Blog Families Traveling to China

I'm so excited for 3 of the blog families that I've been following!  All three got their children yesterday!  Two were both from Raeanna's orphanage, and two are with our adoption agency. It seems that the children in the Shanghai orphanage,  who were just a little older than Raeanna, were both well prepared for their new families.  They recognized them from the photo books they had sent, and called them "Mama" and "Baba."  They seemed very happy and connected to their new families. I hope and pray they are preparing Raeanna for us as well!
What a blessing for both parents and children!

What we're waiting for now.... I800 Approval

Just to let you know where we are in the process, we overnighted our I800 to USCIS on Thursday, June 10th.  We got a receipt notice on Wednesday, June 16th, saying it had been forwarded to NBC for processing. The I800 is the "Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative." At the same time, we filed an I864W. The purpose of this form is to show that our daughter is exempt from filing another form that shows she will be financially able to support herself, because she is under 18 and will be under our support. Once we get the I800 approval, a letter will be sent to the NVC(not sure what that stands for), and we'll wait a few days for a cable. Once we're "cabled," we get another letter. I think Article 5 comes right after that, and then Travel Approval.

We're anxious to hold our daughter. Please continue to pray that these steps get done quickly.

UPDATE:  We got the receipt notice in the mail yesterday from USCIS, and it was dated June 11th, so we're hoping they actually forwarded it to NBC then.  If not, it was the day we received the text and email on June 16th.

We have an update!!!

     Look at that beautiful smile!!!!  She has grown 1.5 inches, but she still weighs 22 pounds. Her head, chest, and feet have grown. They said she is doing well in her preschool and that her personality is gentle and obedient and that she is a joy to be with. With the exception of no weight gain,  the update was very encouraging.

    We got some discouraging news yesterday from the travel guy at the agency.  He said it might be November before we can travel. He thinks TA will come in September, but he said we can't travel in October due to Chinese holidays, so he thinks it will be November.  I'm planning on going no later than September, and I believe that it will happen, so we shall see.

Our LOA!!!

We got our LOA today! The agency called a little after 4:00 pm. I had given up hope for today, and then the phone rang!! This is a happy day!!  Praise the Lord!!! Now we begin waiting on Travel Approval (TA).  The agency said it could take as long as 3.5 months(SEPT) to travel, which is a very long estimate compared to what I've seen. We're hoping and praying that we go much sooner than that, so please pray with us!