Fasten your seat belts!! 3/18/10

Travel dates confirmed - check

vaccinations done -check

flights booked to NY - check

flights booked to China  - almost!!

We now know that we will be flying out of JFK on Thursday 25th.   I am taking the little ones to Grandma's a couple of days before.   

-We have orientation in Beijing on the 26th.

-Gotcha day!! 3/29

-Travel to Datong 3/30.   Stay overnight

-Daniel's birthday 3/31!!   I hope that we will be able to see the orphanage and also his finding place

-Travel to Guangzhou 4/2

-Consulate appt  4/7

Last weekend after our TA didn't come I tried to keep us busy and out of the house.  Saturday I spent the afternoon with the kids at the park.  Sunday we took them to the zoo (probably one of the last cool/comfortable days to go.)   They always love going to the zoo.

They have a fabulous Wings of Asia aviary

Count down to blast off!!

The suitcases are pretty much packed.  The paperwork organized and duplicated.  Passports and Visas - check.   $$ - check.    The house is in chaos, but it will wait for me to return.  It all still seems a bit surreal.

But I bet I will cry when that airplane takes off!!   Next Monday we will have Daniel in our arms!!

Hey, hey, hey !! WE GOT TA !!!!!!

I have so many things to blog about and pictures to post.   But we are about to run the 50 yard dash!!!  Our TA arrived late on Monday, and we got a call at midnight (Wed. night)  that our CA dates have been confirmed.   This means....
1.  We are leaving in ONE week!!!                                        
2.  We will be united with Daniel just a couple of days before his birthday!!
3.   OMG  I 'ld better get moving!!!

Details to follow :o)

Our TA is ~NOT~ here

Several of my adoption friends received or were notified they would receive their TA's this week.
I am grateful that at least some people are getting their TA's finally.  We, however were not one of them.
Our agency didn't get any this week or last.    We can only hope that it comes on Monday.   Since it is already March 12th, well actually now the 13th,  it is getting less and less likely that we will make it to China in March.   This makes me very sad.  Daniel will turn four on March 31st.  After we successfully got our Article 5 processed quickly I thought we were golden.   Am I feeling sorry for us?  Yes.  Are we the only ones that have had this happen?  Absolutely not!!   I just never thought when we first saw Daniel's picture a year ago (he was still two + at the time) that we might NOT celebrate his fourth with him.    I have been remarkably calm today - I just had that feeling our TA would not arrive.   If it doesn't come Monday though I think I will have a complete meltdown.  Even Grandma has been waiting expectantly for some news this week (she tends to remain quiet on these things.)   So I have my new suitcase and carry on's, but they remain empty.   I don't even want to think about traveling in May.  I just can't fathom that right now.
I better start finding things to keep me busy this weekend!!!

Rumors

Well, our Visa applications are on their way to Washington DC  and a letter and questions, translated into Chinese are on the way to Daniel's orphanage along with a photo album.   I wasn't supposed to, but I stuck a disposable camera in there too.   We'll see if it gets past my agency!!

There are rumors that Travel Approvals are on their way next week.   One family had their Article 5 picked up the same day as us to go to CCAA and their agency said their TA should be here next week.   Oh, I hope ours comes next week, too!!!   The end of March is approaching mighty speedily!!!
Fingers crossed.   I hope Daniel is being prepared for this huge change in his life.

Feeling prayerful

Prayer of a Waiting Parent

Bless our child, so far away,
Keep him safe and warm we pray.
We count the days 'til we're together,
United for always...
A family forever.
(Borrowed from a fellow blogger.)


We are currently waiting for our Article 5 to be issued. This is the last step by the US Govt before our paperwork is shipped to the CCAA. Once the CCAA confirms our boy is still available for adoption, and all the paperwork is in order, they will issue a Travel Approval document. It will be a few weeks (at least) before this is all completed. I am praying this all goes smoothly with no further hiccups in the process!!!

Got It

We never did receive the NVC letter via mail. It took a call to Washington and I had it the next day (yesterday.) Now our agency can send our paperwork to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China, which they will overnight on Friday. This paperwork will be combined with our I800 that was cabled to become our Article 5. This is the final sign off by the U.S. that we are fit and ready to be Daniel's parents!! This process takes approximately two weeks. After that, the information is sent to the CCAA which is the Chinese agency that will give us final approval from China. They will then issue our TA or Travel Approval. Times vary on how long travel approval takes. Step by step, we're slowly getting there.

Hum Dee Hum Dee Hum

I haven't blogged since the 15th because unfortunately there's been nothing to blog about. My agency declined to send the email copy of our Cable to Guangzhou. The Consulate in Guangzhou has been mum about letting agencies know if these email notices are acceptable. So, our paperwork languishes in Oregon while our "letter" languishes somewhere in the bowels of the NVC or out somewhere in a USPS truck!!! Any ground I may have gained - poof - gone! This is the hardest part of the adoption game. Learning to accept that you have absolutely no control over certain parts of your destiny.

In the meantime my dear kiddos have kept me busy with homework, going to doctors visits and getting orthodontia treatment off the ground. Seems like some months we have 2-3 visits per week!

Can't think of anything else to blog about right now other than I have become an RQ addict and I can't stay off these sites !!

Hallelujah !!!

I was told that it takes approximately 48 hours to have our I800 provisional approval entered into the National Visa Center (NVC)  system.  Then it takes an additional step to get the information cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China.   At that time, NVC generates a letter to the adoptive parents stating that their case has been forwarded, i.e. "Cabled" to the Consulate.   Effective January 15th,  the process changed for Hague convention cases.   The letter to the adoptive parents must now be sent to the adoption agency then sent by them with the LOA and other Visa paperwork to the Consulate.

So what's a girl to do??   Our paperwork arrived at the NVC at 10 am on Friday.   I spoke to a very nice supervisor who flagged our account after I begged her pleaded our case at around 3pm.   Called back at 6:45 pm - nothing yet, but spoke with another helpful supervisor.   In the meantime, I "met" another adoptive parent thru R.Q. who had their I800 approved on the same day as us.  We were able to exchange ideas on how to get our Cables completed.    Ok, 10 pm -- (NVC is open until midnight) --  Our paperwork has been entered into the system but not Cabled.   Spoke with one of the same nice supervisors and groveled asked if he would help me get our paperwork Cabled as well.   Additionally asked him to please email me to notify me that our paperwork was in fact Cabled.    11:30 -  Called back again (btw, why can't they have a toll free # ??)   CABLE !!  We have a CABLE !!  11:47 - we have the NVC letter via email.  Yippee!!!  1159 - R.Q. buddy has her Cable too!!!  Woo Hoo!!

If I can only get through Friday!!!

Okay, so we finally got our I800 approved yesterday after emails from my agency to my officer (and her supervisor!!). I hope that it was Fedexed to the NVC (National Visa Center) yesterday. It probably won't happen, but now I am going to try to get our cable done by Friday to beat the Article 5 procedure changes (adds 2 weeks to the process - ugh.) Like a 4th place finish if I can't get it done :(

UPDATE--- 10PM 1/14/10
After twenty minutes holding on the phone this evening the NVC person said they have no record of our file yet. And according to my agency they have already been requiring their PAP's to send in the NVC letter just in case. So I am hoping to cut down the snail mail time with a email or faxed copy of our notification letter. I am not going to get overly stressed out about all of this because it will not do me or Daniel any good. (I am already obsessed with RQ!) We will get there. One step at a time, one day at a time. In the meantime, bedtime LOL.

Dashed hopes?

What a roller coaster we are on!!   On Wednesday, the USCIS officer told me she might get to our file that afternoon but definitely by Friday.   Fast forward to this afternoon (1 pm)...  she still has four files to process before ours :o(   I was counting on being approved before this weekend and forwarded to the NVC in time to process next week.  I really thought for a moment there that we could get cabled before the 15th.    I blame this all on someone early in the process (whom I dare not specify)  who dragged their feet for well over a month so we weren't able to file the I800a for a month later than we had expected.   And because of that,  we've hit Autumn Festival, Christmas, New Years, Chinese New Years and now we are going to get caught up in this stupid change to the Article 5 process.   I know I am whining.   I know there are people who have waited 4-5 months for their LOA.     I just can't stand chasing the moving ball.    I want to KNOW about when we will be traveling.   There are a lot of other people impacted by when we travel since we are not taking the kids.   I'm gonna try not to chew all my nails off in the meantime.

Mistake

We received our receipt for our I800 today.   They spelt Daniel's name wrong!!   The paperwork has not been received by our officer yet.   She said to call again on Friday to see if she has received it.   I sure hope fixing his name is not a big deal!!   I can't think of even one day of delay now!!   I am so anxious to get our cable sent before the 15th, otherwise we might face an additional 2 weeks delay.   Arrrggghhhh, red tape!!

UPDATE 1/6.    I called USCIS today (even though she asked me to call Friday LOL).   Our officer received our paperwork and the typo is apparently no big deal.   Correct in the system, typo on the receipt.
She said she should be able to look at our paperwork this afternoon.   I have my fingers and toes crossed that everything goes smoothly.   The 15th is fast approaching.   There is still a chance we can get cabled before then.    Hoping hoping hoping :o)   In the meantime, I messed up the DS230 with the signatures so I have to resend that to our agency.    Hiccups, that's all they are, hiccups.

.

Hurdle cleared!!

  Today we received our Letter Seeking Confirmation via Fedex from our adoption agency.
My mission:
1.  Return the signed LSC/LOA along with travel questionnaires and releases and VISA applications (to be       used in China) to the adoption agency.

2.  Submit our I800 Petition to Classify (Daniel) as an Immediate Relative, copy of our LOA, proof of education requirements,  health information from China,  and our I800a approval to US Citizen/Immigration Services.

Sounds simple, right?   Think again.  They make the forms as long and convoluted as possible!!!  One form was ten pages long when I printed it out.  Additionally,  my aim was to send them back out the same day the LSC arrived.  Our deadline for returning the LSC is 12/28.   Well, that's this coming Monday.    I ended the day at 5:45 pm at the Fedex office along with a myriad of Christmas stragglers paying fortunes to ship gifts across the country!!!

What now?  The adoption agency will send our LSC/LOA back to China with additional paperwork.  USCIS will process our I800 which usually takes ten days to two weeks.  Who knows how long for us with Christmas and New Years here.  Once approved they send a cable to the US Consulate in China.  This meets up with our other paperwork.  From there on it is called our Article 5.  This is picked up by the adoption agency's courier who takes it to Beijing.   CCAA will then issue our TA or travel approval.   All these steps add up to about a 10-12 week wait.    We are hoping to travel in early March, but you never know in this ball game!!

I am still just tickled we got our approval before Christmas.  Life is good!!

We are....... CHINA BOUND!!!!!!!

At 7 pm this evening, we had a call from our agency out in Oregon.   We have our LOA!!!!!!

I bounced down the hall like a Kangaroo to tell  DH and the kids, then did a RingORound the Roses dance with the kids!!!    Then you bet a had a nice size glass of wine LOL!!!

We are officially approved by the Chinese government for the adoption of Dang Xu He from Datong, Shanxi, China!!!   He is 3 1/2 and he was found when he was approximately one week old.   His given birthday is March 31st.    We are naming him Daniel and will choose a Chinese middle name based on how his name is pronounced.   The agency said we should prepare to travel in about 10 to 12 weeks!!!!!!

Thank you so much to my bloggie friends for your support and encouragement while we waited.   I truly hope I can meet one or more of you some day!!

The best Christmas present EVER!!!!!

Waiting patiently

Today is 2 months since our LID ~ the 60 day mark.   I am trying to go about our normal lives and I was really good about ignoring ringing phones last week.   I don't think anyone in my agency got LOA last week at all.   So, starting tomorrow I will be hoping that phone will ring and that I will start seeing others in my agency start posting new LOA's.  

In the meantime we are going to a small christmas party this evening with the kids.   Nice to have a night off from the kitchen!!   The kids did a terrific job decorating the tree this year.   They are growing up so fast.   I did have to rearrange a few overloaded branches :o)    and I am ashamed to say that I still haven't gotten the Christmas cards out.   That'll keep me busy for a bit.

Then tomorrow I have to treat my yard for ticks.   The ticks have been so incredibly bad this fall.   Don't know why.  Only difference is it has been unseasonably warm (it's 85 today).   And this go round I found a different ~type~ of tick on our pooch.  She is almost 15 and still hates the comb.    She looks at me with those big brown "puppy eyes."

Well I have a rendezvous with my flat iron.   I will try to keep coming up with little projects to keep me occupied in the meantime.

The Wait

  DAYS AND COUNTING

All I want for Christmas

Is A Piece of Paper with three little letters on it :o)
Fly Rudolph, fly.....

5 pm ... addendum:

According to "NORAD" Rudolph won't hit the west coast for probably another two weeks.
Oh well, at least I can stop looking at my phone all the time!! LOL

LOA wait

                                                                       

                                          

Anticipation

Our paperwork has been logged in almost six weeks in China and has been IN China for two months.
Today I called our agency and we were through the review room on November 5th!! I was told that LOA/LSC has been coming "about a month" after review is completed!!!!! That means we could ~potentially~ get news as soon as the end of next week or the beginning of the following!!!!!!
I am trying not to get TOO excited because the fastest I have seen people get LSC is around 60 days. But that is only about two weeks away for us anyway!! Happy Dance!! Happy Dance!!!

Here come the Holidays

Here we are, the weekend before Thanksgiving.   I have already been hearing Christmas music on the radio for at least the last three days!!    I had to turn them off the other day.  I thought "I'm not ready".   We haven't even had a Turkey yet.    Anyway,  I have been more emotional than I have been up until now as I watch each family come to the end (really the beginning) of their journey and travel to meet the newest members of their families.    I would like to thank Rebekah (who has had a very emotional journey herself) for posting this video which is by a group called Third Day.   I have to admit I am not at all familiar with their music.   The singer is a Dad of three girls, whose family decided to adopt from China.   This is his tribute and these are his family photo's of their journey to China.   (There is also a video on U-Tube of him introducing this song and explaining to an audience how the song came to be.)   He seems like a really nice, cool guy!!

Grab your tissues: