The countdown begins...

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind! They have been filled with filling out forms, signing documents, applying for visas, obsessively checking for updates via email (by this I mean refreshing it at least 800 times a day), stalking China adoption facebook groups to see how others are progressing, calculating every different travel date scenario possible according to our latest approval, waiting, and lots of PRAYING!!! Here is our timeline for everything post home study/USCIS pre-approval for those who are curious about the process:

•DTC (documents to China)- 4/28

•LID (login date) & pre-approval- 5/9

•Received Ella's file- 5/12

•LOI (requesting Ella spefically)- 5/18

•LOA (approval from China)- 6/14

•I-800 approval from USCIS- 7/1

•National Visa Center cabled the petition for Ella's  visa to the US Embassy in China- 7/13

•Article 5 (paper work to finalize Ella's visa) this takes exactly 2 weeks and  will be overnighted to CCCWA in Beijing- 7/28

•TRAVEL APPROVAL-invitation from China to get our girl!! ???? Pray it comes 8/3 or 8/4 so we could possibly go ahead and get a consulate appointment scheduled in the books on 8/5....before the weekend! 

What does all of this mean? As of July 13th we have officially jumped through ALL of the hoops (China now knows us better than we know ourselves), and we are just WAITING for China to invite us on over to get Ella!!! This could take two days or it could take two weeks after our pick up date (7/28). Ideally we would love to get travel approval the first week of August. That would mean we could leave 8/17!! So if you see me obsessively checking my phone or if I forget to text or call you back…please have some grace!!! My mind is in CHINA.

As you can see from reading our timeline, this entire process has only taken us nine short months- from November to August! Although at times it has felt like an eternity- in the adoption world, this is extremely quick! Average adoption times are around 12 to 18 months. I believe God had Ella waiting for our family as soon as we yielded to His calling to adopt! 

These are such uncharted waters. It’s so difficult for me to put into words all that I’m feeling and thinking these days. I want to get our girl home as quickly as possible, but at the same time I am doing my best to be present with my girls and soak up time with them. I’m counting the days until we leave for China, but I’m nervous about being a mom of 4 girls! I’m so excited to meet her and hold her and love on her, yet I’m terrified all at the same time. Honestly, I think my adoption hormones and mood swings may be worse than pregnancy. But in spite of all of that, God continues to faithfully and gently remind me that this is HIS plan. He is entrusting Ella to us as our daughter. And HE will give us grace with each step we take. He reminded me again with an unexpected blessing and donation tonight!!  (Side note: God has now provided almost $20,000 from all of you who have been obedient to his call to give. This is HUGE.) I’m so thankful for this call to adopt. It’s been such a privilege and blessing to watch the Lord work. And I know it’s just the beginning. I can’t wait to watch him work once we get Ella home.

Please continue to pray for Ella's heart to be prepared for us and ours for her. Please also pray that we receive travel approval QUICKLY (by 8/4), and that we can find reasonable flights that will work well for our party of 6 traveling to China- and party of 7 coming back home. My mom will graciously be traveling with us to help with whatever we need. We are so thankful she is taking time off from work to hold our hands as we begin life with Ella. We are so grateful for all of your love and support, and hope to update you all with good news of definite travel plans SOON!!!

The last update and picture from the orphanage came last week. Her current measurements- 

33 inches tall, 30 lbs, her little feet- 5.5 inches (size 7)

We are coming soon Ella!!! Less than a month!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This week

This week was fairly uneventful as we are waiting for our article 5 pick up. We did receive some more paperwork (surprise!), another few hours of training videos, and a post adoption phone conference with our agency. We also got our passports with Chinese Visas inside!! Yay!!! 

We hope that maybe we will have TA (travel approval) by August 2nd. We have gotten quotes from one travel agent who is with Adoption Airfare. We will likely check with a few more...but it's looking like we will hopefully be able to leave Wednesday, August 17th and have our Gotcha day on the following Monday, August 22nd!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💗💗💗 We are planning to fly into Beijing and see some sights for two days- then take the bullet train down south to Guangzhou where we will stay the remainder of the trip. Depending on when our consulate appointment takes place we could possibly come home on  Wednesday the 31st or September 1st!! Yay for a rough draft itinerary...we can't wait!! 

Amazon prime shopping is a dream!! We've started ordering things and preparing our stuff to pack in just a few short weeks. It's so exciting when a new package arrives on the doorstep. Even diapers! It's the little things like that which are making it feel the most real. 

LOTS of info being given to us through online meetings and videos. 

Spending our free time reading up on our new daughters heritage...even 2-3 grade reading levels offer us great info! 

We are so close!!!! Pray all goes smoothly in the planning process for our trip. 

GUZ # and secret codes!

Our next step in this crazy process was to email DAILY for about a week to find out our GUZ number and invoice ID in order to be able to fill out the next forms online. I had faithfully been emailing- but randomly decided late Thursday night to call and see what I could find out. Thankfully after 28 minutes of being on hold and conversing with a Uscis officer in New Hamphire...I got our numbers!!!! We have been assigned a GUZ (from the city in China where consulate is- Guangzhou) and our invoice ID!! Woohoo!!! Tiny milestones that make an adoptive mamas heart skip a beat!!! 

I quickly attempted to log onto the next form/application only to have my bubble burst when I couldn't access it at that time. Apparently this is very common- I learned this from watching others attempt and discuss on Facebook threads- so I knew it wasn't just me. I went to bed anxious to wake up early the next morning to try to log in.  And it worked!! Another high and exciting step on our journey. A great way to start off Ella's birthday weekend!!

So now things move fast- but slow. We are daily waiting for a response email with an attachment letter we have to obtain...in order to do what is called an article 5 drop off!😉 Which means nothing to most- but basically we literally have our documents dropped off in China and then picked up/approved 10 business days later. And of course it can only be on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday to make the process trickier. But THEN travel approval can be issued- in a few days or up to a few weeks. But but that is when we will begin booking our tickets and trip details!! 

You probably don't care to follow as detailed as this- so I'll leave it short and simple that by the end of July we SHOULD have travel approval and be able to travel 2 weeks after that!! 💗

Ella's 4th Birthday!!

Our precious friends that have been supporting us along this adoption journey from the beginning have offered to throw a birthday party for our sweet girl on her actual birthday!!! My heart was and continues to be overwhelmed with their love and support!! We can't wait to celebrate with her one day- but with family and friends in spirit is the next best way! 

I 800

 The next order to be taken care of was our i800 forms that were sent to the USCIS. This process usually takes a few weeks to be assigned and officer and then a week or two more to be granted approval. This step was a huge worry for me because when we received our receipt I realized I had put the wrong birth year on Ella's paperwork. I had 2013 instead of 2012. I was terrified, sick to my stomach, and so disappointed in myself because we surely would be set back at least another week or two while things got straightened out-all the red tape in the process makes me sick. BUT God is on our side!!! Remarkably, we were granted approval and the mix up was quickly cleared up!! So our i800 approval was granted Friday, July 1st!!! And get this- we were given an officer who isn't known to be the quickest or most hospitable- and we were approved before anyone else we have been communicating with on our same timeline. I was truly blown away. I received this approval notice while I was in Rome at my parents- and I was shopping for the first time for Ella's new clothes. Such a sweet memory I'll hold forever. Giddy didn't describe me at that moment- I was floored! So thankful for a God bigger than government red tape and paperwork!! I'm positive He is determining our steps and our timeline and this once again reassured me of His faithfulness. 

The most exciting part of this process is that we are nearing the end of this process!! Only a few more steps until our travel approval will be granted and we can book our flights to China. Most of the steps we have to follow now are set in stone as far as how long the process takes...so we can pretty much put a finger on when we expect to travel and have our gotcha day!!! So exciting and so soon- like mid August soon!!! ❤️❤️ We are coming Ella!!!

**constantly studying and making notes of what the next steps are**

I also sent off all of our visa applications, passports, pictures, and return mailing items to Chicago. Our visas should be back in a few weeks. It was quite the process to apply and get all our ducks in a row for these visas. But check it off the list!! It's done!