CA Confirmed

We now have our consulate appointment confirmed, and we can proceed with booking our flights. 

Travel Approval and Baby Shower

We have Travel Approval! We got the notice yesterday via email. We are scheduled to leave July 19 and meet our daughter July 23. For those in the adoption community, we received TA in 13 days. I think that’s pretty average right now.  We still have to wait until our Consulate Appointment is confirmed before we book our flights. Thankfully, our agency takes care of all the in China travel arrangements.

On another happy note, on Saturday a group of wonderful ladies from our church threw us a baby shower. It was absolutely perfect. I loved the Chinese theme. We received many nice items. Mia now has a complete summer wardrobe. We also received enough gift cards/cash to purchase all of the remaining items that we will need for Mia. Once again we have been greatly blessed, and God has provided all that we need!

One of the ladies that hosted the shower was the same lady that spoke to our church in the spring of 2010 after she had visited some orphanages in China. Her talk is what started it all. I’m so glad that she was a part of the shower. Her and her husband also gave us a beautiful crib a couple of months ago. They had used it in their home for grandchildren and no longer needed it. The crib was exactly the color and style that I was wanting. I pray that God will bless Julie and her family greatly for all that they have done.

Here are a few pics from the shower.

Lots of cute stuff for Mia!

The fortune cookies had Bible verses in them :)

Wow!

That's me ...

         

     

Now Waiting for Travel Approval

Our Article 5 is done, and we are now officially waiting for Travel Approval!  In some ways, it’s hard to believe that we will be traveling soon to the other side of the world to bring home a child.

Karolyn at CHI was good to get right back to me with an answer. I had asked if Xiao Wei would be moved out of foster care and into an orphanage before we travel to China to get her. I answer is yes, she will be moved when our adoption date is set. Thankfully, she is still with her foster family now.

I was hoping this wouldn’t happen, as it’s one more traumatic experience for our daughter to go through, but I read an interesting explanation online that makes me feel a little better about it. If we were to go to China and take her directly from her foster family, which is the only family she has ever known, she might see us as bad people who caused her grief. When we take her from the orphanage, we will be rescuing her and giving her a family again.  I know it sounds awful, but we have to make peace with it. She will have to go through the grieving process either way. She will be leaving her foster family and country behind to take up residence with people that look different and talk different. We will all need God’s grace.

For anyone out there considering adoption, I want to urge you to take that first step. The adoption process isn’t easy, but when the referral day comes, and you finally see your child's picture and hear their name for the first time, all the paperwork and waiting become worth it.

                                                                   Lori