TA

We have Travel Approval!!!  Our timetable now entirely hinges on the Consulate appointment which is the last thing to happen at the end of the trip.  Our first three choices for this appointment are April 1, 2, or 3.  If we are able to get one of those dates, then our placement should be on March 24.  We hope to have our appointment day confirmed tomorrow so we can begin to make our reservations!

News from online friends on our same timetable had me excited today.  Others with the exact same Article 5 pick up date were receiving reports from their agencies that their Travel Approval was showing as issued in the computer system.

Well, today wasn't our day.  I just heard from our case manager and here is what she had to say: "The website shows today that your Article 5 was received at the CCCWA. We’re officially waiting on your travel notice! I’m hopeful that we’ll receive it by the end of the week, but it could be next week. I will let you know when the website shows it is issued!"

So, I'm glad to know that our A5 has been acknowledged, and hopeful that they will issue our invitation to travel very soon.

The calendar says it is now March. It is day #4 of our wait for Travel Approval.   There hasn't been much blogging going on here lately.  What are we doing? We're taking care of details - LOTS of details.  

• Gathering snacks, medications, and other necessary items for our trip
• Stocking up on the things our household may need while we are away
• Making detailed lists of the Princesses' routines for their caretakers 
• Gathering little surprises and working on a "countdown till we come home" calendar for the Princesses 
• Finishing up the Prince's bedroom 
• Running dozens of searches on the flights to see "what is out there" so we are prepared once we get the approval to travel
• Praying to hear from the grant organizations that haven't given us an answer yet

Provided our travel approval arrives sometime next week as expected, we still hope to travel to the Prince around the 20th of THIS MONTH!!!   We greatly appreciate your continued prayers for us, and especially for Isaac.  His whole world is about to be rocked.

Part of an email that we received:

Date: Feb 25, 2014 3:49 AM
Subject: Mail to Parents After Article 5 Issued ---2/25/14
To: Dear Adoptive Parent,

The Adopted Children's Immigrant Visa Unit (ACIVU) at U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou has finished processing your child's Article 5, and your file is ready to be returned to your adoption agency's facilitator today. 

Next, your agency will deliver the Article 5 and Letter of Seeking Confirmation to the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), which will issue the Travel Approval (TA).  The TA allows you to come to China to finalize the adoption, so once the CCCWA issues the TA, your agency can email us to request an immigrant visa appointment at the Consulate...

Fantastic news!  I began packing last week, so we are on target.  Still hoping to be on a plane on or about the first day of spring!

Travel Visas are Here!

It makes me a little nervous when our passports are out of our possession, so I was really happy when they were returned today stamped with our Chinese travel visas! 

Lots of Action!

We got the word from our China case manager that our paperwork was dropped off at the Consulate in Guangzhou today (last night in our time zone) and is scheduled for pick up on February 25.  We are nearly there!  Here is an old graphic that I found which can help you to help you understand where we are in this process.  We are smack dab in the middle of the arrow. The next step happens in two weeks, then the last three steps usually happen pretty quickly, in one to two more weeks.

We are still tentatively ON for a March 24 placement date!  That date would be the best for us for so many reasons - many of which revolve around the availability of those who are staying at our home with the Little Princesses.

 We also heard today from our travel agency that our visas for China have been approved, and were put on a Fed Ex truck to be delivered to our house.  Yeah, that makes it seem for real!

It is really good timing that our puzzle piece fundraiser - to purchase Isaac's plane ticket home - was finished today!  Doesn't it look great?  Thank you so much to every one of you who helped us with this project.  Whether you sponsored one piece or many, we appreciate every single one! 

Now that travel is about a month and a half away, it is crunch time for getting the funds together.  Money seems like a really bad reason for people to hesitate to adopt, but it is a real concern that I understand!  We are still under consideration for a few grants, which would be fantastic.  Will you pray with us for favor in their sight and a QUICK decision?  Or if the Lord has other plans that they will become apparent soon.  Thank you friends!

Good Things Come in Threes.....

Counting some of my Thursday blessings:

1. The National Visa Center (which had been closed on Wednesday due to bad weather) went back to work and emailed the pdf copy of our adoption approval letter.  I in turn sent it to our placement agency who has confirmed that it is now in the hands of their courier in China for drop off at the consulate on Monday.  Big. Deal. Major. Step!

2.  We were gifted this lovely pediatric wheelchair seen in the photo. I've been attempting to make connections with the person for a few weeks, but weather has cancelled the plans before now.  I picked it up on Thursday.  This will be our upstairs chair so Isaac has a way to get around between his room and the restroom, but I don't have to tote a chair up the stairs every time.  For this old Mama, it is a Tremendous. Blessing!

3.  The reality is beginning to set in.  We had our conference call about travel with our placement agency last night.  Yeah.  It is getting that close.  We are so anxious to finally meet our boy!

On that note, I have a little auction running for the weekend to help raise some funds for traveling expenses.  We'd appreciate it if you took a little peek and spread the word.   Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.273677266120585.1073741835.140680712753575&type=1