Let's get packing!!

We received our travel approval yesterday and our Consulate Appointment was confirmed today.  We will leave for China on June 22, 2012 and should be meeting our precious Emily by June 25.  So much to do in so little time.  No time for blogging.....too much to do!

On pin and needles

Today I will check my emails every 1/2 hour or so waiting to see something from our agency....our TA, an update with new pictures and measurement so that we can get clothes organized for Beibei.  We have now been waiting 14 days for our TA, Travel Approval.  We have been waiting much longer for an update.  I would be nice to know what little sister (Mei mei is younger sister in Mandarin) looks like now.  Our Visas have been applied for and received.
It is soooooooo incredibly hard to wait at this point yet there is so much we could be doing to get ready.
We are praying that today will be the day.  The wait for TA seems to average between 15 to 20 days according to recent statistics on a popular adoption forum.  Please let us be average!

Three More Steps

We are waiting on our Article 5 to be picked up at the Consulate in Guangzhou.  From there we wait for CCCAA to issue TA, Travel Approval and last a CA, Consulate Appointment.  That is just three more major steps.  We also have to apply for our Visas, and get organized for travel.
Our Church Spaghetti Dinner was a great success and also came in handy to pay for our well pump that decided to quit after 20 years of faithful service and to pay for a insurance deductible of $2500 for Guy's four day hospital stay.  Happy to report Guy is doing well and is back to work.  His new employer has been fantastic.  Thank you God!  The past month and a half has been a test of strength and a reminder of how many wonderful friends and family we have.  We are getting very anxious to travel and bring Emily Ann home and hope and pray that everything will go smoothly.  We would love to get an update on our Beibei and keep putting in requests but due to the new system in place for obtaining updates we have received nothing yet.  I sure hope we can get an update before traveling.  

I-800 Approved and National Visa Center approval cabled to Guangzhou

We are getting there  little by little.  I thought we were all set for the next step only to find that more papers needed to be over-nighted to our agency.   Yikes!  A true test of patience.

We have LOA!!!

We received the call today that we received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) today!!!!!!

Here's a surprise!! <-----(sarcastic) Still waiting for LOA

Day 52 and still waiting for LOA.  You would think we would be used to this because it is a second adoption but it doesn't get easier.  The fact is our little girl is in China and we are here and until we are all together it is hard to relax.  We love you Emily Ann Xiu Bei.  We know you have no idea that we even exist but we are waiting for you to become our daughter and mei mei..  We think of you, imagine your voice, wonder what your personality is like and dream of holding you.  Your big sister thinks of you often and wonders what it will be like to be a big sister.  We pray that you are safe and your foster family is taking very good care of you until we can become a family.  It is hard for us to wait because we already love you so much.

Waiting on our LOA

We are logged in!!!!  Our LID is !/17/2012.  Now we wait for our LOA - Letter of Acceptance from China.