Travel Dates Confirmed

April 13- Arrive in Beijing
April 14 - Orientation/ Tours (if mama has energy)
April 15- Travel to Anhui (Ivy's province)
April 16 - We meet Ivy "Gotcha Day!"
April 20 - Travel to Guangzhou
April 24 - US Consulate Visa Appointment
April 25- Visa Issued
April 26 - Arrive Home!

Got It!

We received that long awaited call today that The People's Republic of China has approved us to travel and pick up our girl. We submitted our requests for the Consulate Appointment date, and hopefully we will hear back tomorrow. Based on that appointment, we will book out flights. We should be able to travel in early April. Wow! Praise God!

Waiting on TA

"I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless he sees that it is good for him to wait" CS Lewis
We are trusting in His perfect timing.

Special Delivery

This most adorable backpack, filled with some goodies, showed up in our mailbox recently. It's a special gift from a special friend. Linda knows adoption, both the joys and the trials. She has been a great source of encouragement and information. Most of all she's a true friend.

How fitting that her gift will travel with us to China and be delivered to Ivy on the day we meet her!

So Close!

We are now officially waiting on our final step...Travel Approval. When we get the TA, we buy our plane tickets and go pick up our little sweetie. Our Passports have arrived. Our Visas have arrived. So hurry up TA!!!!

Updated Photos!

It makes for a real happy day when this cute face shows up in your inbox!

The whole family crowded around the computer with squeals and teary eyes. Even our oldest kids were here to share in the fun. It was a blessing to hear that she looks at her photo album every day, and often tells her friends that she has parents!

Oh my heart!! We can hardly stand it. We're comin' to get you Ivy!

Cabled!

Our agency has forwarded our documents to the US Embassy in China for the last step before China will issue Travel Approval. The Consulate reviews the file and signs off that everything is in order. So we await this  "Article 5"  letter and then we move on to Travel Approval!!

Photo Album to China!

We sent a photo album to Ivy introducing her to the family and some other soon-to-be familiar sights around the house. (Thank you, Nancy, for the inspiration) Hopefully someone will take the time to read the notes to her and help her understand that she has a family! Here's a sampling of the pages:

We had so much fun creating it. I hope she has just as much fun looking at it!