Delays :(

On this adoption journey,  there are so many micro-steps that must be completed for everything to keep moving forward.  One little glitch can delay things by weeks or even longer.  We've hit one of those little glitches.  Our documentation was supposed to be delivered in China to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou on July 12th and be picked up on July 26th to submit to the Chinese officials for travel approval. Something kept nagging at me that I had better check on it, so I finally did.  I didn't want to be a pest.  I wish now I had listened to that little voice and emailed them sooner. They emailed me back to say it wasn't there and that I needed to check with my agency for a receipt. Our agency guy checked on it.  Of course, given the fact that China is exactly 12 hours ahead of us, it takes time.  It turned out that he had forgotten to email our NVC letter to the agency rep in China and so the China rep was waiting for that still. We lost 10 days! : ( .  At least, he was honest about it, and apologized.  I forgive him, but I'm still sad. I'm glad I checked on it before it didn't show up on the 26th, but I wish I had not worried about not trusting them and checked on it first thing. What's done is done.  It is what it is.  God is in control of when we'll go. I know this, so I will not fret! I will be checking to make sure it's delivered on Thursday. I still think we'll go in September.

Raeanna's Toddler Day Bed

We put the little toddler day bed in the bay window in our bedroom. She has a room upstairs that we haven't finished yet, but I don't want her sleeping up there yet anyway. She sleeps in a crib at the orphanage, so we felt like a toddler day bed would be a good transition.  Of course, if she wants to climb in the big bed between us, that'll be fine, too! :)  She definately doesn't need to climb up and down stairs yet. That is her little Asian baby doll sitting on her bed.

An Orphan's Prayer - Author Unknown

I am waiting...somewhere far, far away....on the other side of this world.

I may not know who you are or what you look like.

But somehow, deep in my heart, I know you will come and find me.

It's a long journey, and it takes a lot of time.

I wish I could make it easier.

But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost.

They will only see the joy of finding me.

For now, I abide in the fields of the fatherless.

Day by day wondering, "Why was I born here and not somewhere else?"

Asking, "Why couldn't my life have been different?"

It is so lonely....

Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children,

I know that something is missing.

I know in my heart I need a place to call home.

My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace...

I long to be saved by a mother's love.

Gazing out the orphanage window, I offer a prayer of hope,

"Oh God please help them come quickly."

Even as I lay in the darkness each night somehow I feel assured.

That no matter how lost I appear, I am not alone.

Holy hands guard my steps, sacred fingers wipe my tears....

Touching my lonely heart.

The One who made me,

The God who knew me before I was born,

Hears me every time I call.

He whispers his promises in my ear.

I listen with hope to His voice.

But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me.

The fields are vast, and there are so many scattered all over the earth.

I wonder how one little child, so lost, can be found.

Yet He calms my heart and assures me that He will find you.

That He will make sure you hear His voice clearly,

He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields.

That he will personally cut a path, and lead you right to my

orphanage door.

My prayer is.........

When He speaks, please don't forget to listen.

When He calls, don't be too afraid to go.

For I am waiting....somewhere far, far away.

NVC Letter!!

Another small step forward!!! We got the NVC letter by email today!  It wasn't yesterday, as I had hoped.  If I could've gotten it yesterday, it would've been delivered on Thursday in China, which was last night our time, but now it'll have to wait until Monday. Oh well. The travel guy at the agency said Travel Approval could be expected 7 weeks from Monday. On China Adopt Talk, it hasn't taken anyone over 6 weeks, and there shouldn't be anymore holidays between now and then, so I'm hoping and praying we'll get article 5 in the two weeks it is supposed to take and have TA within 2 week after that!  Please pray with me!!

For an update on the family,  Brett has gone to Mississippi College for the 2nd summer term to take Organic Chemistry 2, since he was in London and couldn't take it in the spring.  He's staying with a friend, Brandon Holloway, and his family.  Cade has decided not to play football after all. It has freed up much time for us. He just got back from a mission trip to New York City, and he had such a great time, that he can't stop talking about it.  Katey is staying here with us, while Adam is here. He drives her to the university everyday from here, and that's working out well.

It's very HOT here this week, and that comes from a southern Mississippi girl, who's very accustomed to high heat! I think I'm ready for the fall.  By then, I'll have my little baby girl home, and it'll be cooler!!!

Cabled!

I called the National Visa Center this morning, and they told me that we were cabled yesterday,  July 6th.  This means they sent our information to the American Consulate in Guangzhou.  They also said that our letter had been sent out to us, and we should be getting an email copy of it shortly.  I don't know what "shortly" means to them, but I really hope it is today.  If it gets to me today, that means I can immediately forward it to my agency, who will then email it to their contact in China, who can hopefully take it all to the consulate tomorrow.  This will be our application for Article 5, and this can only be delivered on Mondays and Thursdays.  If it gets delivered tomorrow,  there is the potential for us to get TA much sooner, possibly in time to leave with an earlier group. Right now, our estimated travel dates are beginning Oct. 7th.  However, if everything goes through in the same timetable I am seeing for others, the latest would be September. It's amazing how a one day delay can make you travel a whole month later, but I have studied these charts and calendars, and it can happen that way.  The article 5 takes 2 weeks.  In fact, it cannot be picked up before 2 weeks.  If we can get it there by this Thursday, which is tonight our time in China, that would mean our article 5 would be ready on July 22nd. Once that is picked up and taken to the Chinese adoption officials,  we will be waiting for travel approval.

We also are applying for our Chinese visas, and getting everything ready to pack.  I want to be ready if things move on the fasttrack to travel by the end of August. However, if it doesn't work out that way, I am confident that we will go no later than September to bring home our little girl!

I hope I'm not boring you too much with all the little details, but I think it's important to share each step, so that other adoptive parents will have a guide to follow. Reading the blogs of others has helped me so much through this entire process.

In the meantime, I'm working on Raeanna's bedroom. I'll try to post pictures when I finish it.

One Step Closer! I-800 Approval

Last week, I went to a "pre-travel" meeting at our adoption agency.  We discussed the process to get our visas to travel to China.  We went over the trip and various aspects of paperwork and things to take and do while there. It was interesting and fun to plan. The travel person at the agency gave us a tentative travel date of Oct. 7th, which was better than the November timeframe he had given us a few weeks ago, but I still believe we will travel no later than September.  We received our USCIS I800 approval yesterday.  It was dated 06/28/10.  Hopefully, our letter from the National Visa Center will come in just a few days. These are steps allowing Raeanna to travel here. Once the NVC letter gets here, I'll email that to the agency, and they'll email it to China, where a person that works for them there, will take it to the American Consulate in Guangzhou. It will be there for 2 weeks, and then we'll be issued Article 5.  After we have Article 5, we wait for our Travel Approval, and we'll be on our way as soon as everything can be arranged.

Since we have I800, I think we might get our TA no later than mid-August.  If things go on the faster side, we could have it by the end of July, which means we could go in August. Wouldn't that be awesome?!  The travel guy doesn't think that will happen, but I'm praying it does!  According to the charts on China Adopt Talk's forum,  many people are getting their TAs in just that timeframe. Please pray with me that we do, too!
We are soooo anxious to get our little one home!!!!