows and headbands! 

I am hoping to hear back on our i-800a paperwork soon.  As soon as we are cleared federally, we can get cleared in India as well.  Our paperwork is already in India, and your orphanage knows we are waiting (im)patiently for you, so hopefully things will move fast once the i-800a goes through.  Until then, we will continue to pray for you and dream about the day you come home!  We love you!