We finally have a travel plan. Plane tickets are very scarce right now, due to the World Expo in Shanghai. Our Chinese exchange student had written to me about this wonderful expo, and I thought it was really cool, til we had to fly right into the middle of the festivities lol. But we have tickets. We'll leave Dulles on 7/31, arriving in Beijing on August 1st, change planes and get into Guangzhou late that evening. Then we'll meet Jenni on Monday! Lots of stuff to get organized, we're working like crazy to get so much done for our business and personally to be able to leave, but it feels really good to have those tickets reserved, at least now we know we have a plane to get on. It is so hard to believe that in less than three weeks we'll actually have our little girl.

Taylor and I are going to Sara's this week end. I want to look at baby things, do a little Penny shopping :) Just think in three months, I'm going to be a grandmother. Busy, busy, year!

Got our CA, we're officially on our way :)

Our travel coordinator called, and things are moving along..we have our CA or consulate appointment set for August 9th. So now our travel plans are official, we leave on July 31st and will fly home on August 12th.

Our travel packet has been FedExed to us and flights are being scoped for us. We have decided to stay at the Holiday In in Guangzhou so I am making reservations this afternoon.

We ran a bunch of errands this afternoon and purchased all the medicine we'll take with us, Advil, Immodium, Pepto, Benedryl, etc. Tom had a cold the last time we were in China and our guide tried to talk him into going to some herbalist and getting some local Chinese medicines, he got well fast!

We have a lot to get done before we travel, the time will fly by as we get ready to go meet our Jennifer.

I got a call this morning from the head of the board of directors for a grant we'd applied for...she interviewed me for half hour. We are praying they give us a grant as plane ticket prices have sky rocketed this past month and we're hoping maybe a grant will help with this increase in expenses. Pray for us that we'll get this!

We are going to have to work like crazy these next few weeks, we'd better get busy!

We just got the call..at 2:15 p.m. on July 6th, 2010 we were notified that we have travel approval. It is official, we are going to China to pick up Jennifer and bring her home! Our agency is getting the all important CA or consulate appointment set up, as the trip kind of pivots around this important date, but we need to start working on plane tickets, hotel reservations, packing! We'll be leaving THIS MONTH!

TA's in the air..

OK, I just saw a post where an RQ member has been told that a new batch of TA's are being sent that could possibly arrive as early as Friday, definitely Monday. Our agency got TA's this week for the people with 6/03 A5's. There are some around the country who've gotten their TA with a 6/14 A5. So with a 6/10 Article 5, I'm thinking we HAVE to get ours by early next week at the latest. This process is so long and hard, you find yourself guarding your heart against excitement because you just get burned out with the pressure. Hard to explain unless you've lived it. Just picture if your 5 yr. old was half way around the world and you didn't know if she had a good dinner tonight, or if she is scared of the dark. I just read to Taylor, we said her prayers together, we giggled, and hugged and kissed. And I thought of Jennifer, waiting, waiting, needing her family. So to see this post about TA's on the way...well it just actually makes my heart beat faster. We WILL be traveling soon!! Stay tuned...my blog may finally have some real news!

Thinking about travel...

We should be getting our thoughts together about travel. I need to start making some of my lists (I love making lists, its weird, I know, but they ground me, and I feel so organized when I have them, even when its not true lol). It seems like time is flying by, each day is busier than the last and I feel like I'm running out of time to prepare. Prepare what? I'm not sure. Prepare out home? It needs lots of work but it's not going to happen in this next month. Prepare Jenni's room? Taylor and Emilee and I worked on that today, moving furniture around, trying to see how the room can still be fun and functional with two beds in it. Prepare for our family to change again, not something you can really prepare for, just have to go with what you know and hope for a smooth transition...Prepare our hearts to grow and welcome this new little member of the family...that is my prayer every single day.

There is massive flooding in southern China. Whenever I hear of a natural disaster in any area of the world, it makes me so sad for the people, the families affected by such devastation. Tonight I worry that this recent catastrophe could be affecting our youngest and I pray that she and all the other children in Shenzhen's Bao'an SWI are safe, and we are praying for the many thousands who've lost lives, loved ones, homes. We have an email into our agency, hoping we can receive word that this part of China is safe from the raging flood waters....

UPDATE: We heard from our agency that Shenzhen Baoan SWI is dry and well. So relieved to know our girl is waiting for us safely.

Article 5!

Today we got word that our Article 5 was picked up in Guangzhou and mailed to Beijing. Now we will wait on our TA (travel approval) and I need to start a looong list of all the things we need to be doing to get organized to be in CHINA for two weeks!

Our agency supplied us the tracking number for our A-5 package and I could tell when it was picked up and it was routed from Guangzhou through Shenzhen where Jennifer waits for us, and was delivered in Beijing at 12:35 p.m. China time - the CCAA has the info they need to proceed with our final paperwork approval. We should receive TA in 2 to 4 weeks!