Things in China are going good. We have just been taking things easy and trying to get over the jet lag. Brian and I each just had an hour long massage, it cost $38 (in American money) for both of us. The massages here aren't quite the same as the kind you get in the us. It was a bit rough, I think she bruised me in one spot, but overall, we both do feel more relaxed. Anyway, things are still going well. I think we are both getting nervous about tomorrow, but I'm sure that's normal. Our guide is meeting us at 10 am in the hotel lobby, then we will go to a walmart or grocery store to buy cookies for Ava....incase something sweet is needed, suggested our guide. Later on in the week, if Ava is doing well, we will take the high speed train to visit the orphanage. The town is 3 hours away by car but the trip by high speed train is said to only be an hour trip. We are both looking forward to that, it will give us a chance to see the country.
Monday, May 30, 2011
In china
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
China or BUST!!!
I can't believe the time has finally come, we are LEAVING for China tomorrow!!!! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels over the next couple weeks.
We will be meeting Ava on May 30th. That still doesn't seem real to me, but still we are over JOYED!!!
It's been a long couple of days here as we have been tying up loose ends here, packing and preparing to leave the kids behind here (My mom is staying with them....) and planning and packing to meet Ava. I'm exhausted already. Please stay tuned for updates...
We will be meeting Ava on May 30th. That still doesn't seem real to me, but still we are over JOYED!!!
It's been a long couple of days here as we have been tying up loose ends here, packing and preparing to leave the kids behind here (My mom is staying with them....) and planning and packing to meet Ava. I'm exhausted already. Please stay tuned for updates...
Monday, May 16, 2011
TA.......TA......TA...........TA....We have our Travel Approval!!! We are going to China!!!
I just got the call a few minutes ago... We have been granted our Travel Approval to finally go meet Ava! We have a tentative "Gotcha Day" of MAY 30TH!!! That's 2 weeks from today!!! We are simply waiting for confirmation from that China Consulate on that 30th date. Stay tuned for more details!!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Well, no news on our TA yet...............(insert heavy sigh here...)
So, I follow a web sight called chinaadopttalk.com. This is a great sight for all things China adoption related. Lots and Lots of other families are on the sight and everyone shares lots of info including significant dates along their adoption process. I've seen a handful of families who have been waiting for their Travel Approval just like us get their longed for TAs this past Friday and today.... and there's a rumor going around that the CCCWA is sending the approvals out alphabetically according to our adoption agency's name. Our's starts with a "W"... so maybe we will hear something in the next few days!!!!!!!!
And once again, in the mean time, we have been keeping ourselves busy here. The painting of Ava's room is for the most part finished. Our WoNdErFuL FRIEND Jimmy painted a Tree that we saw in Pottery Barn on one of the walls.... Check Jimmy's Awesome tree......... :-)
................................darn, can't upload the pictures currently, will try again in the morning
I ordered us an IPad2 to take with us to China as our means of communicating via email, skype and blogging. That should be here in about a week and a half. We are still on the hunt for a car seat and a stroller for Ava too. I've got a few in mind, now we've just got to make up our minds! Ha!
Oh, you may have noticed a new song playing as you've arrived here to our blog... Steven Curtis Chapman's "When Love Takes You In".... I've been trying to find this song to but on here since I created this blog. Tonight, I finally found it! I absolutely love this song, it gives me goose bumps each time I hear it!
And once again, in the mean time, we have been keeping ourselves busy here. The painting of Ava's room is for the most part finished. Our WoNdErFuL FRIEND Jimmy painted a Tree that we saw in Pottery Barn on one of the walls.... Check Jimmy's Awesome tree......... :-)
................................darn, can't upload the pictures currently, will try again in the morning
I ordered us an IPad2 to take with us to China as our means of communicating via email, skype and blogging. That should be here in about a week and a half. We are still on the hunt for a car seat and a stroller for Ava too. I've got a few in mind, now we've just got to make up our minds! Ha!
Oh, you may have noticed a new song playing as you've arrived here to our blog... Steven Curtis Chapman's "When Love Takes You In".... I've been trying to find this song to but on here since I created this blog. Tonight, I finally found it! I absolutely love this song, it gives me goose bumps each time I hear it!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The long overdue update and more pictures!
Hi........we have been sooooooo busy here. Since my last big post this is what we have been up to:
On March 1st, Collin had his legs surgically straightened. This basically entailed breaking each leg in two places and then resetting them with pins. It was incredibly painful for him. The doctor had initially told us he'd keep Col in the hospital for 3 or 4 days. We stayed 6 nights....and even by then, Collin's pain was still severe. But, here we are just over 4 weeks post-op and I'm thrilled to report, he's doing GREAT! He's walking with a walker, he's back in school after missing 3 weeks worth of work and he's nearly pain free. The doctor said to expect the healing process to take between 3 and 4 months, so now the healing and waiting continue.
While Collin and I were the hospital, we got the news that Ava had been told that she was going to be adopted, that she had a new Mommy and Daddy waiting for her in America and that she was going to be living in a place that gets lots and lots of snow. We were told that she got very excited about all of the above.
Then, on March 14th, we got our I-800 approval, this approved Ava to travel to the US, then on March 28th, we got the NVC letter, this comes from the National Visa Center, basically stating that they have received the paperwork they need on Ava. Our next step was to get this to the US Consulate in China along with the rest of our Immigration paperwork. That was done March 30th. The Consulate with be finished with those on April 14th and will then issue our Article 5, which will then get delivered to CCCWA (the office in China that handles adoptions) in China, they look over our paperwork and then issue our TA or Travel Approval!!! Once we have our TA, it's time to book our flights and FINALLY plan this trip!!! It won't be too much longer now, probably 1 to 2 months at the most! So we are really excited over here! We still have to finish Collin's room downstairs. All we need is the carpet, then we can move his stuff down their and start on Ava's room.
We also were able to send Ava a care package. She got that on April 4th. The picture I posted in the previous and here are of her opening her package and playing with the Minnie Mouse we sent her. Ava is 30 lbs and 32" tall, we didn't realize it at the time, but Minnie is about half the size of her, so is the box we sent to her!
On March 1st, Collin had his legs surgically straightened. This basically entailed breaking each leg in two places and then resetting them with pins. It was incredibly painful for him. The doctor had initially told us he'd keep Col in the hospital for 3 or 4 days. We stayed 6 nights....and even by then, Collin's pain was still severe. But, here we are just over 4 weeks post-op and I'm thrilled to report, he's doing GREAT! He's walking with a walker, he's back in school after missing 3 weeks worth of work and he's nearly pain free. The doctor said to expect the healing process to take between 3 and 4 months, so now the healing and waiting continue.
While Collin and I were the hospital, we got the news that Ava had been told that she was going to be adopted, that she had a new Mommy and Daddy waiting for her in America and that she was going to be living in a place that gets lots and lots of snow. We were told that she got very excited about all of the above.
Then, on March 14th, we got our I-800 approval, this approved Ava to travel to the US, then on March 28th, we got the NVC letter, this comes from the National Visa Center, basically stating that they have received the paperwork they need on Ava. Our next step was to get this to the US Consulate in China along with the rest of our Immigration paperwork. That was done March 30th. The Consulate with be finished with those on April 14th and will then issue our Article 5, which will then get delivered to CCCWA (the office in China that handles adoptions) in China, they look over our paperwork and then issue our TA or Travel Approval!!! Once we have our TA, it's time to book our flights and FINALLY plan this trip!!! It won't be too much longer now, probably 1 to 2 months at the most! So we are really excited over here! We still have to finish Collin's room downstairs. All we need is the carpet, then we can move his stuff down their and start on Ava's room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)