Spring!

Yes friends, we are still patiently anxiously waiting for our daughter's face. And, while it remains hard, we know our girl is coming. It is not in our time, it is not our story, it is in His time because it is His story. So, we joyfully wait and continue to shop prepare for her arrival. :)

Spring is finally here after a long, cold, hard winter. For Valentine's Day, Lia Grace received her first blankie from her Grandma and Grandpa. It is beautiful and super comfie! We know that she will LOVE it.

 
Lia Grace also received a GORGEOUS lap blanket from my Secret Pal from one of the adoption groups I am a part of. She always sends the most thoughtful notes and gifts to us. Here is our gift from February:

I cannot wait to wrap our girl up in her blankies and read to her! :)

Lia Grace also got some new clothes this Winter. She got the MOST adorable pink and white chevron pillowcase dress, a super cute pink Polo shirt, and another precious dress complete with all the perfect accessories from my Secret Pal during March. These items are in addition to all the toys, puzzles, books, and sippy cups that we have started purchasing. Yea, our girl is loved.

Consulate Appointment? It is red, white, and blue after all!

 

 

At the very end of March I called our agency to check in, even though I said I would not contact them. I found out that we are officially OOT- "out of translation" on Ch*na's side. This is another big milestone where our dossier is concerned. From what I understand, our dossier can only travel so far through the process until we have been matched. The next step in the process is "reviewed" and then our dossier will stop. It won't be able to travel any further through the CCCWA's system until we receive our referral. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the whole adoption process this is a fun overview of what we have done and what still lies ahead for us:

We are currently waiting for #8-we are standing on the CCCWA box, if you will. Our dossier is in Ch*na and we must wait for our referral before we can send a LOI ("Letter of Intent" to adopt Lia Grace) and #8 LOA (Chin@ to issue a "Letter of Acceptance" granting us permission to adopt her).

The great news is that the longer we wait for her sweet face, the quicker we will travel to pick her up. The time seems to decrease dramatically on the other side of referral for each day that we must endure during this part of the wait. At least that is the current trend. :)