Waiting For Ladybug

Friday, January 06, 2006

LOI (letter of intent)

Just the beginning of a long chain of events - our LOI (letter of intent) was sent to The People's Republic of China today. This is a letter that states our desire to adopt the little girl that we have been matched with. Usually, the result of this letter leads to a PA (preliminary approval) that grants approval for our family to adopt the specific child that we have requested. The PA is not generally expected to be received until 6-8 weeks from the time that the LOI was sent. So, mid to late February, we should have PA! Another hurdle jumped! Another date to add to the chain of events!

This is the letter:

To the Officials of the People’s Republic of China:

We wish to adopt and have as our daughter Ning Yi, currently residing in Guingang Mother’s Love Orphanage located in Guangxi Province. Ning Yi’s date of birth is estimated to be July 10, 2003. She was placed in Mother’s Love Orphanage on February 16, 2004. She has a post operative cleft lip, and a cleft alveolus.

We have been married for 11 years. We have a 9 year old son who very much looks forward to having a younger sister. We are all thrilled at the prospect of welcoming a new child into our family.

We would never dream of abandoning or abusing Ning Yi, but would rather receive her as a precious gift. She will be loved, cared for, and cherished equally as our son. She will share all rights of inheritance with him as well.

We receive an adequate income to care for Ning Yi. We are blessed with a very stable income that includes extensive living benefits. One of those benefits includes excellent medical insurance that would allow us to care for all of our daughter’s medical needs. We have met with our pediatrician to review Ning Yi’s medical records. Together, we have begun to formulate a treatment plan, securing referrals to specialist that will treat Ning Yi’s cleft alveolus. These specialists will also determine what, if any, long term treatment will need to occur.
We live in a lovely community where adoption is openly accepted and encouraged. We live in a neighborhood that houses mostly families with children. We enjoy living in this neighborhood because it allows opportunity for children to develop great relationships with other children and enjoy playing with one another safely.

We understand the absolute necessity of a quality education. The area in which we live is considered to be in an excellent school district. The ratings for the school district in which we live are the highest in the city. We plan for all of our children to receive a higher education that will enable them to be successful, productive adults. Our son understands the importance of education as well. He is an excellent student, and has already begun to make plans for college. Upon receiving money as a Christmas gift recently, he counted out an amount of money, handed it to me and said, “Mom, I want to put this money into my new sisters college savings account.”
Ning Yi would be very much loved, cared for and cherished in our family.

Thank you for considering our request to adopt Ning Yi.