Care package for Jewel

After receiving the photos and update on Joseph we want an update on Jewel. The SWI will send pictures sometimes if your agency asks and if the SWI doesn't think it's to soon from the last updated photos. I asked CAWLI if they would try to get some from Jewel's SWI. Our only photos and measurements came from her referral file that was made in December. No luck so far on our update. CAWLI is having personel changes and this months list just came out this week so they are very busy.

Care packages are a sensitive topic for some agencies and APs. Hague Convention says no contact between us and children before adoption. Two adoptive moms have formed separate care package companies. We pay them and they send a package to our child and request updates. Both moms are Chinese and each one will translate a letter from us or ask 10 questions. I'm not sure what we are going to do. We would then still send her a birthday package at the end of July. Not all SWIs send the package on to the foster family or give it to the child right away. Some save it and give it to the child right before you meet them to keep the gifts safe. With all the children they cannot keep toys, blankets or clothes separate to each child. I sure can understand that. Some moms reported their children reported being harassed and having care package items stolen. I don't want to cause any painful upset in the hierarchy of the SWI children. With Jewel being in a foster family I assume there would be a greater chance of her keeping her toy & album if the SWI will send it to the foster family.

Redthreadchina.com is run by a mom named Ann. She is spoken very highly of by other families. I emailed her yesterday and she said most likely Jewel is with a foster family (we suspected) and she can send a photo album with 6 pictures of us, a stuffed toy caterpillar, tea for the foster parents and a photo backup drive for $85. Hopefully they would put pictures for us of Jewel on the backup and send it home with her. These would be the only baby pictures to share with her later of her under 1 year old except her referral photos. Ann will also translate a 400 word letter and ask for updates. Ann also can be our personal shopping guide in Guangzhou. I hear she gets incredible prices on the items you want that exceed her guide fees. China prices are negotiable like Mexico and we are not trained for that.

Ladybugsnlove.com is run by a US mom and a Chinese mom. Angela can call the SWI and ask for an update and 10 questions from us. Then I think the SWI has to call the foster family to get the update and answers and call Angela back. She charges $40 for this service and expects to get answers within a couple of weeks. Angela also has packages of toys and albums we could send. Jewel is so young I wonder how much she would learn about her upcoming adoption? It sounds like the package is more for us than her at this age (10 months June 2nd). Maybe a phone call would be better? I just want to check on our baby who lives in another country for now. We're getting there as fast as we can! Angela is available as a personal guide in Beijing if we get to go there. Many families have said great things about her services.

What do you think? Care package or Phone call?

Travel note: This week one of the moms on the steps to TA chart got her TA only 3 months after LID. We haven't received notification of our Log In Date but most likely we have been Logged In already, just not told. That starts our countdown to LOA. If we are LID and we only wait 3 months we could get TA the end of August. "Dream the impossible Dream"