Tuesday, October 15, 2013

祝你生日快乐!Happy Birthday!

Today is Ann-Jolie's birthday!

Well, at least it's the day that was assigned to her as her birthday. We'll never really know her real birthday...

We arranged for a cake to be sent to the orphanage, and she should have received the package we sent either yesterday or the day before, so perfect timing on that!

We included a letter in the package that told her that we were coming to get her next month....

We are supposed to be getting pictures of her with her cake and looking at the pictures we sent of our family and house and aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas!

I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!

On another note, I can't help but think of her birth mother. You see, Ann-Jolie was abandoned at about 2 or 3 yrs old bc she was VERY sick. This speaks that her Mommy wanted her, but probably could not afford to bring her to the hospital for the life-giving treatment she needed....Her birth mother made the most selfless decision a mother can make...She chose to give Ann-Jolie life. Had she kept her, she would have died.

I think about her all the time. I think about the HUGE responsibility that I have to make sure that I honor that sacrifice.

Lord, help me to be the Mommy that Ann-Jolie needs to become all that God meant for her to be. 

And Lord, bring comfort to Ann-Jolie's birth mother...Let her know that her baby girl is well, and happy, and blessed...

With all of that said, Happy Birthday to my little angel! 

My Shanghai sweety!

We're coming soon to bring you home!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Miles?....Anyone?....Bueller?....

Looking up ticket prices for traveling to China in November....







Just putting this out there...

If there is anyone who has United Mileage Plus miles that they would like to so generously donate to us,

we would be BEYOND grateful...

Just planting a little seed...

Putting out the vibe ;)





Monday, September 30, 2013

Another HUGE milestone!








Something very important has happened...Something that brings us even CLOSER to getting Ann-Jolie!

We received what's called I-800 Approval!

This the approval from the United States that will allow our "adoptee to be classified as an immediate relative"

WOO HOOOOO!!!!

What's next? You may ask ;)

Why, let me tell you...

When the United States granted us I-800 Approval, they forwarded that approval to the National Visa Center, or NVC

I will then email the NVC to get what's called a GUZ#...

Once I get that number (usually the next day), I will then get a PDF of the NVC's approval emailed to me.

I will forward that PDF to my adoption agency, who, in turn, forwards it to their in-China contact; who, in turn, sends it to the US Consulate in Guangzhou.

There it will stay for 2 weeks...And it will turn into the beloved Article 5 :)

The Article 5 is picked up, and sent to the agency in China that handles all adoption business...

From there, we await Travel Approval!

Once we get Travel Approval.....WE'RE OFF TO CHINA!!!!

So, we are looking at approximately 5 weeks till we receive Travel Approval...Or less!!!


Let's pray the US government gets their act together and doesn't shut down so as to cause us any delays.

We want our baby girl NOW!!!






Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Find Me - "Emily"




Watching this video moved me to tears. This precious girl desperately wants to be part of a family.

She so longs for the love of a Baba (Daddy) and Mama.  Are YOU her family? Let's pray and share this video so that her forever family can find her before her time runs out....You see, in China, when a child reaches the age of 14, they are no longer eligible for adoption...She has less than a year to be adopted before she loses her chance to be part of a family.




Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Precious Gift

Today I was given a gift that all parents in the process of adopting long for...A video!







Friday, September 6, 2013

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!


For those of you that know adoption (and those of you that don't), it is a hurry up and wait type of deal.

Welllllllll..........

Our paper work (dossier) went off to China in June....June 28th to be exact, and was logged into the system on my oldest daughter's bday, July 9th.....

Since then, we've been waiting for our LOA which is China's official approval for us to adopt Ann-Jolie...

We waited.....tick tock....tick tock....

and waited.....tick tock....tick tock....

For 2 months we've waited......And, now.....

IT.HAS.ARRIVED!!!!



Most exciting of all........We will have our sweet Ann-Jolie before Christmas; which means she will be with us for Disney World!!! *sigh* Feeling super happy (in the words of Kai-Lan).




Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Day 1...Sort of...

I decided it was time to start potty training Maddox.



We started a couple of weeks ago and......FAIL!

Ok, so we scratched it...

Then I decided to give it another try...

Day 1...again...



All day and even into the night and not.one.accident!

He even came to me and TOLD me that he needed to potty!!!

Am I dreaming?!

Here's to 1 day down!!!