One more step down!

I came across this diagram on Facebook the other day. Back before we started our adoption with Rose, I really didn't understand why it took so dang long to adopt a baby internationally. I mean, willing parents, abandoned kids-- why couldn't we just head over and pick up our baby? But as I soon learned, there are a lot of steps to go through to make sure everything is done according to the laws and dictates of both the baby's birth country and our country. Here's a diagram that lays it all out:

As of yesterday, we have reached step 10! Our I800 was approved! The next two steps take about a week and about two weeks, respectively, so we hope to be waiting for step 13 by Chinese New Year (February 11-15) and hope to have our travel approval the first week of March in order to travel in the middle of the month.