Almost There Now!

I apologize that I haven't updated lately. Here is a summary in pictures. :)

Big sister and I went to Ch!natown with a good friend and her two girls. It was a fun day, and I was able to pick up some foods that would be familiar to Lia to take on our trip and have for when we return home.

We had a great time exploring all the food and drink items and even sampling some of them!

Thank you A for a terrific day!

 

We finished our registry at Babies R Us as a family. The older kids had so much fun picking out items for their little sister. I think big brother's expression says it all in the top right picture. If the older kids had it their way, I am pretty certain the entire store would have been included on our registry. They were incredibly sweet trying to make sure that their "mei" had everything they thought was most important. I love their hearts!

        

 

Daddy put together the crib and we worked on her room.

 

The rocker was painted, and we are in the process of getting new cushions made.

We still have some finishing touches to make in her room but it is almost ready now! When it is complete, I will post a few pics of some of the details that are so special and meaningful.

 

An update arrived and we are even more in love with our girl. Is that even possible?!? We absolutely adore her, every single one of us, and are even more anxious to bring her home. According to the update, she has lost 2 pounds-booo!, but she is "extroverted and affectionate" and "she likes dolls and playing outside."-ahhh, warm and fuzzy feelings return. I see LOTS of dolls and a new play set in her future, don't you? We will not receive anymore updates since we are inching closer to travel now. It's ok. We are thankful for the information that we have received and have been extremely pleased with the cooperation that the SWI seems to have shown thus far with our requests.

 

I prepared and sent another care package. These items I marked specifically for Lia Grace. They say "We Love You, Xu Meng Yi!"

 

This was the contents of the whole package.

 

It is ah-mazing how much you can fit in one of these priority mail boxes! You have to be strategic to make it all fit. It is kind of like putting a puzzle together. :)

I love, LoVe, LOVE sending these care packages. The planning and shopping for them is a blast!

And, I made a new friend at the Brookstone post office. *winks*

Seriously, she is THE BEST postal worker ever!

 

My parents came up to work on their Visa applications and do some shopping travel preparations with us. They had to sign the applications and we had to get passport size photos taken of them to attach to the Visa applications.  

 

All 6 of our Visa applications were completed, signed, and priority mailed to the courier. She will review them before delivering them to the Ch!nese consulate on our behalf and then next week she will pick them up and mail them back to us.  

 

While my parents were in town we toured some of the local preschools in preparation for when I return to work. We made a decision with absolute peace and ease after touring one of them, and I will drop off the enrollment application this week. We are confident that Lia will be extremely well cared for there and will thrive in their nurturing environment.

 

My mom and I also finished up our registry at another retailer, and I regret that we did not snap any pictures of that occasion. We had lots of fun shopping yet were able to stay remarkably focused and practical.  I love that my mom gets just as excited as I do whenever "something" happens or whenever we get any updates.

 

I had my check up and got the vaccines I still needed for travel. My kind, and always very concerned, doctor also wrote me some prescriptions for medications to take with me just in case I get sick while in country. Prayers now that they won't be necessary, please!

  

This past weekend we took a quick family trip to Gatlinburg for a few days. While there we stopped at one of the local tourist attractions. There was a huge Google Earth map. Always on our mind, Michael immediately located Xuch@ng so we could "see" where our sweet girl was.  

 <---Pointing to her birth city <---"We love you!"

 

Big sister found this and was so excited. She cannot wait to be in LG's birth country!

 

The biggest news though is that we are officially finished with the paperwork. Yes, you read that right. All done. Terminado.  Finito. I cannot believe it, and it feels so strange. For months I have been working on paperwork and now I have nothing to fill out or complete. The last of the paperwork has been successfully submitted and we are on the next to last "wait".  Below is the email we received from our agency confirming receipt of Lia's application for her immigrant Visa. What this means is that we have applied for her visa on her behalf and then authorized the embassy in Ch*na to issue her visa to enter the US on a Ch!nese passport. It takes 2 weeks for the consulate in Gu@ngzhou to process this paperwork and then an "Article 5" is issued. The article 5 states that LG can enter and reside permanently in the US of A!

 

After we receive confirmation that our Art 5 has been picked up, the wait for TA (travel approval) will begin. Families typically receive TA within 2-4 weeks and then travel 7-10 days later. We are still projected to travel in September and our agency has said that the first two weeks are "highly likely".  There is an issue right now worldwide with passports and visas being issued due to a computer glitch on the US side. The great unknown right now is whether or not this backlog will trickle down and affect families that are not currently in country. Either way, it is not in our time, it is in His time. We will travel when we are supposed to and we continue to pray for Lia's health, safety, and protection until we can get her.

 

Please continue to pray for our sweet girl and the transition that she will have. Please pray for the families that are stuck waiting for their child's visas and passports to be issued. And, please join us in giving thanks for this little blessing. We are in awe of His goodness and are so grateful that we get to parent another one of His precious children.

 

 1 Samuel 1:27

 

 

We love you, Lia Grace! The thread is getting shorter each day.

Soon we will be united,

Mama