My goodness. I still can not believe that we have a referral of our beautiful baby girl. So many people are so excited for us. On Friday my BFF's Michelle and Jo came over as I arrived home from work with my little Meaghan and Mia and Ken (Michelles' exchange student from China) bearing gifts and balloons. Seeing these little princesses blossom has made my wait easier. THANK YOU MICHELLE, JOANNE, MEAGHAN,MIA AND KEN.

Now we are waiting for our paperwork from the agency (JOH) so that we can complete the dossier that has to go to Taiwan. Once Taiwan gets our paperwork this is what happens:(I borrowed this explanation off of my friend Heather's blog)

HEARING: 1-3 MONTHS AFTER OUR PAPERWORKD GETS FILED IN TAIWAN

a) The family court office in the county where the child was born reviews the case/petition and a Judge is assigned to the case.

b) The judge reviews and considers the case and schedules a "hearing". Hearings are handled differently depending on the circumstances of the birth family, the judge's schedule, persons representing the birth family and those representing the adoptive family. The time involved in getting a hearing scheduled depends on the judge's schedule (docket) and that of everyone else required to attend.

Hearings can result in: The immediate decision to finalize the adoption (though this is rarely the case) or the judge may request more information (again, this is rare). Usually, the hearing simply provides the judge with more information about the case and allows him/her to rule on the adoption with confidence. Most often, the judge's decision (final ruling) happens weeks or even as long as months after the hearing.

Time line for 1st ruling - 1 to 3 months after hearing.

2. Part I of Final Decree(First Ruling). Once the hearing has been completed and the judge has had time to review all the information, he/she issues the first part of the Final Decree. This is a short statement signed by the judge that is forwarded to all parties involved (social services organization on behalf of the adoptive family and the birth family) notifying everyone of his/her decision to finalize the adoption. This first part of the Final Decree must go to each party and there is a waiting period of 10 days before any further court action can occur. The birth family has until the end of this 10 day period to change their mind regarding the adoption. Once the 10 day period is passed however, the judge can make the final decree.
Time line for 2nd Ruling - 2-6 weeks after the 1st ruling
3. Part II of Final Decree (Second Ruling). Once the 10 day waiting period is over (and the court staff finds time!), the second part of the Final Decree is forwarded to all parties. When the second part of the decree is received by your child's social service organization, the court process is DONE!

Time line for official paperwork 2-4 weeks
4. Household registration change and immigration requirements. Before the adoptive family travels, a lot must be accomplished by the child's social service organization. All court documents and background info on the child must be officially translated to English and submitted with certain paperwork to AIT. Also, the child must have his/her Visa medical exam which is forwarded directly (unopened) to AIT's immigrant visa office. At some point the child's guardian must file for a household registration change. The household registration is a file located at local government offices in Taiwan that contains certificates and information about each person in Taiwan. Your child's household registration is attached to his/her guardian's file until the adoption has been finalized by the Taiwan courts. Once the child has been legally adopted in Taiwan, the guardian files with the government office to remove the file from theirs and create a new file showing that the adoptive parent(s) are the new legal guardians.The household registration change takes a day or two or a week depending on the placing organization and the local government office.

JOH families are typically given 1 to 3 weeks notice to travel

5. Adoptive Family receives travel date. Each organization in Taiwan is different in when and how they schedule a travel date. Some wait until all of the above paperwork is filed and then give the family notice to travel quickly. Some schedule the travel in advance, while they work at preparing the above documents.

So.. that means that within 4-6 months we can travel to Taiwan to bring Paige Hsin Jung home.