Lots to talk about...

I have to lots to talk about today, so I'll try to go about it in chronological order:

First:
I was lucky enough to be considered a 'new mom' at the Little Bird Lane consignment extravaganza and got to shop at the pre-sale. I was allowed to bring 1 guest, so I took Brian's mom Barb. We had a lot of fun buying for these 2 little kids and came away with a lot of stuff for not a lot of money!

And there are clothes behind us too!

Second:

It was time to start sending the agency money. I got an early morning email from our family coordinator with this picture:

One of the checks we had sent got mangled in the mail. However, the mail carrier or someone put it in a baggie saying they were sorry this happened and delivered it anyway. Needless to say she couldn't do anything with it. (I overnighted the new check... didn't want to take any chances!)

Third:

At about that same time, I had sent our last 2 documents to Chicago to be authenticated at the consulate. I gathered up the rest of our dossier documents and sent them off to our agency.

This is what I sent to the agency!

The currier dropped those last 2 documents off at the consulate on Monday, 9/15, picked them up Thursday, 9/18, and overnighted them to AWAA to arrive 9/19. 

Fourth: 

While waiting for documents to be shipped from one place to another, I got a not-so-great email from Kelcey (our family coordinator). Our home study approves us for 2 children from ages 0-36 months; however, Easton is currently 43 months and could potentially be 45 months by time we get him. This poses an issue when getting travel arrangements made... for some reason. I'm frustrated because I brought this up a long time ago but it was brushed off. I'm doubly frustrated because our home study was supposed to be reviewed some 2-3 times once it got to the agency and no once caught it then. I'm triply (yes, triply) frustrated because this 'mistake' now requires an addendum be made to our home study and then sent to USCIS to update our immigration paperwork; which will cost US another several hundred dollars for a mistake we didn't even make.

The silver lining?  Even though all that was very frustrating, it doesn't effect our timeline. As long as it's corrected before we travel, all will be well. (All had better be well!! Ha!...)

Fifth:

In another email from Kelcey, she explained that they were still waiting on the pre-approval for Phoebe. She expected it to come in some time next week, but that she wouldn't be able to send our dossier until the approval came in. 

This was good and bad. Bad because that meant more waiting. Good because our dossier would completely bypass the Healthy Department, since we've been matched Special Focus, and go straight to the Waiting Child Department. Hopefully, that would result in a quicker turn around time.

Well, God answers prayers in his own (nail-biting) time...

I was at work yesterday when I got the emails.

Phoebe's pre-approval came in yesterday and Kelcey processed it quickly because our last 2 documents arrived at noon. She got everything processed and shipped them off to China! WE ARE OFFICIALLY DTC!! (DTC= Dossier to China)

No, we still do not have a travel date yet.

From my understanding, this is how things will move from here:

1. China receives the dossier and will log it into the system. We get our LID (log in date)

2. The dossier gets translated. We are told this can take 2 months or so.

3. The dossier gets approved and we get our RA's (Referral Acceptance) for both children.  (They are officially ours)

4. Then we start talking about travel.

I've been told we will not hear anything from China regarding the process between LID and RA. As soon as I know something, I'll let you know!

Please continue to pray for fast turn around times and that we will be blessed with the grant we are applying for. Also, please keep our kids in your prayers that they stay safe and healthy!

Blessings from Facebook?

The other night while perusing our adoption agency Facebook group, I came across a post about a family getting their child from Shantou City. In my excitement, I left a comment about how our little girl is from Shantou City and that we hoped to get her later this year...

About an hour later, a woman private messaged me to see what orpahanage our daughter was in. After exchanging tid-bits of info, we found out that this woman had been to Phoebe's orphanage in July! When we told her our little one's 'website' name, she knew exactly who we were talking about and then sent us a link to the blog she had written about Phoebe just a month or so ago!! (We will share the blog once we are allowed to electronically share info about the kids)

How awesome is that? I read it out loud to Brian but could barely get through it without crying. (I'm pretty sure he got a little teary eyed himself) It was amazing! Later, she gave us her phone number and we made plans to talk tonight!!

Yesterday, while on Facebook, I read a post, from the same woman, that another missions group would be going back to the same orphanage that she had gone to earlier this year. That means that another group would be visiting Phoebe in November!

I contacted the woman and she passed me along to the lady that's leading the new group. We 'met' today and she said should would look for Phoebe while she's there and try to get some pictures and video for us!! AND she asked me to text her a picture of Brian and I so she could show it to Phoebe!

What a relief to know that our little girl might get some extra attention before we can scoop her up, but it does make me sad for Easton. I hope that they told him a family has selected him and that he understands he is wanted!

I can't wait to bring this process to a close and begin the journey of FAMILY!

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8

And then there were 4...

They said it wouldn't happen. They said we should just focus on wrapping everything up and look forward to bringing Easton home.

What they didn't know was that we never stopped praying... and God answered our prayer.

WE FOUND A LITTLE GIRL!!!

Now, let me back up and tell you the whole story...
A while back I posted about how the likelihood of us finding a girl was really slim because we had found Easton on the Special Focus list and they don't like to make those children wait. Typically, girls get snatched up so quickly, so the wait time can be pretty long for them.
We were fine with that. We knew that Easton was to come home with us and we started really focusing on him: getting his bedroom ready, buying clothes, and wrapping our minds around raising a little boy.

Well, one weekend, we received an email from an advocacy group in China about a little boy (cute as can be!) who needed a family so he could have the heart surgeries he needed. We felt lead to learn to more about him but had to jump through a few hoops because he was not in our agency. We were getting so excited to learn about this little boy and the thought of having 2 little boys! Wow!

But, by time we jumped through all the hoops, he was already under review with a different family. God had closed that door- what felt like, right in our faces! We were disappointed but knew that he just wasn't meant for us.

So, we basically just stopped looking. They said that if we were to find a girl (which is what we'd been hoping for- a boy and a girl), that she would have to fall in our laps. One day I was bored at work and decided to look at the agency website. She was there, right there in front of me! I sent her info to Brian immediately. He wasn't 100% at first. I think it was just nerves, but by the time I got home he had come around and told me that if she was still available the next day, we should request her file.

Obviously she was still available or I wouldn't be writing this post!!

We requested her info and she is just beautiful. Again, we can't share any information yet, but we knew (again) that she was ours. She actually has a real special need: low muscle tension with some motor delays. She's 2 and not walking and we think not talking yet. Our hope is that with some extensive PT, OT, and speech therapy she'll be running circles around us and talking our ears off in no time!

I'm sure you're wondering... her name will be Phoebe! Ah! I love it!

Then we found out we will have to stay in China an extra week! 3 weeks in China! Holy cow! I'm already stressing about that! But it will be worth it in the end and that's what I have to keep reminding myself. No, we do not have a travel date yet. We are finally sending our dossier to the agency this week and I will post again when I hear anything.

So, we need your prayers.
Prayers that China receives our dossier with open hearts and officially approves us for both children.
Prayers that God will provide and we will be able to raise the remaining funds necessary (2nd child fees! Whoa!)
Prayers that we are awarded the grant we are applying for.
Prayers that we will travel safely and that all 4 of us will remain healthy.
Prayers for wisdom when dealing with Phoebe's condition.
Prayers for strength: going from 0 kids to 2 toddlers... it will most definitely take an act of God to get us through that!!

We will be holding 1 more fundraiser as soon as we get the official approval! Stay tuned.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all the love and support thus far. We really could not have made this journey without the gifts, donations, and prayers along the way.


For He chose us in Him before creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.
Ephesians 1:4-6

Until next time...