Looking Toward 2017

Now that Christmas has passed, we are gearing up for our main event of 2017. Our papers that US officials will check over before turning over to China officials will be picked up Jan 12th and overnighted to the child welfare agency.  They will issue our travel approval  and consulate appointment date soon after and we will be able to book flights, which we have already been looking into. We are also figuring out Beijing touring. Just nailing down the timing of it all makes my head spin. Flight options aren't clear cut- widely variable in price, we can leave and connect many different ways, and they vary in length and arrival time. But it's getting exciting thinking about it!  

I've put away the Christmas decorations and started putting packing-related stuff on the office couch.  I've got a big spreadsheet of packing items and am sorting by what needs to be bought, found, printed, etc.  Also figuring out what suitcases to bring and how to do gluten free in China. 

Julia has surprised me with her enthusiasm for getting ready for Allie. She has been a little jealous, but last night was really excited to set up the crib (thanks to a neighbor that dropped hers off!) in her room and dldnt want to stop these preparations. This morning she asked right away if there was more we could do to get ready for Allie. She had been talking more about wanting to have secrets with her sister, give her old baby dolls to her, play together because girls play better with each other, she says. She insisted she was ready to have Allie sleep in her room but we will put a playpen in our room in case that doesn't go well at first. 

The break from work and from painting has been great for catching up on things and has made me feel much more prepared for the trip. It's getting close!!

Last Official Update

These came in our last official update before travel...along with our little peanut's measurements. She's 30" tall and 19 pounds.

Another Step

Another step    Edit

December 23, 2016

Yesterday I was able to get a form filled out to get the ball rolling on Allie's immigrant visa.  We also received an important email from the National Visa Center.  Now all our paperwork (called our Article 5) can go to China where US officials will carefully review it for about two weeks, then send it to the Chinese organization in charge of adoptions, who will take a week or two to issue us our approval to travel to China and the official consulate appointment date that will determine exactly when we travel.  If all goes smoothly, we will have Allie's "Gotcha Day" Feb 5th or 13th.  Coincidentally, Feb 13th is the day we decided to pursue China adoption.  

The big thing will be for all to keep moving so that we get our travel approval before the gov't shuts down for Chinese New Year.  Could be several more weeks delay if not.

And our visas came in the mail yesterday!  As I mentioned before, mine is restricted so I must enter the country by March 13th.  Should not be a problem, but you never know.  I suppose I would just have to redo it (and repay for it) if it looked like there would be a big delay.

Well that should be our only pre-Christmas update.  Time to focus on celebrating Christmas, which has been a little tricky with all this adoption stuff, Matt sleeping and working the past 3 days, and Gray having a stomach bug.  Hoping for some relaxing family time the next few days.  Merry Christmas!

By HollyC392 at 1:37pm

  

Lucia  likes this

Cindy CPraying for things to progress timely. Merry Christmas to you & all your family!❤🎄🐪🎚🎁🎶🏈🎉

Approved!

Merry Christmas to us!  We have been approved for our I800 (the one with the missing signature)! Next up, getting some forms to be taken to the Chinese embassy so we can get our official travel schedule.  It is getting real!! After reading a bunch of to-do lists and packing lists, there will be plenty to do to stay busy between now and take off.  Now, gotta go online and fill out another document....

By HollyC392 at 12:38pm

  

Sarah ZCongratulations!!! Wonderful news! 

Visas on the way (Thank you LORD!)

Today was the day for our visa pickup.  I may have explained before that with the visa, you hire a courier near a Chinese embassy to take your documents, pick them up, and send them back to you.  There were a bazillion special instructions for how to fill out each line correctly, how to mail it, how to create the correct shipping label, etc.  I had to print out a page of instructions to send with Matt to make sure we did the right thing when he went to mail it.  And then there was the issue of my visa having to have a waiver attached b/c I work for a church (saying I wasn't there on work-related business) and having to be submitted later b/c it was a limited one that was only good for 3 months.  

But we got it all mailed and I felt good about it....until I started hearing about the new visa photo requirements and several folks getting their visas rejected.  No smiles, both ears showing, head exact right size etc.  Gray took my photo.  That's right.  And I was kind of smiling and you could see 1 1/3 ears.  And I took Matt's and there were a few shadows.

We don't get an email saying all is good once it's picked up.  We have to dig out our prepaid envelope tracking # and check it.  So this afternoon I began checking and nothing.  But thank goodness I just checked and the envelope is headed our way.  Whew.  Now we just need that I800 approval.  I'm hoping by Friday.  

The good news with this extra wait is that it's looking more and more likely we will be on schedule with our neighborhood friends, who were just a bit behind us.  

Didn't get any pictures, but the first of our neighborhood adopting families is about to leave for China in 2 weeks, so we had dinner as a group last night--last hurrah.  I think we are all a bit excited and a bit nervous!  Thank goodness for Lisa and Dennis, who give us lots of expertise and comic relief!!

On another note, I finished painting for a bit this past weekend.  It has been good to do some things I've needed to get done, like cleaning, getting ready for Julia's birthday, etc.  I loved the painting though, and I hope to get back to it.  And as time-consuming as it was, thanks to lots of support from family, friends, and strangers, it really was a huge fundraiser for us.

China Blog Pics

A lot of these pics I got once I finally figured out how to navigate to the older posts with the help of a Chinese speaking friend. The others that have the same little girl in the foreground came from a Facebook friend whose daughter was adopted a few months ago. She is from the same province as Allie, has the same type of CHD, went to Little Flower and then the same foster home, and was adopted at about 1 1/2 years like Allie will be. So cool! Too bad she lives in Texas!! Anyway, see if you can spot Allie in these pics. Her hair is always my key to finding her. 😍😍

Jeannie Mha! so cute.

December 18, 2016

Alicia WI love the one she's photobombing through the tunnel! She has the sweetest little face! :)

December 19, 2016

Setback

We've been waiting on our immigration approval so we can get on with getting our ducks in a row on the China end.  Was thinking it should have come earlier in the week and turns out it would have but we (well, I) messed up something with our paperwork and we got a letter today with a paper I didn't get Matt to sign that we'll have to mail back on Monday and continue waiting for the approval paper.  Can't say I'm shocked because this application had it's own checklist of things to submit, but I did check off that this paper was signed.  Oh well, nothing to do but press on!  I think our chance to go January has passed us by so hopefully February will work if I don't mess up something else!

In the meantime I am wrapping up the last of the painting orders and I've sold most of the stuff left from the last show.  We are up to about $23,000 raised of the estimated $30,000, so that's pretty awesome and definitely never thought we'd get that much help.  Thanks to each of you who have been a part of that!!!  

By HollyC392 at 8:19pm

  

5 people like this

Sarah ZI know the delay is disappointing -- but you didn't "mess up"! You've managed an OCEAN of paperwork so well; give yourself the credit you deserve. Amazing total of money raised--hooray!!

December 13, 2016•Edit•Delete