Letter of Acceptance!!!

China said yes, and we did too!! We are coming for you Ella! We hope to travel mid-late August. We are over the moon excited. 

"Soft" LOA

As if adoption lingo needed one more crazy term...but we officially got our soft letter of approval to adopt our Ella!! It is coined "soft" because we can't move on to or next step without actually receiving this in our hands to sign- but it's en route!! We got an email from our agent Tuesday. Our i800 paperwork is waiting in the office to overnight once we get then"hard" physical copy of the LOA. This is BIG news because it typically means you will be traveling 8-10 weeks from the date you receive this letter. 

In the meantime- we are keeping busy with visits with friends, trips to the beach and nesting for a new member of our family. 

Busy days with precious friends.

Flowers from a friends garden...the purple flower is Ella.💗

Beach trip for daddys work and time with my parents. 

Random Panda pillow that reminds me of Ella. 

Where is Ella?

My mind and heart are in China. This post puts it into words beautifully. 

http://www.nohandsbutours.com/2015/11/09/my-mind-is-in-china/

Im case you've wondered what part of China our sweet girl is living in now- Ella is in the Guangdong Province in China in the city of Yangjiang. They speak Cantonese. 

Dream along with me!! I cannot wait to be on a plane going to get her!! 

TulaToddler Practice

All three girls...and all 50-60lbs of sweetness made me try this carrier on with them inside!! We can't wait until Ella is all snuggled up inside this carrier. She should fit MUCH better than any babies around here! 

The girls have also started carrying Ella's picture around town with them...even in the car as we drive down the road they let her "watch tv" with them. So sweet. Hurry home sister!! 

Somebody is already verrrrry loved!!

My sister sent Ella a sweet package this weekend!! It thrills my heart to think about introducing our fourth daughter to all of our family! 

We are stockpiling all your goodies in your room Ella for when you get here! 

OOT

Last Tuesday, May 31st we had a phone call interview with our lifeline agent to update or home study. Because Ella is turning 4 next month the age bracket in our home study had to be changed from 0-3 to 0-5. A simple form, phone interview and another check or two and it was done! Thankful it didn't take to much effort. 

The best news came at the very end of our conversation, we were told that our dossier had moved "out of translation" or OOT!! This was wonderful news- and it came quickly. The great news is that the next big step is Letter of Acceptance...and those usually come a week or so after a dossier is out of translation. 

So what this truly means though- is that once we have received that Letter of Acceptance- LOA- that usually means 8-10 weeks out until travel!!!! There are many steps in between, but that's huge!!! And that's August!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I have formed some Facebook friendships with 3 other lifeline agency families that have been amazing! We are all about on the same timeline and sharing our excitement and frustrations together is priceless. So thankful God has already started forming bonds with other adoptive mamas who can identify and hand hold through this new and exciting but intimidating experience of a lifetime. We may actually be traveling with some of these families so it is really neat to get acquainted. The Facebook pages that I am a part of have been invaluable tools as well- it's a place to toss out any and all questions about China, traveling, orphanages, etc. and link you to someone who has been there and done that. Such a blessing! 

We also received the girls passports in the mail last week!! It's getting real...and actually feels like it's getting close!!  

Until next post...which hopefully will be soon and titled LOA!...keep praying for us  and sweet Ella. We feel them and are so thankful for you  ❤️