Getting ready...

This mommas heart has been through the wringer this week - so very excited to meet my son but already missing my wonderful hubby and precious daughters who are staying home... 18 days is a LOOOONG time to be away! SO glad that I'll have one helper with me that I can cuddle and hoping sweet son will let me love on him too.

In prep for the trip EB and I made a paper chain for the nights momma will be gone, to help her visualize when we'll be back... She is excited to take one link off each night until mommas home :)

Appreciate your prayers - Bob has set me up with my own wifi and VPN so (if I can operate them) I'll try to post some while we are gone for those who want to follow along. Thank you SO much to everyone who has supported us in so many ways - we couldn't do this without you!

Test

Just testing to see if I can post from my phone :)

TA!!!!!!!

We found out on Friday, April 13th, that we got our Travel Approval!!!!! So very very excited (and a little all over the place!). I (Mama-bear) fluctuate between being ecstatic, to not believing that its finally here, to freaking out over the details in preparation, to longing for sweet JJ and wondering how he is doing/how he is going to respond to this all (heartbroken at the heartache he is about to go through), to being ecstatic, not believing its finally here, freaking out.... you get the idea ;)

We are still waiting to hear back from the US Consulate with our CA (Consulate Appointment) date. After we have that confirmed we will be booking flights - right now its looking likely that we (CC & Mama-bear) will be headed to China around the last of April, first few days of May... and hopefully home by May 16th. Loooooong time in China...

Will post the details once we have them... but are rejoicing to be at this stage! Not long now!!! :)

Waiting...

 on our Travel Approval... Our Article 5 was picked up on March 30th from the US consulate in Guangzhou but because of Ching Ming (grave sweeping holiday in China) it wasn't able to be dropped off at CCC*A until Thursday April 5th. After we get our TA all thats left is to schedule our consulate appointment, book flights, and GO to China!!!! I cant believe that it is all happening, is all so close.

My goal for this next week is to try and get some meals in the freezer (for Bob and the 2 girls while we are gone and hopefully a couple for when we get home too- am also hoping that it will be a good distraction technique, this momma is so ready to go get our son).

Would really appreciate your prayers as we are in this final stretch:
1) For JJ's heart/emotions - he has/is likely heading back to the state run orphanage, a place he has hasnt lived at since he was a few months old, we think... is a HUGE and hard transition for him right before meeting us and having another HUGE and hard transition... and is also not a very nice place :( is heartbreaking when I really think about it :(

2) For us here as we prepare to travel and also try to prepare for Bob and 2 of the girls who will be staying at home...

3) For our TA to come this week. TA's were taking 2-3 weeks but then last week they started coming in around 7 days so we are praying that ours will come that quickly!

Looking forward to the next post being about our TA!!!! :)

Visas are here!!!

We are one step closer to getting our son!!! Our passports came back from the Chinese Embassy in DC today with our visas to enter China... as well as a Power of Attorney document (since Bob is not coming) that had to visit the US Dept of State (and a few other offices first) and finally get its authentication from the Chinese Embassy.

It feels like the paperwork is close to being done (do I dare say that???) except for the final stuff that happens in China... Now time for me to educate/prepare CC for our upcoming trip :)

NVC cabled!!!!

If you are familiar with China adoption lingo you'll know exactly what I'm talking about... and for those that aren't the translation is 'yeah! next step down, only a few more to go!' :)

Our file was 'cabled' (emailed) today from the US NVC to the US consulate in China... We also got a wonderful little letter from the NVC via email stating that our file was cabled. This letter now goes, via our agency, to the US consulate to let them know that they have received our file (??? all done harping on this redundancy now - promise!) so that our next step (Article 5) can be initiated. Its supposed to take about 2 weeks for the Article 5 to be issued... and then hopefully about 2 weeks from Article 5-TA, and then 1-2 weeks from TA-China! Of course there is variation in all of that but just so excited that we are one step closer to our son!

We are sending a very small care package to our son tomorrow... Hoping and praying that he is still at MBHOH to receive these small gifts...

Mama is not much of a seamstress so this is definitely not pretty but oh how I loved getting to do this for my son, sewing his sweet name on a little lovey for him!

Jon Jon we think about you all the time, are missing you and praying for you and longing for the day that we can be together... but also heartbroken at all the loss (again) and upheaval that is ahead for you... Oh how I wish that there was a way to somehow make this easier, to prepare you (so that it isn't such a shock, having your whole world turned upside down!), to let you know that we (your forever family) love.you.dearly., that your sisters cant wait to play with you and love on you (and probably dress you up in princess clothes! sorry!), that Daddy and I cant wait to be the ones to hold you and feed you and sing to you and wrestle with you, and read to you and comfort you and make you laugh and help you heal and grow... that this will be forever... We love you our precious son.

I800 approval!!!

So our I800 was approved today!!!! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh! SO excited!!!

I'm sure it sounds crazy, all the different 'approvals' - the hoops that you are required to jump through in intl adoption are crazy... but basically this approval was from the US Govt, classifying JJ as our son, stating that he will be given US citizenship when he enters the US... woo hoo!!!

This approval is being sent to the NVC (National Visa Center) here in the US who will write us a letter stating that they have forwarded our petition to the US Embassy in Guangzhou. Once we get our letter from the NVC it has to be taken to the US Embassy in Guangzhou (sound kinda redundant? b/c hasn't the embassy already been notified of our case by the NVC when they received it??? anyway... don't ask questions, just do as we're told) who will then issue another document, this one called the Article 5. The Article 5 basically means that all of our ducks are in a row, everything meets the requirements and we are set to finalize the adoption. Our Article 5 then has to be taken to the Chinese Govt body who will then issue our travel approval (yay!) but wait, we can't travel until our US consulate appointment has been scheduled in Guangzhou. Clear as mud? Yah, for me too... and I've been reading about this process for months now!

Right now it is taking an average of 6 weeks from I800 approval to travel approval, with travel being about 2 weeks after TA... All that to say that I could be going to get our son the first week of May!!!!

One step closer!!!