The Boy and the Bulldog: Ian Mrzena- The Motion Picture

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Ian Mrzena- The Motion Picture

A wonderful family from Arizona recently visited Ian's Child Welfare Institute in Wenzhou, China and graciously took pictures as well as a video of him for us. This was a huge milestone because it proves that he is a living, breathing baby...and a big one. This kid hasn't missed a meal and we couldn't be happier about that fact.

So without delay, please enjoy a few minutes of what is obviously toddler chaos in the Wenzhou CWI...and a quiet, observant Ian stuck in the middle of it all!

3 comments:

Stinky MouseJune 20, 2007 at 2:05 PM
Isn't it great getting to see images like this?
Glad to see you are able to do it!
He looks great! It's nice to see the conditions of the CWI look really good too!
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AnonymousJuly 27, 2022 at 10:16 PM
Feels weird coming back to this after 15 years. Happy to say that I am doing well. One day I may go to China, hopefully somewhere along that journey I'll gain something from it. I'm so happy how things have turned out, hopefully the others seen in this video also get to live amazing lives. I wish I knew how fortunate I was at the time, even though I was so young.
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Ian MrzenaApril 9, 2024 at 8:38 PM
Officially now an adult! Feels even stranger visiting this site after so long. I am very thankful for the wonderful adventures and opportunities I have had over the course of my life. Here's to the future!
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Adoption Timeline

April 2006: Attended first informational meeting. At the time, we were convinced that we would adopt from Russia.
June 2006: Sent in application to agency. By now, we had done enough research on Russia to realize it wasn't for us. At this point, the China program looked to be the most stable and best payment schedule. We have always wanted to travel to China...here's our chance!
June to September 2006: Summer and lots of travel slowed down our roll. We decided to wait to start our homestudy process until we returned from vacation in Hawaii.
October 1, 2006: Attended our agency weekend seminar focusing on program specific information, bonding with an institutionalized child, and the adoption triad. It was a huge eye opener and the first time we realized what a big decision we were making.
November 17, 2006: Our one and only meeting at our home with our Social Worker. After the hijinks of Shawn and Polli throughout the day, she actually approved our homestudy!
December 29, 2006: Mailed I-600A form to USCIS. With the holidays and a week without power behind us, we finally realized that our plan to drag our feet was about to backfire. CCAA was firming up rule changes that would effect us.
January 4, 2007: Officially accepted into the China program for our agency. Confirmed that our I-600A was received in the USCIS office. Now our first real wait begins: The wait for our fingerprint appointments.
January 26th, 2007: Fingerprint appointments arrived! We are both scheduled for February 13th at 11am, which might as well be a century away with May 1 rule changes looming on the horizon.
February 13, 2007: Fingerprinting at Seattle USCIS office...It took almost 5 hours of waiting to get through this 5 minute process!
March 9th, 2007: I171-H received! The US Government thinks we're worthy...and we're not criminals! Woo hoo!
March 14, 2007: 48 hours after sending in our final documents, our dossier is on the way to China!
April 6, 2007: LID (Log In Date). This is when our paperwork is officially in the system in China and typically marks day 1 of the official wait. We actually got the call on April 18th, but I knew it was coming. People from several online communities with similar DTC dates were already receiving theirs. This is the last big milestone for us until we receive PA (pre or parental approval) for a special needs child.
May 11, 2007: Laid our eyes on Xiang Xuan for the first time.
May 22, 2007: Sent Letter of Intent. This is our official request to China for permission to adopt Xiang Xuan.
May 25, 2007: Agency received online confirmation of our LOI from CCAA already! We are given the go ahead to call Xiang Xuan our son. Let the annoucements & shopping begin!
July 3, 2007: CCAA asks for more info about my medical history! Yikes! We could be gonners!
July 26, 2007: Finally! My doctor produces a new letter!
July 30, 2007: Seriously! Only 2 business days after sending in my new doctor letter, our LOA is here! Get packing... Travel Approval is next!
August 17, 2007: Travel Approval arrived! We can finally put a date on when we'll leave to get Ian!
October 29, 2007: Take off for China! Beijing, then Hangzhou for Ian, and finally on to Guangzhou to make Ian an American Citizen!
November 6, 2007: Ian enters our lives forever. Today, we became a family of three!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Ian Mrzena- The Motion Picture

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