Happy Birthday to Jennifer!

Today is Jennifer's seventh birthday.  When Abigail had her birthday back in October, (click to see the post Abigail is six) we had to make due with having a cake at home in her absence.  This time, we are far enough along in the process that we were allowed to send a cake (from a bakery in her country) to the orphanage!

The cake pictured is the actual birthday cake!  I'm told (by someone who is now back in the states but used to work at the orphanage) that it is a pretty typical cake for China.  It is "sponge cake-like...very sweet...they don't use butter like we do, so theirs aren't as "rich" but super sweet."  She confirmed that it is a peach slice on the top in the middle not an egg yolk.  (After purchasing "moon cakes" last fall, we wondered!)  The only thing she found surprising was the absence of cherry tomatoes.  Apparently it is common to find them along with the other fruits.

We don't know if Jennifer has ever had her own birthday cake before.  It is rather doubtful.  We received photos of her blowing out tall, skinny candles and grinning her sweet little head off.  The cake was rather pricey, but that smile was PRICELESS!  So happy we were able to do this for her.  It may be her first birthday cake, but this is her LAST BIRTHDAY without a family!

Never a dull moment...

If you have been following our story, you know because of snowstorms in Kansas City, we waited an entire month for our I800 to be approved.  We were so happy to get the written copy of the provisional approvals in the mail on Monday.  At our agency's instruction, we then began a daily routine of emailing the National Visa Center.  Once the information is entered in their computer they "cable" it (in other words send it electronically) to China.  Then they issue a letter to us saying they have done so. One can shave a couple of weeks off the wait time by requesting a pdf in an email instead of waiting on this paper copy to arrive.

I called the NVC this afternoon after three days of receiving no response whatsoever to my emails.  It was disturbing to have them attempt to look up the girls' numbers, Ethan's information, even MY information in case someone had entered it wrong.  Nothing.  They have no record of us at all.  Since it has been an entire week from our approval, they seemed concerned and instructed me to call the Hague office to get tracking numbers. You may remember my month of frustration in calling and emailing that office.  Now as then, I left a voice mail and an email to our officer.  No response today at all.  Sigh. 

Our agency is involved this time and attempting to get the tracking numbers for us.  They assure us that if the NVC doesn't get our forms within a few days they will request that duplicates be overnight express mailed to the NVC. 

I guess the lesson here is to always expect the unexpected.  Once again, the "predictable" part of this process has been anything but predictable! 

They are here!

Two beautiful documents arrived in our mailbox today!

After being held up with weather delays, these are the long-awaited results of filing our USCIS I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative.  We have the written evidence of our provisional approvals for both girls.  That is the news.  The rest of this post is the "what happens next" for those who are interested in details.

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website --

Purpose of Form :

To determine the child's eligibility for classification as a Convention adoptee. The petition is filed by the U.S. Citizen prospective adoptive parent to finalize the immigration process of a child who habitually resides in a Convention country.

Now what?  Since the I-800 Provisional Approval has been issued, NBC has forwarded this information to the National Visa Center (NVC) who, in turn, will cable the approval information to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou.   Once they have entered the information into their computer system they will send us a letter.

 In the meantime, our agency has sent several documents to their representative in Guangzhou.

   

When we receive our letter from the NVC,  we will send a copy to our agency.  The agency then forwards this document to the representative in Guangzhou, who will print the letter and hand-carry it and the aforementioned supporting documents to the U.S. Consulate. 

The U.S. Consulate will review our DS-230, I-800 provisional approval and supporting documents. If everything is in order, they will sign the second version of the Letter of Seeking Confirmation and issue the Article 5 Letter. 

The agency's representative will pick up our family’s Article 5 from the U.S. Consulate around ten business days (two weeks) from the day our documents are submitted and express mail them to the CCCWA in Beijing. The CCCWA will issue the Final Notice of Traveling to China for Adoption (Travel Notice) around 2-5 weeks later!

That is it!  We are waiting on our Article 5 letter and then TRAVEL APPROVAL!  We are still holding out hope for traveling in late April.

Metamorphosis

met·a·mor·pho·sis:  A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.

I have been pondering Psalm 37:4 the past few weeks.  It is a popular verse that most of us have memorized.  "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."   The adoption process has made this verse take on a whole different dimension for me.  I've found that my delight in the Lord doesn't magically make everything I desire come to pass, but rather it changes the desires of my heart.

There has been a metamorphosis of sorts going on in me over these past eight months.  At times it happened so gradually that I didn't realize it was even happening. Who can possibly explain how I can love these two little girls so much when I've never even met them?  Adoption is a strange phenomenon.

I800 Approved!

Whoooo hooooo!  I'm doing a happy dance here!  I just received this news in my mailbox a few minutes ago: "There was a delay in processing the I-800 on Monday as we had a storm approach and our office was closed on Tuesday for hazardous weather.  I finished the I-800 yesterday morning and the approval notices went out in the mail."

Great news!  We've waited longer than usual for this step to be finished! 

It is March!

It is March!  A time for spring and new beginnings.  According to my oldest daughter the best reason to celebrate March may well be because February is over!

Annually, on March 1, Ohioans celebrate Statehood Day, confident that the day of commemoration coincides with the date that Ohio was admitted to the Union. There is little doubt that Ohio was the seventeenth state admitted to the Union, falling between Tennessee and Louisiana, but the actual date upon which the event happened is not so clear.  Some think we weren't admitted to the Union until August.  If this is of interest to you see the official website When Did Ohio Become a State?

Or perhaps it is the March 2 birthday of Dr. Suess or March 3 birthday of Alexander Graham Bell that is the big deal of the month?  How about National Frozen Food Day on March 6 or National Cereal Day on March 7?  The historical reenactors in our family may appreciate JohnnyAppleseed Day on March 11.

As I look at the calendar I'm reminded that March is when we will turn our clocks ahead, celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the first day of Spring, Easter and Passover.   The month of March will have many special days for the Lanz family, also.  Take a look at these red letter days!

Our girls are part of a Lenten emphasis called Forty Days to Forever .  These are daily devotional thoughts and awareness directed towards forty particular orphans.  Our girls were chosen to be part of this emphasis.    Abigail is featured today, on March 1 here  and Jennifer tomorrow, on March 2  here..  In addition to showing support for our girls, you can win some pretty awesome "door prizes" for your participation. 

March 7 is Jennifer's 7th birthday!  We ordered a cake (in her city) that should be arriving at her orphanage shortly.  For all we know it is the first birthday cake of her own that she has ever had.  We're anxiously awaiting the promised photos of her special day!

Our family was chosen by Owls for Orphans to receive 50% of the sales of each owl ordered - in March only - through our link.  Please make sure to mention our name when you order so we receive credit. There is lots of cuteness to be found on their website so check it out! 

March holds the promise of our I800 approval.  Remember my "downer" perhaps too honest assessment of a week ago?  I was at last contacted by our immigrations officer on Monday and told that our forms were on her desk to review that day.  This means that we will very soon move on to the National Visa Center's office, and our Article 5 application to the US embassy in Guangzhou.  These are the last steps before we receive our travel approval!  It could possibly even mean that March is the last full month before we travel to bring our girls home!  I do believe this spring will be one of our most memorable.

P.S.  If you are new to our blog, we welcome you friends!  Click around on the tabs found at the top of the page (just under the title bar) to find out more about our girls, our adoption story, and our family.

Thanks for your support in our auction!

What a blur the past several days have been!  We hosted an auction on Facebook that ended on Saturday night at midnight.  Unlike auction boards, someone had to be up to pull the plug on the thing when it was time for it to be over.  That someone was me.  Messages and questions followed, as did documenting some things for a few hours after that  (just in case Facebook ate the messages over night!)   The next few days were a total chaos of sorting out bids, packing boxes and weighing them, sending bidders their notices, mailing.... wow.  It was a LOT of hard work, but when all of the items are claimed we should have an additional $1000 in our adoption account.  I'm thankful to those who donated items and to those who purchased them!  Thank you!