hurry up and wait......

........then PANIC! Ok, so not really, but it seems so much of the adoption process is you fill out forms and paperwork as fast as you possibly can..and then relinquish it to the powers that be, to sit on someones desk for what seems "forever" Now, with one week left before leaving, there is so much that needs to be done. Sifting through piles of paperwork, making copies, figuring what to bring that will only fit in one suitcase. Suddenly.......YIKES! I do admit to being a procrastinator of sorts, and have never done this differently during any of my other trips. I know that I will be ready, and I have been so ready to have Noah home for quite some time.We now have a final itinerary and tickets. I will finish getting the kids ready for school with their supplies, backpacks and new shoes. Then I will power food shop so the kids will at least have food for the first few days (anyone who has seen my kids eat will know that's true) I hope that Noah's heart will be open to all the changes about to bombard his life, and that his ayis have done what they could to help him prepare.

7

Busy week

This past week has flown by...funny how time will do that when you have so very much to do. My son Travis is moved in to his freshman dorm..wow, the house is really quiet, and he's not been here much this summer.

2 weeks from today, i will be aboard a plane, headed to China. i am waiting on airline tickets, which are booked, and final travel itinary from the agency. there's much to do, but i will think about it all after monday, when i have finished the school's summer session.

our dates are: leaving sept. 6th, flying to beijing and then onto chengdu

in provence, noah will be our son, and off to guangzhou on sept. 12th

consulate appointmen on sept. 16th and flying home on the 18th. i already miss my kids who will be staying with dad, and i haven't even yet! thankfully, they will have school to fill up a good part of their days.

TRAVEL APPROVAL!

Well, those 2 golden letters which mean so much! This afternoon we got the call (on Friday, of course) that our TA arrived at the agency along with 3 others. We are hoping to leave Sept. 5th or 6th, but need to wait for a confirmed CA(consulate appointment) I feel 50 lbs. lighter.

Noah...hang on just a little bit longer.

For anyone wanting to know how long, 22 days from LOA. Oh, they were loooooooong and painfully slow days.

Ladybugs & Let The Games Begin!

Ok, so yesterday I saw 2 ladybugs while at work. Today, I found out someone with the same LOA got their TA today. Now, I know the reality of that is that it still could be a few weeks before we get ours. It would be "loverly" if all of these letters went in order, but of course, anyone who has gone through IA before (and life) knows it goes how it goes.
With that said, we are going to celebrate with friends and watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Olympic Torch & another HUGE aftershock

Well, today I see that not only was there a large aftershock (5.8) on Friday, but another one (6.2) today. Today was also the day that the Olympic torch came through Chengdu, the last leg to Beijing.

Yu Zhirong, a military official who was one of the first rescuers ... - Yahoo! News Photos

Yu Zhirong, a military official who was one of the first rescuers ... - Yahoo! News Photos

here he is

So, I haven't yet posted pictures of our son, or the rest of the kids. Well, here's one to start. Introducing....Noah Zhu, isn't he handsome. I am thankful to Angela at Ladybugsnlove for getting us this updated photo. The ones we had at referral are well over a year old, and my has he been growing. I LOVE his dimples.
Ok CCAA, this week starts the Olympics, and it would be great to celebrate even more with a TA, whaddya think?

c'mon already!