Got TA Today!

We got a nice email from Betsy at our adoption agency. She came in on her day off to check the mail, and our Travel Authorization had arrived from China. Thanks Betsy!
She faxed it right away to the U.S. Consulate at Guangzhou so we may learn of our Consulate Appointment as early as Monday. Once we have that we can buy plane tickets.

Small update

We got a call from our adoption agency this evening. They said they needed to ask us a few questions, but I think it was to check in with us as well. They said they didn't think we would receive our TA's until Friday or even Monday of next week, but they were planning for us to leave December 10 or 11, and return home December 25. This is not a certain thing, but at least gives us some idea of how to plan. We would leave China on Christmas and arrive home on the same day, so it may be the longest Christmas ever! What a great present that will be, to not only bring home Michelle home on that day, but she becomes an American citizen the day she sets foot on American soil.

We'll be sure to keep you posted!

Still waiting!

Bill participated in a telephone conference with our agency on Monday. We think there were about 19 other families involved in the conference, and they gave out lots of good information. They talked to all of us as if we would travel sometime in early December. However, we are still waiting on travel dates! That is totally up to China to issue the dates, so we are once again in a holding pattern. It's frustrating, especially as we checked airline prices today and saw the prices have risen by about $200 since yesterday! UGH! That's not such a huge deal if it's just one or two tickets, but for our very large family it adds up quickly! We are praying we get our travel dates soon. COME ON CCAA!!!

Updates and Visa's

Yesterday was such an eventful day! First, the pictures of Michelle from the Rodgers, and then we finally received an update from the Luohe orphanage. They said she seems to be doing very well with her foster family. She has grown a little in the past 3 months, putting on 2 more pounds. She is still small, even by China's standards, but seems to be healthy. She is talking a little more, saying Mama and Baba and the names of her friends. That was very good news, because at last report she really wasn't saying anything! They said she seems much more outgoing now that she's with her foster family, and that they had received our care packages. Yeah! It's great to know they actually arrived and were delivered.

We also went to the Chinese Embassy to request our Travel Visa's. I was excited to go - I was thinking it would be like Disney Epcot. However, it was very much like going to the DMV. It was just office space, take a number, submit your application, come back next week. It was also interesting to see how very polite and helpful the Chinese people were, and how rude many of the American's were. Hmmmm, food for thought.

There is a lot to do, but every day we are that much closer to our daughter!

New Pictures of Michelle!!!

Catherine Rodgers went to visit Luohe on Thursday and she sent us these precious pictures of Michelle. We think the nice lady in the leather jacket is her foster mother. The pink elephant was a gift from us which Catherine carried over to China. It is so nice to see it in Michelle's hands! The little pink photo album is full of pictures of our family. The first pictures we have seen of her smiling are these of her looking at our family photos. Midge hasn't stopped crying yet, but they are happy tears!

Ouch!

Things are moving along - we hope to get travel dates soon. Yesterday the kids and I went to get shots. I guess just a little bit of typhoid beats the real thing.

Great News and a Nice Visit

We had a very Happy Halloween. Our adoption agency notified us that the Chinese Government has given final approval for our adoption. The FedEx man delivered a “Letter Seeking Confirmation of Adopter” on Saturday. That letter, also known as a 'Letter of Acceptance' or 'LOA', is a big milestone for us in the adoption process. Midge and I signed it and sent it back on Monday. Now we just need Travel Authorization and an appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. We expect to be able to travel to China and get Michelle sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Speaking of travel, Pete and Catherine, a nice couple that we met via a Yahoo adoption group, stayed with us Tuesday night. They left yesterday morning for China to get their new daughter, Emma. It was very nice to meet them in person and share our adoption journey experiences. They received their referral for Emma about the same time we received ours for Michelle and the girls are from the same orphanage. Catherine said that she would be sure to take some pictures of Michelle for us!



We look forward to getting to know them better and letting our girls stay in touch as they grow up. Here is a picture of Midge and Catherine.