Travel approval!

Friday our travel approval was received by our adoption agency, which means we are completely approved by the Chinese government to come there and finish this adoption!! Children's Hope has ask for consulate appointments for us, and we should have verbal confirmation on our itinerary by Tuesday. Once everything is confirmed then it is time to purchase flights and arrange inside China travel. WOW I'm still that deer in the headlights!! It is so surreal!! After this long and this many setbacks, I'm waiting for the .....wait somethings come up!! I really don't think that is going to happen, but it happened soooo many times on our journey so far, it is like second nature now! I've been nervous for over a year and coming down from that and feeling "normal" is harder than it would seem.

MORE PICTURES

Is this not the sweetest little girl? Hopefully we will say the same when we finally get to see her face to face. These pictures are from July of 07' when Ellie was 3 years old. The children were putting on a show for the visitors that had come to thier orphanage. This is Ellie with her best friend, who was adopted and left China last fall. It looks like she is the smallest one, as her outfit was falling down in nearly every picture we have.
I can't believe that five weeks from today we will finally be on our way to our little sweetheart!!

Visas Please

Last week we received a travel packet from our adoption agency giving all kinds of info about traveling and paperwork etc. We were given the go ahead to get our visas from the Chinese consulate in Chicago. For anyone who is not a world traveler a visa is a big stamp inside our passports that gives us permission to enter China. It is only good for a certain number of days, depending on the type of visas you apply for. I filled out paperwork for Rick, Riley and I, attached our really unattractive photos to the forms, wrote out a big check, and express mailed all of it to a courier who will deliver and pick up from the consulate in Chicago.
Hopefully they will return to us within two weeks. Just one more step towards the light at the end of this adoption tunnel!!

School starts!

Riley started 5th grade on Wednesday the 20th, and I can't believe that he is already 10 years old! (soon to be 11 but going on 18) Tonight we have a parents only meeting at school to talk about the curriculum, meet the teachers, band info etc. I'm going to drop the China trip bomb on them and let them soak it in for the next few weeks so they can figure out what to do about the classwork that he will be missing. He is going to be missing 12 school days, well maybe 11... that is if our school is off for Columbus day. This is the trip of a lifetime and I feel that he should go. How often does a 10 year old boy get to spend two weeks in China?

TENTATIVE TRAVEL DATES!!!

Surprise!!! That is what I found today on my e-mail when I arrived home!! Children's Hope has given us our tentative travel dates for China!! This all revolves around getting appointments for us at the American Consulate in Guangzhou to apply for Ellie's visa. If for some reason we can't get appointments when they are planning them, we will have to change the travel dates. Let's keep our fingers crossed and pray that it will all be approved, and finalized as planned!! We are scheduled to leave the US on Thursday Oct. 2nd and return on Thursday Oct.16th. WOW it feels so sureal!! I'm in a daze, like a deer in headlights!! I'm not sure if I want to yell Yahoo, cry or Throw up???
Maybe I'll do all three!!

LOA OFF TO CHI

The boys and I spent the entire day at home waiting for the "package " to arrive via UPS!! Literally, he didn't come driving up until after 6 PM. It did finally show, and we opened up our LOA with great excitement!! I signed, filled out forms, gave a DNA sample(just joking) and prepared it to go back out!! OH yes I forgot wrote out a big check!! We high tailed it to Fed-ex and got it mailed off and then celebrated by going to the boys favorite spot----McDonald's playland!!! YAHOO It just happens to be right next door to the Fed-ex Kinkos.

Now what?? We WAIT AGAIN!!!! China will be sending us our TA(travel approval) next. This should arrive in 2-4 weeks, and give us the dates that we can travel.

What do you think of my little girly girl? One thing we noticed about 27 pictures ago is that she ALWAYS has on a bracelet, and also some hair bling. Can't wait to dress her up in all of her new clothes!!!

OUR LITTLE PRINCESS

Well we are official now, so bring on the pics!! Sorry I'm picture happy tonight, but I'm so HAPPY!! Is this like the cutest picture ever? This is from a group who went to Ellie's orphanage earlier this month!! This is like a real time photo just a week or two old!! This is what she really looks like right now!! I can't wait to get this girl in my arms. The time is coming closer every day.

Thank You GOD!! LOA

I got the call today from our agency that our LOA/SCL arrived at their office today!!! YAHOO. This is our official referral for Ellie, they have approved us to adopt her and we should be traveling soon!! (Well 8 weeks or so) That is soon in comparison to how long we have been waiting already!! Unforutately October is tricky time to travel in China due to a national holiday and a large 2 week trade fair that goes on in Guangzhou(GZ). The American consulate is in GZ and we will spend the last week there waiting for our consulate appointment to get her visa to travel here to the US. We will just have to keep waiting and trusting in God to work it out for us and keep Ellie safe and healthy as she waits for us. We are REALLY HAPPY!! and the weather for our trip should be perfect!! The only problem is that Riley will have to miss some school, but luckily he is a good student and will be fine. So tomorrow I will spend my day peeking out the window waiting for the UPS man to stop by!!!

RUMORS

I guess the "rumor" that no one would be working in the CCAA during the Olympics got all the way back to CHINA!! They made a statement saying they would continue to work on adoption documents, but with a smaller staff than usual. This is great news for us, it will only keep our process rolling!! Our friends the M's got their LOA this past Friday for the SN little girl they are adopting!! We are so excited for their family!! There is a possibility that we could receive our LOA this next week. I'm not going to get my hopes up just in case it doesn't come, but it would be wonderful!! The sooner the better. Poor little Ellie probably thinks we are never coming!! We have been PA(pre-approved ) to adopt her since last December!!
On another note, the foot thing?? I went and I looked at the shoes in the size they say her foot is! I made Rorey put on a pink shoe with rhinestones and girly designs(he LOVED it) and I still can not believe that she would actually wear that size!! It is the size Rorey wears, and he is 8 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier!! She is going to have some REALLY BIG feet if the measurements are correct!!! Although, my co-worker S. has two nieces adopted from China and she says they both have long narrow feet.
And still it's making me crazy(crazier) not to be able to buy her some shoes!!

Waiting on LOA

We are still waiting on our SCL/LOA from the Chinese government, and it really could arrive at any time!! If we don't hear anything by August 8th , then we will have to wait until AFTER the Olympics. The Chinese adoption office is based in Beijing also, so there will be no one working on our papers until the Olympics are over with. In reality it is only about 2 weeks, but it will feel a lot longer!! Once we receive our papers & sign and return them to China we will wait again for our TA(travel approval) It will give us a window of time that we are approved to travel within to finish the adoption. Hopefully within 8 weeks of our LOA. So we really are getting close!! Everyday it gets harder to wait, I wonder more what she is thinking, I wonder if she is ready to come home, I start to get nervous everytime it comes to mind. (like once every 4 seconds) Let's hope they are preparing her for our arrival!! She has a photo albulm of us, our house, her brothers, grandparents and our dog and I hope they are showing it to her everyday!!
So say a prayer that we will be hearing something soon!! REAL SOON!!

YAHOO UPDATE!

Well here they are, the long awaited update photos!! I can't believe how grown up she looks! We also received her new measurements and she has gotten bigger since October. I'm not real convinced about the accuracy of these measurements, but it gives us an idea. I think maybe they weigh them and measure height with clothes & shoes on. I'm also thinking they might measure her foot inside a shoe. According to the new info her foot is bigger than Rorey's!! NO WAY! He is a year older, 7-8 inches taller and he does not have a little foot!! Either way a dream has ended, no shoe shopping for Ellie until we have her foot with us (and the rest of her of course) Also I was very happy to see she still has all of her long hair!! I was hoping they hadn't cut it OR shaved it off!! It has grown quite a bit and seems to be hanging down her back!! It will be easier for me to "do" if it is long enough to pull back. Since all I'm used to is wild cowlick ridden short cut boy hair!!

We are happy to have new info, but are still waiting anxiously on our SCL/LOA. Hurry up China!!

Picture This

Well I couldn't stand it anymore, I had to put Ellie's picture on my blog!! This is a picture from July 06. We think she is so pretty!! I can not wait to get her home with us. She is four years old now, but in this picture she is two. We are waiting anxiously for our LOA/SCL from China. Hopefully it will come really soon!!We love you Ellie, and we will come as soon as we can!

Christmas in July

Hey it's 94 degrees outside, so what does Rorey want to do this afternoon?? Go swimming, no way. He wants to watch Scrooge!! So here we are hold up in the AC, eating popcorn and watching "A Christmas Carol". Next it's going to be "The Grinch" and then he's going to want to watch "Elf". Both of my boys have a Scrooge obsession, Riley has watched it so many times he knows every word. He also used to make us pretend to be the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, while he played the part of Scrooge. My Mom especially loves to play that game!! HAHA!

Adoption Grant $

A few months ago we were awarded a $1,500 matching grant by Lifesong for Orphans. I was sooo happy because I didn't think we really had a shot at getting any assistance with our adoption finances. They were very supportive of our choice to adopt an older, waiting, "special needs" child, and offered us this opportunity. The donation period is over and we raised more than our goal!! So we also get the full grant!! Thank you God for coming through even when my
faith was not always 100%. I have tried REALLY hard to not worry about how we are going to pay for this adoption, but it is so hard for me to let go and put it in God's hands.
I think it was easier for me to put the selection of our daughter into God's hands than our financial issues. The day I truly laid down my will about selecting a child (which is a very stressful process) is the day I came home to find a VERY unexpected e-mail offering us Ellie. Those of you who have not adopted or have waited for a referral may not truly understand the pure anxiety that this type of decision brings.
I trust that God has chosen this child for our family, a decision that only he could make perfectly.

Fourth of July getaway.

EVOLUTION?? NO WAY!!!
We spent Friday the fourth of July and Saturday the 5th at the Creation museum in Petersburg Kentucy. It was so great!! Very new and very nice!! Great theaters, movies, and special effects. A cool planetarium, dinosaur walk thru, Noah's ark rooms, guest speakers, beautiful outdoor trail with fun suspension bridges, and a petting zoo. The boys enjoyed themselves and it was nice to have people with PHD's explaining how the evolution theory(and I use that term lightly) has more holes in it than swiss cheese!! If this is something your family would be interested in, check it out !!

Filling the closet!

I've been shopping!! We are hoping to travel in October at the latest, and found out that it will still be rather warm in all three locations that we will be visiting in China. Probably 70-80 in Beijing and Urumqi, and probably mid 80's in Guangzhou (although not as humid) So this means we need to take summer clothes with us for Ellie!! I'm in heaven because things are going on sale now, as the stores are gearing up for the winter clothes and Christmas decor!! So Saturday Rick and the boys watched me while I perused Target to find something to go with a shirt I bought that says"little girl, big dreams" on the front. I picked up two cute little skorts to match the shirt and a super cute bathing suit for Ellie!! They all were on sale and I love a bargin!! Ellie more than likely will not want to go swimming, but with her big brother Riley partaking she might decide to try it!! I definately want to be prepared just in case!
Now if I just knew how big her feet are!!!!

Getting closer!!

Well I'm still crossing my fingers, but I think our internet is finally back!! Yahoo!! No e-mail or blogging in the comfort of my own home for nearly 4 weeks is enough to push me over the edge! Not that there is much to blog about right now, we are waiting on China to send our LOA. We are expecting it in about 7-8 weeks! Then we should have a good idea when we will travel.

For now we are getting Ellie's bedroom ready, buying some dolls and cute clothes etc. Things I've never really looked at before since we have two boys! It is feeling REAL finally, and every time I think of how close it is my stomach flips over!!! What if she doesn't like us? What if she doesn't want to leave China? What if I don't know what to do with a GIRL!!

Also it's going to be really hard to leave Rorey here, even though he will be in hog-heaven, staying at my Mom and Dad's house! Maybe even going on vacation with them if we travel at the right time!! And then of course there is the flying!!!!!!!!!! AUGH!! I'm going to need medication!!

STILL NO INTERNET!

Well I can't believe it, but we still have no internet service!!! These people are crazy if they think I'm paying the bill this month! Really nothing is happening with the adoption right now as we are waiting for China to approve all of our paperwork. We will be expecting a letter and official referral in late July or early August giving us an estimated travel time. So I will keep you all informed if anything else happens!

YAHOO!!! LID

Well I called CHI after whining in my last post and they had received our LID this morning!!!
Our date is May 30th! So now we wait for China to OK everything and say come get her!
I'm very excited, but also sort of nervous! I'll keep you all updated!

Still No Log In Date!

Well as you can see, we still have no LID. Our internet is still not working correctly, not that we noticed since we had no power after Monday nights storms until Wednesday morning at 7:30. The boys and I went to my parents Tuesday night, since we didn't have water either!! Rick stayed home alone in the dark, and hooked up a generator. Next time this happens at least we will be able to flush the toilets!!
I guess I'll call CHI and try to figure out why there has been no word about our log in date. We are DTC as of May 9th!!! Most people have the LID 3-4 days later!! This is actually what I should have expected since NOTHING else has gone smoothly thru this process. Well I take that back, one thing did go smooth- Picking Ellie- Thank God!!!