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INTRODUCTION

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   INTRODUCTION    APPROVAL    REFERRAL

The Referral Process

The referral process was initiated almost immediately after our approval for adoption. For our first adoption we'd initially planned to adopt from Haiti, this time we weren't in doubt that it should be from China - although Thomas did apply some pressure for us to adopt for Haiti so that we could have a truly mixed family.

From the papers being registered with the China Centre of Adoption Affairs it took 14 months before a child was referred. With Yanmei, the referral took 6 months - the waiting time was a real killer this time around.

25th April 2001

We receive a letter from our organisation containing a list of information that we must send to DanAdopt in conjunction with adoption:

  • Physical examination including HIV test

  • Income statements

  • Financial statement - signed by a notary

  • Copies of international birth and wedding certificates - signed by a notary as true copies

  • Danish and International criminal records

  • Motivation for adoption letter

  • Photo copies of passports

We signed an returned to DanAdopt a statement of our intention to adopt a child from China.

1st May 2001

We visit the notary to have the necessary statements and copies signed by the notary (total cost 800Dkr)

3rd May 2001

Lene visits the doctor for the health check-up and tests

4th May 2001

Steven visits the doctor for a health check-up and tests

9th May 2001

Steven re-visits the doctor to re-take the blood tests that had failed the first time around (this is a major disaster as Steven hates getting needles stuck in his arm).

12th May 2001

We receive the criminal record documentation from France (where we lived between 1990 and 1998)

13th May 2001

We send all the documentation to DanAdopt. Click on the link to read our motivation for adopting letter.

6th July 2001

Our adoption request is sent to the China Centre for Adoption Affairs (CCAA). It was registered with CCAA almost immediately.

We wait and wait and wait, check the Internet, wait and wait and 412 days later  ..........

22nd August 2002

We were members of an Internet group for families that were registered at CCAA during July 2001. The first families from this group, from the US, received their referrals.

30th August 2002

A message is posted on a Danish Internet site for adoption from China that Danadopt's representative in China has just received 4 referrals that will be translated to English before being sent to DanAdopt in Denmark. It's Friday night, so we can't get this confirmed before Monday.

2nd September 2002

Lene contacts DanAdopt and the above is confirmed. DanAdopt tell Lene that the children come from Zhejiang province, weren't all from the same orphanage and that at least one was a boy. The papers were to be sent to the doctors before they would give us more information. 

4th September 2002

DanAdopt ring and inform us that we have received a referral, a boy from Yiwu, Zhejiang - he was born the 11-8-1999 (it turned out that he was born the 8-11-1999!) and called Da Ni. We couldn't get more information until the DanAdopt had received written information from the Doctors.

9th September 2002

DanAdopt called to say that they now had all the information about Da Ni and that we should be aware that he had a cleft lip, that had been operated. We drove to DanAdopt's offices to get the referral information about Da Ni. Beyond the medical information, we received the following information about or son:

"He was born on the 8th November 1999 and found at the entrance to the Institute on the 10th November 1999 by a security guard of the institute. His name Ni Da is given by the institute.

Upon his arrival he was 49cm tall and weighted 2,5kg, head size 31cm. A cleft lip was seen from his appearance. Heart and lungs (negative). Umbilical cord on his stomach was bound up well without bleeding and leak of liquid. Nothing was wrong with his limbs. After his admission, he was sent to Hangzhou Hospital for a repair operation on his cleft lip on 17th July 2001. The operation went smoothly. So he went back to the Institute on 17th July 2001.

He has the same schedule as the other children of the same age in connection with everyday life. He gets up at 5:30 am, takes some snacks such as biscuits and milk. 7:00 am eats breakfast (one bowl of congee and one steamed bread), 11:00 for lunch (one small bowl of vegetables and rice), 11:30-13:30 takes a nap, 13:30 for fruit and snacks (egg, biscuits, milk, tea etc.) 16:30 for dinner (one small bowl of vegetable and rice or dumpling soup and noodle). He eats on his own. 17:30-19:30 for playing on his own in the play room. 20:00 for bed time. He sleeps soundly. He has poo poo once and pee pee once every three hours everyday.

He has a bright and cheerful disposition. He is also sensible and obedient child, but sometimes he can be very stubborn. He always smiles and shows great interest in imitation. He is fond of toys. Now he is able to go up/down stairs without support. He has learnt to scribble on a piece of paper and understood the meaning of "inner" and "outer". He manages to button up/down his clothes and take them off. He can call "dad", "mom" with a clear pronunciation. He is used to communicate in Mandarin with the other children. Presently he is attending class which imparts rudimentary knowledge to beginners. He really enjoys himself in the Nursery. If he does not achieve what he wishes in the Nursery due to some special reason, he is all tears on that day.

Luo Dong Fang, Yi Wu Social Welfare Institute - 18th March 2002 

10th September 2002

We sign and return the confirmation of adoption paper (Letter Seeking Confirmation From Adopter) for CCAA and an equivalent statement for DanAdopt. We also sign a statement agreeing to the Copenhagen County Council visiting us twice after our return (after 6 months and 1 year).

Letter Of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter - with this letter we agree to adopt Da Ni

September 2002

We start to look for a name. In Danish 'Da' means 'When' so it isn't really appropriate. We consider many names, for example: Daniel (as Yanmei has a Chinese name we feel that Da also should), Nida (means elf, which perhaps isn't very appropriate if he doesn't grow very tall and also the National Institute for Drug Abuse), Dai ... Thomas proposes Daji. It ends up being the chosen name, although when we realise that the Institute actually called Da by "Ni Da", Nida would have been the same name.

16th September 2002

The last of the families receive information about their children, so the China Travel Services can begin to make travel plans.

24th September 2002

We receive the first travel plan from DanAdopt. We are to collect Da Ni in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on October 28th, staying in Hangzhou until the 2nd November. 

28th September 2002

The group met at Conny's home to discuss the up and coming trip to China. Amongst other things we discussed the sight-seeing trips planned by CTS.

1st October 2002

We decide to travel to China on Wednesday 23rd October and spend some time in Beijing prior to travelling to Hangzhou. We book tickets and inform DanAdopt so they can inform CTS who will book a hotel for us for the extra days.

2nd October 2002

We receive the invitation letter from CCAA "The Notice Of Coming To China For Adoption"

23rd October 2002

We travel to China - and the next part of the journey is about to start.