This is horribly, terribly overdue! I can’t believe how long it’s been since I blogged. Over 2 months! But enough of the lamenting . . . on to the good (and/or crazy) stuff!
Part of the reason it has taken so long to get back to blogging is that my mom decided to shake things up in early July by taking a tumble 8-feet off of a ladder onto a concrete floor. One ambulance ride, lots of bruises, a broken wrist, and two surgeries later, she is starting physical therapy and thankful it was “only” a wrist. So I haven’t had the quiet of Nana and Grandpa Days to allow for blogging like usual . . . and this was NOT a case of only appreciating it when it was gone, so definitely glad she is on the mend!
On July 21st, we got our first grant ACCEPTANCE letter. $5,000! Such a wonderful blessing and example of the Lord’s provision! We are waiting to hear back on other grant applications, but we are ~$7,000 away from fully-funded!
On July 22nd, we got to experience another blessing (and product of the good side of internet connections) . . . you may remember from an earlier blog that we were on a waiting list to review a file for little girl Child A until another family moved forward with her file. Well, I got to connect with her adoptive family and get an update on how she is doing! This was such a joy for my heart after wondering about her for the last year! Out of respect for her and her family's privacy, I of course can't share any information, but she is doing very well!
On July 27th, our file FINALLY moved out of dossier review after several delays (including the additional paperwork request) and into match review. At that point, we knew that we were days or weeks away from LOA.
Then, on July 31st, I got an email from our agency asking me to call as soon as possible. Now whenever this has happened before, it’s been because of less-than-good news; usually China is wanting more paperwork. So I called immediately and had to leave a voicemail. I was then a bundle of nerves running around the house doing chores, trying to keep myself occupied. It took about 30 minutes, but our caseworker returned my call and told me that . . . we had LOA!!! Happy Dance!!! Such an overwhelmingly wonderful moment 10 months in the making! LOA (Letter of Acceptance or more exactly Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter) means that SHE IS OURS! Everything following that point is just the technicalities to getting her here and in our family!
And now, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Baby! She is 2½ years old, and we are completely thrilled to have her join our family! If everything proceeds according to plan, Hubby and I should be in China to get her by the end of October!
The journey has been long (and isn’t over yet), but we are so close to bringing home Baby and finally having all 4 of our children in the same house, to say nothing of being on the same continent!
Part of the reason it has taken so long to get back to blogging is that my mom decided to shake things up in early July by taking a tumble 8-feet off of a ladder onto a concrete floor. One ambulance ride, lots of bruises, a broken wrist, and two surgeries later, she is starting physical therapy and thankful it was “only” a wrist. So I haven’t had the quiet of Nana and Grandpa Days to allow for blogging like usual . . . and this was NOT a case of only appreciating it when it was gone, so definitely glad she is on the mend!
On July 21st, we got our first grant ACCEPTANCE letter. $5,000! Such a wonderful blessing and example of the Lord’s provision! We are waiting to hear back on other grant applications, but we are ~$7,000 away from fully-funded!
On July 22nd, we got to experience another blessing (and product of the good side of internet connections) . . . you may remember from an earlier blog that we were on a waiting list to review a file for little girl Child A until another family moved forward with her file. Well, I got to connect with her adoptive family and get an update on how she is doing! This was such a joy for my heart after wondering about her for the last year! Out of respect for her and her family's privacy, I of course can't share any information, but she is doing very well!
On July 27th, our file FINALLY moved out of dossier review after several delays (including the additional paperwork request) and into match review. At that point, we knew that we were days or weeks away from LOA.
Then, on July 31st, I got an email from our agency asking me to call as soon as possible. Now whenever this has happened before, it’s been because of less-than-good news; usually China is wanting more paperwork. So I called immediately and had to leave a voicemail. I was then a bundle of nerves running around the house doing chores, trying to keep myself occupied. It took about 30 minutes, but our caseworker returned my call and told me that . . . we had LOA!!! Happy Dance!!! Such an overwhelmingly wonderful moment 10 months in the making! LOA (Letter of Acceptance or more exactly Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter) means that SHE IS OURS! Everything following that point is just the technicalities to getting her here and in our family!
And now, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Baby! She is 2½ years old, and we are completely thrilled to have her join our family! If everything proceeds according to plan, Hubby and I should be in China to get her by the end of October!
We received our second immigration approval on September 4th and are waiting for the official form confirming our visas are in order as well (NVC letter). We are expecting that letter in less than two weeks. From there, our Article 5 paperwork will be sent to China to the Consulate there, and once approved, it will be forwarded to the CCCWA. They will issue our TA (Travel Approval or more exactly Notice of Travelling to China for Adoption). It takes an estimated 4 weeks from Article 5 shipment to TA, so we should have TA in 5-6 weeks and then we fly out about 2 weeks after that!
The journey has been long (and isn’t over yet), but we are so close to bringing home Baby and finally having all 4 of our children in the same house, to say nothing of being on the same continent!
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