HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM AAC

The staff here at AAC (Erin, Regina, Christie and Marissa) would like to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! We hope that 2014 is filled with many blessings and much joy!

As a side note: AAC will be closed December 24th and 25th. If you need anything please call us and leave a message.

Korean Host Program

Have you ever thought about Hosting a Korean Child?

If you have, then now is your chance!!
If you haven't then maybe you should think about it. :)

For more information please contact Sara Falvo 602-237-5889

Dear AAC Families...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We are just 1 weeks from our 2013 Holiday Party!!!!


Have you RSVP'd yet?? It's not too late! You do not want to miss out on all the fun!



Below are the details:
Where: Brookside Event Center in Berthoud, CO. (The event center is next door to AAC's office.)
When: December 7, 2013
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Price: $20 per family
RSVP by December 3rd! (Only 6 days left to RSVP!)

There will be fun crafts to be made, yummy food to be consumed and a visit from Santa and his crew.

Now are you excited??

RSVP today and tell us how many adults and children will be attending. We hope to see you all there!

Friday Feature: Justin

Today's Friday Feature is this little guy... Meet Justin! 

Sweet little Justin was born September 19, 2012, weighing 7.5lbs.

He enjoys toys that make noises when you push them and toy cars. He likes to look in the mirror and talk to himself. (But who wouldn't when you are that cute!!)

He was born with club feet. After some casting his feet have gotten a lot better. He is currently not wearing any walking aids. As of his 1st year check up he was crawling and standing up holding on to the furniture. His leg strength is increasing every day!

If you would like to review Justin's file, please submit a pre-application on our website, and mention the child's name in the comments section.

"Are you sleepy yet?" Sleep Disorders with International Adopted Children

Is your new child having a hard time adjusting to a sleep schedule? 

Are they waking up every hour on the hour? 

Are they falling asleep during they day and not wanting to sleep at night? 


Are they (and you) sleep deprived and grumpy all day?





Are you ready to pull your hair out??? 


Don't worry. You are not alone. 

Parents are speaking out! 

Here are a couple articles and websites that we wanted to share with you that will hopefully get you through this stage in the child's life. 




Sleep Struggles Following International Adoption

Attachment Parenting International Website



Pam with Sunny Ridge Family Center in Illinois stated: 

"Sometimes something as simple as music, turning the TV on or using a white noise machine can create a similar atmosphere that the child may have been used to in the orphanage (or foster home).  Co-sleeping doesn't always have to mean “same bed”; it can mean a palette set up next to the bed, toddler bed right next to the parent’s bed.  I would also recommend Theraplay for assistance in the attachment and bonding process.  Depending on where they live, they might be able to locate a Theraplay therapist in their area-their institute is here in the Chicago area, but they have trained therapists all across the U.S. as well as other countries.  www.theraplay.org. "

Sleep Problems and Concerns 

Dori with The Cradle in Illinois stated:

"I suggest the webinar AreYou Sleeping  done by Julian Davies, M.D., a pediatrician at the University of Washington Adoption Clinic on Adoption Learning Partners. Very informative, entertaining and aware of separation/attachment issues that may be part of the sleep equation. 

  

I also really like Mary Sheedy Kurcinka' book, Sleeplessin America. She wrote your Spirited Child. Both are proponents of the one size does NOT fit all approach to sleep issues."

Join the discussion. Leave your comments below and help us help others. 

Connect-A-Kid: Indiegogo Campaign

HAPPY ADOPTION MONTH!
Back in August we introduced you to the Connect-A-Kid Program (click HERE to read the article).

Now is your time to get involved.

They have launched the Indiegogo Campaign to raise awareness and funds for the program. They hope is that they will raise enough to make the program available to all adopted children in 2014. Their goal to raise is $50,000 by December 06, 2013. As of today they are under a quarter of the way to meeting this goal.

Can you help?

Financially is not the only way to help out the campaign. There are other ways to help. For example: forward the video to friends and family; post on facebook; share at your organizations Adoption Month events.

For more information about the program please visit  ConnectAKid.org or email info@connectakid.org

Take a moment watch the video.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Happy Post-Halloween Day. I hope that you and your kiddos have come down off of the sugar high that we call Halloween. We definitely had a fun day yesterday. If you haven't seen our dress up/down photo here it is...









Okay so now on to the issue at hand. Christmas is 54 days from today which means that the AAC Annual Holiday Party is just over a month away (36 days)!!!! 

Are you as excited about it as we are?!! 


Here are the details:

Where: Brookside Event Center in Berthoud, CO. (The event center is next door to AAC's office.)
When: December 7, 2013
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm 
Price: $20 per family
RSVP by December 3rd! 

There will be fun crafts to be made, yummy food to be consumed and a visit from Santa and his crew. 
Now are you excited? 

We are starting to take RSVP's TODAY! 

So.....
Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now..... 

AAC Fall Festival 2013

Happy Halloween! Happy Fall! Happy Happy Joy Joy. :)

The staff and families had such an amazing time a couple of weekends back at our annual Fall Festival. We wanted to share a couple of the photos from the day with you.

Red took some of the photos but she also swiped some from family pages on Facebook. hehe . We were having so much fun with the kiddos and running from the Big Bad Wolf that we forgot to pull out our camera and snap shots. Sorry.....

Okay so here is what you have been waiting for!

 Click HERE to check out more photos!

Friday's Special Feature: Updates on AAC's Programs

Happy Friday!
We thought we would give you some updates on how AAC's China and Korea Programs are going. We haven't done an update in a long time. Soooooo here we go:

China

The new China system (CPIS) is up and running and seems to be working great. It took us a little bit to get a good handle on the new procedures but we are fast learners and have caught on quick. We still can't accurately predict timelines yet since the process is still new. I am hoping that by the first of the year we will be able to say, "on average it has been taking this long for blah blah", and "our families have been able to get their blah blah in blah average days".
We did get some children for our agency list at the end of August. We have been able to place over half the kiddos with their Forever families. We still have 6 little cuties waiting for their forever families. If you would like to view their photos just click HERE.

Korea

The trip to Korea at the beginning of the week went great. AAC was able to get videos and photos of all of our children there. They are all sooooo adorable. If you are matched with a child in the Korea program, your video and photos are being mailed out today and should arrive sometime next week. If you haven't received them by next Friday, call us and let us know. Wahoooo! 

We were able to sit down and talk with Eastern about some of our concerns and expectations and were pleased at how open and communicative they were. 

If there is one thing we want everyone to know it is that the Korea Program is still a viable program. Even though it has gone through numerous changes over the last year we want to confirm that it is a stable program and is still a good option for families. 

Things to note: 

• Korea is a toddler adoption program, children are typically coming home at about 2 years old
• Both the boy and the girl wait lists are open to families
• All children are in a loving foster care home
• Foster Parents receive extensive training and ongoing support
• All children receive regular medical care
• Yes, Parents do have to travel to finalize the adoption in Korea, but Seoul is a great place to visit! Learn about your child's heritage, eat something you didn't ever think you would eat, take a subway trip to the four corners of the city and explore.

Eastern has an amazing reputation and we have worked great with them these last 20 years and we look forward to many more years of this partnership. 

I think that is all the updates I have for right now. 

Keep up-to-date with AAC by following our blog, Tweet with us on Twitter or find us on Facebook. 

Understanding Adoption Seminar in Southern Colorado

Understanding Adoption:

Everything You Need To Know Before You Dive In

October 23, 2013 or November 16th, 2013

6:30p-7:30pm 10:00-11:00am

Are you interested in adoption? Have you started the process or started to research your options? The process can be overwhelming and even intimidating, but there is hope! Come join us for a brief, concise seminar on everything you need to know about the process and important considerations in adoption.

You will come away with:
• Information about the types of adoption available
• An inside look at how a home study works
• Understanding the process and potential timelines
• Insights to assist you in deciding the race, culture, potential disabilities
you could parent
• Knowledge of how to prepare to be a happy, healthy adoptive family
• Resources in the community that are available

This free seminar is NOT associated with any adoption agency or adoption group. You will hear from counselors who work in the field who will provide insight in to what you need to consider and what information will be helpful to you on your journey.This material will be presented by Liv MacKenzie, LPC and Rachel Harrison, LPC.

Call to Register, 970-422-7334 or go to: www.adoptiondurango.com

Liv MacKenzie is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has completed international and domestic home studies for adoptive families for 9 years. Liv specializes in reproductive psychology and prevention and treatment of prenatal and postpartum mood disorders.
www.livmackenzie.com


Rachel Harrison is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a private practice downtown Durango. Rachel specializes in working with adoptive families and adoptees and is an adoptive mom herself. Additional specialties include, working with trauma, anxiety and depression. Rachel often uses EMDR therapy with her clients.
www.durangofamilytherapy.com

Friday Features: Willow, Tessa and Reid

Yesterday we introduced you to our four waiting children from Korea. Today we wanted you to meet three of our waiting children from the China program. 

Meet TESSA

DOB: February 2012

This little beauty is Tessa and she is a year and a half. She enjoys babbling and playing games. She can sit alone, stand with holding a hand, roll over and pass a toy.

Her special need is mild mal-development of bilateral frontal lobe. We are not sure at this time how delayed she is but at the time of the last report in May she was behind. We are working on getting an update.

Meet WILLOW

DOB: March 2012

This little sweetie is Willow and she is a year and a half. She likes to giggle and play games. She loves her Foster Mother. She is said to be "quiet, pretty and adored".

Her special need is development delay. We are not sure at this time how delayed she is but at the time of the last report in May she was behind in all areas. We are working on getting an update. We found out on Sept. 18th that she has a hemangioma on her back (2x2 in measurement).

Meet REID

DOB: August 2011

This fair haired and rosy cheeked cutie is Reid. He is two years old. He is said to be "a clever and lovely baby".  He is walking and talking. He likes music and gets excited when you turn it on.

Reid has been diagnosed with Albinism. Children affected with Albinism have higher sensitivity in their eyes. They may require sunglasses while outside and sometimes inside as well. A lot of the children will require reading glasses for poor eyesight.  He was also diagnosed with Pulmonary stenosis of the heart (CHD). He has not had surgery for the heart defect yet. He was abandoned at 6 months.

If you would like more information about these beautiful girls and handsome little guy, please fill out the preliminary application. Please mention the child's name in the comments section. The application fee is waived for all Waiting Child inquiries.

"Please to meet you"... Korea Waiting Children

I know we post the Waiting Children from our China program on Friday's so today (Thursday) we are going to post our Korea program waiting children. They are a bunch of cuties, so hold on to your hearts. 

Meet DILLON: 

This handsome toddler is Dillon and he was born on August 29, 2011, weighing 6.9 pounds. 

He loves bath time and sometimes doesn't want to get out of the bath. He likes to hum songs to himself. He likes playing ball, looking at books and he cleans up once he is done playing.

He does have development delays in areas. His speech is delayed and he doesn't like to feed himself. He is going through occupational therapy right now to help out in the delayed areas. 

Meet HOLLY: 

This little beauty is Holly and she was born on July 30,2012 , weighing 5.2 pounds.

She enjoys bath time and loves to babble & laugh. She is developmentally on target.

She does have a possible Seizure disorder. An EEG has been requested. There is also a possibility of a hereditary disorder.

Meet JACKSON: 

This handsome little guy is Jackson and he was born on August 29, 2012 , weighing 5.9 pounds.

He likes to babble to foster mom. He is not shy of strangers. He is said to be a cheerful, happy, social and busy boy. He likes looking at books and pretends to sing along to music.

He is on target developmentally. He was born with his cord coiling around his neck and was in fetal distress.

We have requested a video and update of his development and milestones. 

Meet Trevor: 

Sweet little Trevor was born on September 24,2012 , weighing 7.2 pounds.

He enjoys bath time and loves his foster family. He is hitting all developmental milestones.

In March of 2013 he was diagnosed with an Otohematoma on his left ear. After some treatments it has been healed. However, there is a scar on the ear.

With all of the children in the Korea Program, only families living in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, California and Washington may apply to review their files. If you would like to review one of the files, please submit a pre-application on our website, and mention the child's name in the comments section.

Friday Double Feature: Xavier & Uriah

Xavier

DOB: January 2012

This happy little 1 1/2 year old guy ix Xavier. 

Xavier is said to be a smart baby. He loves babbling and being talked to by Foster Mother. He likes music and loves to touch things. He can be sensitive to loud sounds. He likes to touch Foster Mother's face and hands. 

He was abandoned at the age of 6 months. His special need is that he has congenital nubecula and mal-development of both eyes. This could mean that he is blind but at this time we do not know.  He is going to be housed at Bethel soon that will give us more information about his development. 

Uriah

DOB: August 2009

 This sweet little guy is Uriah, and he is 4 years old. He is fond of playing games, singing and clapping hands. He loves to ask questions and is said to be a very curious boy. He is in Pre-School.


Uriah was abandoned at the age of 3 years old. He is blind and has Nystagmus (which is rapid movement of the eyes).  He is currently being homed at Bethel. They will be helping him with his special need.





If you would like any information on either child, please fill out a Preliminary Application at AACAdoption.com. Make sure you mention the child's name in the comments and the $25 pre-app fee will be waived.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact Erin at info@aacadoption.com or call the office.

My Story Monday: The Hunt Family

It is sometimes hard for me to believe that just 5 years ago, our family consisted of just two of us.  My husband and I were so eager to have children, but after two years of struggling with infertility we wondered if this would ever be a possibility.  Our hearts had always been open to adoption, but the prospect of actually starting that journey seemed scary and uncertain.  There were so many options, so many choices, so many unknowns.  The length and cost of international adoption seemed almost impossible to us at the beginning, but as we prayed about our decision we found ourselves coming back to this option over and over again.  In January 2008, we took the plunge and began the journey to our son, Matthew, who was born in South Korea.

The moment we held Matthew in our arms, our fears and anxieties about adoption fell away.  He was ours, totally and completely!  We were so in love with our sweet little boy and knew without a doubt that we would be adding to our family through adoption again in the future.  I must admit, even I was surprised to find myself talking about another little one only a few months after Matthew came home!  When he had been home about a year, we started our second adoption. 

This time as we started the process, we started wondering if we might be more open to special needs than we had been the first time around.  We started learning about different medical conditions and prayed that the Lord would lead us to our child.  I spent many evenings reading about waiting children on different websites, and one day I saw a little face that instantly made me smile.  Our Nathan was listed on AAC’s waiting children website and he had the best chubby cheeks and spikey hair I had ever seen!  It did take a while for us to research his special needs and honestly the unknowns were pretty scary for us at times, but we knew he was to be our son and I’m so thankful that we didn’t let our fears get in the way of bringing him home.  We met Nathan in June 2011 and he is an absolute blessing to us!

In December of that year, I told Brad not to worry, I wouldn’t be bringing up adoption for quite a while as I knew our hands were full with two active little boys.

Then in January, I got this strange feeling that the Lord had another child for us.  We started talking about adopting a boy older than Matthew, but in the end the Lord made it very clear that our next little one would be a girl younger than Nathan!  We were thrilled to begin the journey to Hannah last February.  Hannah has the same special need as Nathan (they both have bilateral Microtia, a congenital ear deformity, and hearing loss) and we were so excited to travel to China in January to bring her home! 

Everything about our trip went more smoothly than we could have even hoped. With this being our third adoption, we knew that it might be an easy transition (we’d had one of those) or it might be a really difficult transition (we’d had one of those, too!).  We were amazed at how quickly Hannah took to us and began bonding with both of us.  The moment we arrived home, her two older brothers welcomed her with open arms into our family and they never looked back!

When she was first home, we had Hannah evaluated as it was obvious that she was delayed in her physical development.  At 18-months-old, she couldn’t get into a sitting position on her own, and couldn’t crawl or stand alone.  She had very low muscle tone and was assessed to be at a 6-9 month old level for her gross motor skills.  She is a very determined little one, though, and now just six months later, she is running around chasing her brothers, climbing on things, and she has been discharged from physical therapy!  This week she received her hearing aid and she has once again shocked us with her adaptability and resiliency.  We are so thankful for all of the progress she has made in the last few months and it has been a joy to see her personality emerge as she continues to settle into our family.  Hannah is a cuddly, kind, spunky, sweet, smart little girl and we are so glad that she is ours!

Life is very busy these days with a 4-year-old, 3-year-old, and 2-year-old, but we really wouldn’t have it any other way!  Hannah has fit seamlessly into our family and we can hardly remember life without her here.  We all love her so much!

I never could have imagined 5 years ago the incredible plan God had for our family.  We are blessed beyond words!

My Story Monday: Hearts to Hanna

Our adoption journey began in May 2011 when we submitted our application to a small agency near us in Pennsylvania to adopt a healthy infant from Korea.  Fast forward two years and we’ve adopted a beautiful special needs child from China through AAC, and yet, we know we have taken the right path for us.  People say International adoption is a rocky road, but I liken the process more to a narrow trail with many ups and downs, twists, turns and some parts where you have to blaze your own path.

My husband and I have always wanted to adopt, and following our wedding in 2006 we debated if we should try to start our family through adoption or birth.  We researched adoption and attended information meetings, however, we were very lucky to welcome our two amazing biological children in 2008 and 2009.  In May 2011 we moved to Pennsylvania and submitted our application for the Korea program.  After about six months of “paper chasing” we learned Korea was not the right fit for us.

So, after all our documents for Korea had been completed, we started from scratch preparing a dossier for China and made the switch to China’s special needs program in October 2011. (Later we learned AAC prepares the dossier for you!)  We were very nervous taking the special needs route, and filling out the special needs checklist (listing the conditions we would be open to) was really challenging for us. That spring we also moved into a new house, delaying completion of our home study.  Finally we finished our dossier in the summer 2012 and we were LID (Logged-In-Date) September 2012.

Our small agency in Pennsylvania only matched from the shared list, so each month we eagerly awaited the releases and longed to “get the call”, and see our child’s face.  During the fall of 2012 we considered the files of three children, none of which was right for our family.  Turning down referrals was heartbreaking, and we wondered if we were on the right path.  It seemed all the children on China’s shared list had more severe medical needs than we were comfortable with.

Then in February 2013 we learn through an adoption Facebook group that an agency in Colorado, AAC Adoptions, had available files of young girls with minor medical conditions—exactly what we were looking for!  It seemed unbelievable that we had waited six months for a match and there was an agency with more files than families!  We contacted AAC Adoptions and they told us about one baby girl they felt would be a good match for us.  Another family was reviewing her file, but a few days later we learned they decided not to pursue her.  AAC Adoptions was kind enough to let us review the file before committing to switch agencies. We had been happy with our agency in Pennsylvania, and already paid many of the fees, so didn’t want to switch unless this was our daughter.  We had her medical file reviewed by the International Adoption team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and decided… this is our Hanna!

We began to transfer our dossier to AAC at the end of February, which added about a month to our process.  We were  LID, through AAC, March 2013—both exactly six months after our first dates.  We received our LOA (Letter of Confirmation) on May 20,and TA (Travel Approval) July 19^th.

As we got closer to travel I’d been hoping to leave for China on July 26—my birthday!  However, when we received our TA the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou (where you must have a consulate appointment before leaving China) was closed to move offices, so we couldn’t schedule our CA (consulate appointment).  And since the CA is the crucial final step during the China trip, you can’t make any travel plans without knowing that date.

The night of July 23 I was sound asleep when an alarm woke me around 2AM.  It took me a few groggy seconds to identify it was my phone beeping a weather alert warning of flash flooding due to a thunderstorm in our area. (That’s the only time an alarm has ever been activated on my phone— not even sure how they do that.)  Since we aren’t in an area prone to flooding I shut it off cursing the weather alert system for the intrusion.  Then I noticed an e-mail that had just popped up on my phone 9 minutes earlier from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou confirming our CA appointment for August 5^th!

Two days later we boarded the plane as a family of four, and I got the best birthday gift of arriving in China on my birthday!  AAC had prepared all the documents we needed for our trip, and the in-country rep, Judy, worked tirelessly to plan our itinerary and book our hotels, guides, and in-China transportation.  Everything went smoothly!  We spent a few days in Hong Kong, five days in Nanchang— where Hanna is from— and five days in Guangzhou.  We were pleasantly surprised by Guangzhou, which is a clean, cosmopolitan, efficient and beautiful city. The hardest part of our trip was adjusting to the 12-hour time difference—as soon as we overcame the jet-lag in China, it was time to come home and adjust again.  And it’s a shock adjusting to having a toddler again!  I joke toddlers spend all day trying to kill themselves so as parents we spend all day trying to prevent that—it’s constant and exhausting, especially when no one is sleeping well.

Our gotcha day was July 29 and Hanna immediately bonded with me (she’s still a little unsure of her daddy) and is doing great!  We discovered unexpectedly she has a hernia that will require surgery soon, but otherwise have found her medical file was fairly accurate (aside from an erroneous positive Hepatitis B result).  At 17 months her development was assessed generally at a 14-month level, which is to be expected given her circumstances.  Hanna is what I’ve read described as a “Velcro baby”—she won’t let me put her down.  Her comfort level is growing to allow me out of her sight, but only for a few seconds.  Bedtimes have also been challenging and she often cries when it’s time to sleep (I’m not sure if that’s mourning or just typical toddler behavior).  But she’s already making progress and adjusting amazingly well to her new life— she is incredible!

There were times we weren't sure the ups and downs and twists and turns of this path were right for us, but now we realize everything is exactly as it should be.  Ultimately, you just have to follow your heart—our hearts lead us to Hanna. 

Proud Mommy,

Emily Lovely

Connect-A-Kid

We all know growing up isn't easy. There isn't a manual on how to grow up and become the best you.

Now take a moment to imagine growing up with something different about you... it would be much harder, sometimes making you feel alienated from those around you. 

Often adopted kids experience this. Majority of the time they don’t live near other adopted kids. Or may have a few kids in their life that are adopted but they don’t see on a regular basis. 

Role models in society for adopted kids can be few and far between.

Connect-A-Kid was created by a Korean adoptee, Brian Conyer, who grew up with two older sisters, also adopted from Korea. Having them as role models helped Brian develop into the successful and happy young man he is today. He believes that the connection he had with his older siblings helped him cope with the differences between him and his friends. Not only was he adopted but he grew up in a trans-racial family, making them often times stand out in their community.

Connect-A-Kid is a mentoring program that pairs adopted children, ages 4-17, with adult adoptee mentors.  Through this program, children will have an opportunity to interact with others whom they can relate to and look to for advice within a safe and comfortable community. Brian states that "the focus of the program is to provide support to the children, but our goal as mentors is to support the entire family."

The primary goals of the organization are:

To connect the adoption community through the mentor program

Embrace cultural diversity

Celebrate adoption

Currently Connect-A-Kid is looking for participant families in the Southern California (LA/Orange County), Northern California (San Francisco) and Denver (Front Range) region. Please visit our website for more information about Connect-A-Kid at www.connectakid.org.  Or you can email Andrea Wieland, Director of Family Outreach at andrea.wieland@connectakid.org. 


ATTN: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FAMILIES
Connect-A-Kid is excited to announce the launch of 4 new mentor teams in Southern California! The Los Angeles Fire Department will co-host the kickoff event at Fire Station 112 in San Pedro on August 24th, 2013! Participants from San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles will come together to join their respective Connect-A-kid teams, partake in lots of fun games and activities, and enjoy a Fire Boat Tour along the coast!

DATE:  August 24th, 2013

TIME:  11:30am to 1:30pm

LOCATION: Fire Station 112, 444 South Harbor Boulevard, Berth 86, San Pedro, CA 90731

RSVP:  Spaces have already been reserved for mentors, kids, and parents.  Please contact Brian Conyer (brian.conyer@connectakid.org) if you would like to join the event to show support for the organization.  Space is limited, so RSVP early!

Double Feature Friday: Henry and Parker

Henry:

Sweet little Henry was born on July 2012, weighing 7.8 pounds. 

He loves to babble and squeal and is meeting all developmental milestones. 

An echo cardiogram shortly after his birth revealed “AS (valvular and subvalvular, dp+47mmHg) c subaortic membrane and aortic valve thickened.” His heart condition continues to be monitored. A follow-up echo was performed January 22, 2013, and another echo was performed recently and looks good.

Henry’s birth mother was prescribed medications for insomnia and depression from February to March of 2012, and took electroencephalo therapy once at a mental health center. She also received mental health consultations. 

 There is a $3,000 grant available to assist with his adoption costs.

Families living in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, California and Washington may apply to review Henry's file. If you would like to review his file, please submit a pre-application on our website, and mention Henry's name in the comments section.

___________________________________________________________

Parker:

Little Parker was born April 2012. He is described as "cute and lovely". He loves to play, babble and squeal when he is excited. He likes picture books. He is shy around strangers but very outgoing. He is developmentally on target. He is now walking and running! 

When he was a couple months old he had surgery to correct Malrotation of Colon. He healed very well. He does have ASD, reduced mild, and Cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart.

Parker's birth mother would like to stay in contact after the adoption through photos and letters.

He is available for adoption in the following states only: Colorado, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Washington.

A $3,000 grant is available for this child's adoption.

If you would like to review this little sweetheart's file, please submit a pre-application online and be sure to mention Parker's name in the comments section.

Feature Friday: Phineas

DOB: November 2011

This sweet boy is Phineas, and he is almost 2 years old. He is fond of interacting with adults and also playing Hide-and-Seek and Pass the Ball with his foster mother. He really likes to dance when music is being played. At 15 months he could take a couple steps by himself and walk while his hands were being held.

Phineas has under gone Anoplasty and is doing well. He suffered from no other special needs. All development is on schedule for his age.

Phineas' file is only available for review by families who have an LID in China.

If you would like more information about this child, head on over to www.aacadoption.com and fill out the application or click here. Please mention the child's name in the comments section and when your LID is. The application fee is waived for all Waiting Child inquiries.

Feel free to contact our office by phone at 970-532-3576 or email at info@aacadoption.com

Month in Review

Happy LAST DAY of July!

Wowzers time has really flown by this summer. It has been a challenging month but we survived the crazy stress of everything that has been happening.

Instead of doing our usual Wisdom Wednesday we are going to do a month in review. Plus, we promise to work hard on update the blog more often. (Bad Erin!!)

So here it goes:

~China~

Let's see.... In the end of May China shut down their old website system and started their new online system called CPIS on June 1st. After MANY bugs and problems that needed to be ironed out *crossing fingers* I do believe they have the majority of the problems fixed. We were finally able to start submitting the dossier and Pre-approvals!!

Soooo this is the new steps in the process.... Once we get all of the certification/authentications we have to scan each document (there are 13 total that have been certified and authenticated) and then upload them to CPIS. We also have to scan and upload the Family photos, passport copies, passport photos and all of your references. On top of the uploads we have 5 separate tabs of information with over 55 questions to answer about the adopting family.

I timed this process for about 5 families files that I processed. It was an average of 3.5 hours of just scanning, entering info and uploads per family!!  And that all has to be done before we can send off your Dossier to China.

With that said we are just asking for our families to be patient with the new process. We know is taking a little longer to get your documents sent out to China but we are working hard to make it happen as fast as we can! :)

With the new system we are getting PA's for families that have already been logged in instantaneously! Which is awesome. And some of the approvals are coming a lot faster then before.

As for files, we did get 5 little darlings that we are working on getting the final placements for!! WAHOO!!! We will let the families that are waiting know when we get more beauties in. :)

I think that is it for China for right now... More later....

~Korea~
Regina said she will work on getting an update out soon. :)

~AAC~
While we are working hard at everything around here up and going we also redid our website!! Please check it out and let us know how we did!! We think it looks a lot better and is easier to work with!! Thanks to Regina's daughter Stacy we have all the pages functioning with UP-TO-DATE information. So head on over to www.aacadoption.com and check it out!

Okay that is it for Month in Review!!
If you haven't joined us on Facebook or Twitter the links are below!!

Update for Korea Families

Dear AAC families,

I’d like to share a quick update on recent happenings in Korea.

Last week, AAC was informed that 4 of our families’ files have been submitted to Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) for EP approval.  All of these families were matched with their children early in 2012 and are part of the first group filing for the 2013 exit quota.  After the files are approved by MOHW, they will be presented to the Korea family court for review.

On Friday May 31^st, three AAC families had their hearings at the Korea family court.  Here is a copy of an email I received from one of the families describing their experience:

It (the court hearing) wasn't as bad as we expected.  There was one judge and we sat the whole time.  Christie was there as our translator and the Director of Eastern, Mrs. Kim, came into the courtroom as well.  The questions they asked us were: 

•            Why did we choose to adopt from Korea? 

•            Do we know anyone that has adopted from Korea? 

•            Did we get to meet our son? 

•            After meeting him, what was our experience and do we still want to proceed with his adoption? 

•            How long have we been waiting? 

•            Are we going to make sure he will be a US citizen? 

•            What we both did for a living?

•            Are we staying in country for the duration? 

The whole thing took about 10 minutes.  We spoke to other families and they were asked pretty much the same questions.  The judges were very surprised at how long all the families have been waiting.  We felt very positive after we came out of the courtroom and it seemed like they wanted to expedite this process.

Korea was wonderful and we had such a great time.  I can't wait until we hear word on our court approval and we can go back to get him.  We are hoping to travel in the next couple of weeks. 

~Paula

  

Our staff will return from Korea at the end of the week.  I’m looking forward to hearing more about their trip!

Also in the news last week was the announcement that Korea has signed the Hague Adoption Convention. This is the first step for South Korea in becoming a Convention partner.  There is no set timeline for the ratification and implementation of the Convention.  You may check for updates through www.adoption.state.gov.  We have no way of knowing what impact (if any) this may have on the overall timeline of the adoption program.

Korea has been moving toward Hague compliance for some time and we expect a relatively smooth transition.  AAC experienced the same type of Hague transition when China became a Hague partner a few years ago. 

I hope to send more updates after our staff gets back to the office and settled in a bit.  Stay tuned!

Best wishes,

Regina

PS. All the families that had their court appearance on May 31st have their court approval and are now in the 14 day waiting period!!! 

So Close......

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are soooo close to our goal for the Orphan Care Campaign! Many of you know that we set a goal of $100k by June 1st and it would be matched penny for penny.

Well as of yesterday we are at $84,166.00!!!! That is 84% of our goal met in a month! 

Can I hear a WAHOOOOO!?.....





Thank you to all that donated.


We still have time if you want to donate and help us meet that goal!


You can donate through the paypal link below or send in a check to AAC. All donations are tax deductible!!

Donate now to the 2013 Orphan Care Campaign!