Moving on to Guangzhou

We've spent the week in Changsha, China waiting for Sonnet's passport to be completed.  Our guide will pick it up this morning, then we will board a train and head to Guangzhou, China for a week.  Every adoptive family has to finish their trip in this city since it is where the child completes a health exam, TB testing, and finally the all important appointment at the American Consulate where the immigrant visa is completed.

We are overall doing well.  Sonnet has some health issues that we weren't expecting, and we're emailing back and forth with our international doctor and agency attempting to get some medications for her once we get to Guangzhou.  I will be very thankful to get home to our own doctors and medical clinics in another week!

Statue of Mao on Orange Island

We'd appreciate your prayers.   These are long, stressful trips!

We have Sonnet!

We met Sonnet nearly twenty-four hours ago.

She is an active, happy little girl who took to us right away. 

We are so happy she is ours at last!

Ni hao from Changsha, China!

Ni hao from Changsha in Hunan Province!  We arrived very early this morning.  Just one more sleep then we'll be able to take custody of Sonnet!

We have a lovely room here.  We're thinking to maybe move the little couch up against our bed tomorrow to keep Sonnet really close.  If that doesn't seem to work so well we may request a crib.

We also have a living room area and the couch works great for Tikvah's sleeping arrangements.

Tomorrow morning we get Sonnet!  Here are the gifts for the nannies and provincial officials, and Sonnet's little backpack just waiting for her!

The usual practice in China adoptions is to receive the child then have a twenty-four hour "harmonious" period before the actual legal proceedings to finalize the adoption.  Because of some meetings happening in the province on Tuesday we will be able to also legally complete the adoption on Monday.  Our Tuesday just opened wide up for a free day of getting to know our little girl.  Stay tuned!

We're going to China!

It was a whirlwind of a week last week that saw our medically expedited paperwork accomplish a few weeks of work in just one!  Our Article 5 was dropped off, approved, picked up, travel approval received, Consulate appointment confirmed, and our travel arrangements made!  Wow!

If all goes according to plan we will be meeting Sonnet on Monday, June 27 and taking custody of her at that time.  The legal adoption then happens on Tuesday, June 28.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for her as her world is about to be turned upside down.  For our kids at home and their caregivers staying with them in our home. (understandably they are all a little anxious at us being away for a couple of weeks)  And for us as we travel and operate on a timetable that is twelve hours off from our usual time zone.  It is also supposed to be hot where we are going -- REALLY HOT!

If we are able to maintain a connection while in China, we hope to update the blog with photos of our time there.  Stay tuned!

Travel Approval!!!

We have received our invitation to travel to China!  Our agency is requesting the various legal appointments that are required, and if all goes according to plan we will be on a plane just a week from today and get Sonnet on the 27th!  I can hardly wait!

Another Matching!

As you know we are on a medical expedite and are just waiting on our invitation to travel. I just got some great news! The "Anonymous Angels" (I honestly don't know who they are except they are connected with Reece's Rainbow) have offered us a $300 matching grant!

Our Family Sponsorship link currently is at $5312.80, when it reaches $5612.80 they will add the match! We are still considerably short on travel funds and greatly appreciate this offer. If you'd like to help us with this matching grant here is the link to donate.  http://reecesrainbow.org/102427/sponsorlanz-4

Donations to our Reece's Rainbow account are tax deductible.  Thank you for helping us meet this match!

Expedite Approved!

I heard from our China case manager about 2AM (she must have monitored her email well into China time - bless her!) that our request for the medical expedite had been approved, and our Article 5 paperwork would be ready to pick up TODAY! 

We are just waiting on the official Travel Approval then our agency can schedule our legal appointments that need to take place in China.  We'd appreciate your prayers that this approval happens quickly - this week would keep us on our projected "in a perfect world scenario" that I mentioned a couple of days ago.  Thanks!

Last Steps!

The last couple of weeks have been exciting ones around here as we have marked off step by step what must be completed before we are given the invitation to travel.  Today we received the final necessary document from the National Visa Center, and our agency is forwarding it all to their representative in China.

The plan is for our Article 5 request to be dropped off in Guangzhou on Monday.  Don't know what that is?  From the Bureau of Consular Affairs  -  "If everything has been done in the required order and the child is likely eligible to immigrate as a Convention Adoptee, the Embassy or Consulate will issue a letter, called the “Article 5/17 letter”, notifying the central authority of the child’s country of origin that the child appears to be “eligible to enter and permanently reside” in the United States following the completion of the adoption or guardianship in the child’s country of origin."

This process generally takes a standard ten business days.  However, our agency has requested a medical expedite of our case.  We are hoping this translates into the representative being able to pick up our A5 on Tuesday, with a very quick Travel Approval to follow.  We realize this will require an "in a perfect world scenario,"  but it has happened to others, so we remain hopeful.

Once our agency makes our required appointments we will be on a plane to our girl!  Can't wait!
 

Neighborhood Carnival

What kind of neighbors spend hours upon hours of work hosting a fundraising carnival for someone down the street?  Awesome neighbors like ours!  Today we had a neighborhood carnival! 

We had so many fun games and prizes...

 

 

 

 

 

 Popcorn, Chick-fil-A lemonade, snow cones....

Face painting...

 

A silent auction with over thirty awesome baskets!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated in the carnival today! It was so fun to meet neighbors that I hadn't met before, to see friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and to celebrate the little miss coming home soon! We had such a wonderful time, even IF we had a bit of rain for awhile. Most were good sports about it and ducked under the trees to wait it out. The kids played in the rain. I kept making snow cones and popcorn until, well... until they pulled the plug because they thought I might get zapped.... :)

I have to say it was the MOST FUN I ever had fundraising! And honestly, even IF it hadn't been a success monetarily, the sense of community, and knowing people care and were pulling for our tiny girl was worth the work and the standing in the rain! So many helped with signs, set up, donating gift packages, baking, and the list goes on.  Knowing our friends down the street cared so much that they sacrificed hours and hours and hours to host this for us... We're so blessed.

I believe when our neighbors see Sonnet playing in the neighborhood, they will feel like they were a part of her story. It was a neat day and I can't express how thankful we are to have such great neighbors.

I know some of you are wondering how it all came out in terms of the funds, and I'm thrilled to say that between the auction and other donations it totaled nearly $2000 towards Sonnet's homecoming. Again, let me say, "thank you!"

FINAL FUNDRAISER!

Welcome to the FINAL fundraiser for Sonnet's (aka Susy's) adoption expenses. Due to the timing with the expedited process, we will not be receiving the grant support that we had hoped for. This leaves us several thousand dollars short of the goal. So we greatly appreciate your bids! 

 Our neighbors have organized a carnival for us as a fundraiser, and part of it is a silent auction for gift baskets donated by local businesses and groups.  You'll find Chick-fil-A, Coffee Lovers, Tea Lovers, Chocolate Lovers,  Bowling, Skating, China items, Legos, and more!

 Auction Details:

1. Anyone may purchase auction items, but please be aware that several of our baskets are specific to our local area.
2. If you are bidding while at the carnival, there will be bidding stations available at the table where the items are on display, or you may use your smart phone to bid while at the event.
3. The auction is LIVE NOW! You may bid any time up through the end of the carnival.
4. Bids are recorded in the order in which they are received. Your bid will not increase in increments as additional bids are received. Whatever amount you bid IS THE AMOUNT, just like a live auction. You may increase your bid as you like up until the end of the auction.
5. Bidding ends at the completion of the live event, 4:30 p.m. EST. on Saturday, June 4.
6. If the carnival is rained out, the event will be postponed until June 18 and the auction will run until the event is over. We'll be sure to let you know if this happens. At this point the forecast predicts Saturday will be a beautiful day!
7. If you are local, please stop by the table to pay (cash, check, or Paypal) and take your "win" home with you. Or you may arrange with Beth or Randi to pick it up. Non locals will need to pay the additional for postage to send it home.

See all the items HERE!  Thanks for taking a look!