Travel approval! Yes!!!

What seemed like the longest wait EVER is finally over!! I am going to China~woohoo!!
Just at dinner time, as food was finishing the phone rang... Heidi called to say she is holding my "golden ticket" to China!! I am so excited to say the least!
Two funny things to note here:
1. I think Greg just realized we are actually adopting, he woke up this am saying he dreamed of Mira, and he had no idea what to say to her! Later in the day he said he woke up this am knowing today was the day! (he also made a point to tell me because he said I wouldn't believe him when the call actually came). Ok, so he was right for the first time in a very long time- hehe!
2. I will be in China at the same time as my pastor....how cool is that!! Who would have thought over coffee with his wife that God would orchestrate this in such awesome timing!
My details should be confirmed tomorrow hopefully, I will post then!
Love n prayers to all,
Vanessa


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Article 5...

After 32 llooooonnngg days (did I say long??). Finally our Article 5 was picked up and sent on to Beijing. We are in the home stretch of the wait. We are waiting for one final piece of paper. It is an official invitation to visit China for the purpose of adoption. This process takes anywhere from 7-21 days. Once this is received we are free to pick up our daughter. I can't tell you how exciting this is for us. We can not wait to bring our sweet girl home. I am not a patient person, I am a very much here and now person. Adoption isn't designed for the impatient! I know many people wait longer than we have but it.has.been.hard. That's the funny thing that happens when you step out of your comfort zone, you are forced to do and experience things that, well, aren't comfortable! The wait is just the beginning, I am not comfortable with the idea of leaving my family for so long. I have even been caught thinking that I have possibly lost my mind. I have a family that relies on me heavily for many things, I am going to leave them to go half way around the world to bring home a child who may not like me very much???? Doesn't sound logical huh? Well, when I find myself thinking this way I realize that I have been chosen to travel halfway around the world to bring home a child who may not like me now but will grow to love me one day. I have been called to do this and I know I will be fine, my family will be fine and Mira will be fine too. God will provide, as He has through every step of this adoption.
I actually forced myself to gather the heap of stuff I have been tossing in the closet and sort through it. I got out my suitcases, began making neat piles and quickly I learned that I have to reduce, reduce, reduce. Well, let's just say it is gonna be a work in progress!
Funny thing, my pastor and his wife are adopting as well (2 boys) and they received their paperwork today too. If all goes well we will likely be in China together!! Not a coincidence if you ask me ;0)
Say a little prayer that our travel approval comes quickly! Kara and I are ready to go!!!
((hugs))
Vanessa


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Testing 1, 2, 3.....

This is a test to be certain that I can access my blog... If you can read this than it must have worked!!


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Waiting....Waiting....Waiting...

So it has been over a month since I posted...partly because we've been so darn busy and because honestly not much has been happening. Unfortunately we have fallen at a time that the US government is doing their part but they are in China. So they have been off ALOT!!!! Between Christmas, New Years, MLK Day & this past week has been Chinese New Year~ they celebrate them all! On top of all of that we had a glitch with paperwork, now we are on track. Anyway, we are just 2 steps away from getting our travel dates! One step is to get our Article 5 picked up, that is scheduled to be done on Monday. From there our paperwork goes to the CCCWA so they can issue our "official invitation to travel" known in adoption world as TA. This process can take from 7-21 days, hopefully they will feel well rested after the week off that they are highly motivated to move some paperwork! Once this invitation is received we can schedule our trip dates. I am in high hopes of leaving on March 1st~ however I know that it will be in God's time. As I have said before this is His adoption, I was 'done having kids' (and He laughed). So i will wait until He says go.
I was blessed to get a new picture of Mira yesterday. She looks like she is okay, but my poor girl is yet again dressed like a boy. So, with some quick retail therapy I feel better and Mira has some cute sparkly dresses!!!
I have began to gather items to pack, looked at flights, chosen my hotels and make my lists of to do's before I go and put some finishing touches on Mira's room....come on TA!!!!!!
I have a few prayer requests:
~Please pray for my family here at home, that their hearts will be prepared for our time of separation
~For my Mother-inlaw's family the same, as she is traveling with me
~Pray that my kids are healthy while I am away
~Pray for the final finances that are needed to complete this journey
~Finally, please pray that Mira's heart will be prepared to leave the place she calls home, leaving behind her friends & nannies to join our family. Just prepare her heart to meet me and begin her life in our Forever family.
I will keep you posted as I know any news!!!

Christmas Surprise!

Good news! We have received our I800 approval which gives permission for Mira to become an immediate relative. That approval then goes to another branch of the US government which was also approved. From there we wait to be cabled...which we were on 12/22. That means that our US government emails the ok to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China. This next process takes about 2 weeks to complete. Then we wait for our TRAVEL APPROVAL!! We are racing the clock to get this before Chinese New Year, which is January 22-29 (I think)...if all goes in our favor we could potentially travel in early February~ wooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!
The awesome thing is there seems to be a nice group of ladies running this same time frame, hoping to meet some of them "for real".
I will be sure to keep you posted!
Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas!!!
Love.
Vanessa

I have been blessed....

Where do I begin.....
Several weeks ago I received surprise photos of Mira, this was a miracle in itself because Mira is from a relatively small orphanage that isn't doing many adoptions right now. While the photos were a HUGE blessing, they were just shots she was in, some profile, some she was in the background etc.
Last week I decided to order an orphanage call from Ladybugs n Love. With this call you can ask 10 questions and hope for a photo or two! It takes 7-10 days to get a response.
So, each and every morning since the first thing I would do when I'd wake up is run to my computer to see if there was a "surprise" for me! So...... yesterday morning I woke upto my ipad chiming that I had mail...I checked my regular email, nothing. For whatever reason i decided to check my "adoption email" which is a yahoo account. LOW AND BEHOLD there were 18 (yes 18) photos of my precious girl...AHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!! But let me explain, these were NOT from Ladybugs n Love, they were froma family who had the awesome opportunity to meet Mira FACE TO FACE!!!!!!! This is not uncommon in the adoption world but it is uncommon at this orphanage. The last several visitors have been denied access to the inside of the orphanage and have not met the kids. I cannot post all the details but just trust me when I say that God had his hand in this one! The greatest thing is they have video too but I will have to wait patiently until they arrive home to send to me in the mail as it is quite large! To say the least i was on cloud nine!!!! We spent much of the morning ohh-ing & ahh-ing over the pics! I told Greg this was the best gift EVER! Little did I know the day wasn't over yet! In the afternoon came that awesome update that I requested~~wooohoo!
it had each question answered including one special request....I. GOT. VIDEO. I can watch my girl in action...ooh my...giddy just doesn't describe how I feel. To see my girl walk on those twisted legs is AMAZING, simply AMAZING. But get this....she can RUN!!!!!!!
These are some of the qauestions I had answered:
3. What is her favorite toy?

Doll. She likes to wrap a doll with a towel and hold it in her arms. She will put a doll in her bed and sleep with her.


4. When she is sad, how do you comfort her?

Talk with her gently or take her outside and play.


5. Is she potty trained?

Yes. She goes potty herself.


6. Is it possible to get a short video of her walking to prepare myself to receive her?

Yes. Please see attachment


7. How long/ tall is she including the twisting in her legs?

Height: 86cm (33 1/2inches); Weight: 13kg(28 lbs); Foot: 13.5cm(5.5 inches~sz 8)

She has gained 4 pounds since her last update, but boy is she tiny! I'm thinking size 3T clothes!!! Enough of my blabbing, sit back and watch her move!!!

But one last thing before I go. I spent the day wondering how I deserved such a special surprise yesterday...but really I shouldn't be surprised. We are all loved so very much by our Heavenly Father, this was just a small token to show He is with me on this journey. One that often feels lonely....

So Excited!!!

Couple of things to update...
We received our Fedex package from CHI on Wed at approx 11am with our very "official" looking certificate inside along with another stack of paperwork to filled out ASAP! So by 1pm I was on my way to the shipping station to send overnight 2 envelopes. It has never felt so good to spend $73 (yes $730 on postage! one went to the USCIS lockbox in Texas and the other went to CHI in Wa state. SO now we wait again...this time not so long though...we should hear about our next step by Christmas hopefully!
In the meantime, I have ordered an orphanage call through www.LadybugsnLove.com to attempt to get an update on Mira's stats~ ht, wt, shoe size etc. but I also was given the opportunity to ask 10 questions that will be answered~ hopefully. One of which I asked for a short video of Mira walking... so I can prepare for travel with her. I hope they will find it in their hearts and busy schedule to do this for us.Of course as soon as I get a response I will post it here!!! Hoping with some new pics as well!
We have been actively preparing her room and washing some of her new clothes to prepare for travel & her arrival. Thanks so much to all who have been praying along this journey, please keep them coming!!!!