 |
|
Welcome to my homepage. To the right is the referral picture of me, Li Renjie. My new name is now Sonam
Yuting Wang. I was discovered on a southbound train passing through Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, around November 9, 2000 in
Hangzhou, in China. I guess that would be my birth date too.
|
|
|
|
It was by the strike of luck that my new parents decided not to continue their search for a boy in Taiwan. Instead, they returned
to China to adopt me. I was only about 20 months old when my name was referred to them, on July 25th 2002. As far as I know,
I was just moved from the Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute to a foster family just a couple of months before that. My
mom and dad, and my new big sister, who's already four and a half years old, came to China on September 16, 2002 to take me
home. She's also adopted, from the Liu An Children's Welfare Institute in Lu'An City, Anhui Province, back in August 1999,
when she was only 18 months old. I'll let my dad tell his story of how this all got started.
|
|
|
Adoption paperchase:
Shortly after we terminated out adoption process with Taiwan, around May 01, we decided to think this through
if we should continue. In early September, we decided to go back to China, and tried to adopt a healthy toddler boy, even
though we've heard that it would be "difficult" to do so. However, after joining the Chinaboys2 listserve, that myth was totally
disspelled. Most of the referrals for healthy boys were around 11-13 months between DTC (dossier submitted to China) and referral,
unless the process is expedited due to the fact that the child has special needs.
Shortly after we submitted our application to ASIA (Associated Services for International Adoption) in early
September, we've heard about a change in the Chinese adoption law announced by CCAA (China Cener for Adoption Affairs) in
Beijing that overseas Chinese with U.S. citizenships would be expedited, regardless of the health status of the child.
|
|
|
We completed our paperwork relatively fast this time around since we've already done this, been there, three years ago when
we used ASIA to adopt our daughter, who's four and a half at this point. We were relatively familiar with the process, kind
of "old pro" at this. We completed all the paperwork around mid-November, changed our approval for INS from Taiwan to China,
and our dossier was submitted to CCAA, along with a request for expedited processing, on Dec. 16, 01. Now began the wait.
We weren't sure how short the wait would be, since the law change was relatively new. No one knows how "expedited" the process
would be for Chinese Americans. We weren't even sure what constitutes "overseas Chinese" with US citizenships. Our agency
determined, to their best knowledge and interpretation of the CCAA laws, that at least one of the adoptive parents must have
been born in China and subsequently became US Citizens. Since both of us were born in China, we were fairly elated hearing
this. We began our long wait...
|
|
At the orphanage May 2001 (around 18 months old)
|
I love to laugh (first night home, Sept. 02)
|
New!! At a relative's house, Dec. 2002
|
|
Playing w toys in his "Ward" (May 2001)
|
My first lunch at home (Sept. 02)
|
New!! A gift from my parents' friends, Thanksgiving Dinner Party, November, 2002
|
|
At the Orphanage driveway (updated referral pic: August 02)
|
With my sister (1st week home, Sept. 02)
|
At his 2nd birthday 2 months after coming home with us!
|
|
At the orphanage: mechanical merry-go-round (Aug. 02)
|
My debut with karaoke (Sept. 02)
|
|
| First hour with us in our hotel room |
|
|
Walking down the orphanage driveway (Aug. 02)
|
With my mom and sister (Sept. 02)
|
|
| First night having dinner with us in the hotel restaurant |
|
For questions about our adoption, please click here.
|
|
|
|
