Another step down!!!

I just found out the our I-800 was approved today!  That is immigration approval!  They will now 2nd day air that approval to the National Visa Center.  A few days after it arrives there they will cable (electronically) send a document to the US Consulate in China.  That along with some other documents will take 2 weeks for approval at the Consulate.  The Article 5 (says all thing are in order) goes to the CCCAA for the them to issue travel approval.  We are coming baby Myah, we are coming!!!

Treasures from China!

On most mornings IF I am awake at 6 AM it is to go to the bathroom and the quickly back to bed to sleep a bit more... but NOT this morning!  I was expecting a VERY IMPORTANT email to include new pictures of our sweet Myah.  I rushed to the computer to find this.......

and this....

and how about this....

what cuteness is this....

and then there is this....

and finally this....

Along with these precious pictures came a note from Andrea (the momma that got to see her).
She said:   I saw your sweet Song Wen Xia!  She is absolutely adorable!  She has gorgeous, clear skin, shiny hair, and her cleft repair looks excellent.  She was bright eyed and alert, a healthy weight, and in all ways perfectly wonderful!  The orphanage is first rate.  It is the fourth Chinese orphanage I have toured, and the nicest of them all.  The staff truly cares about the children.  That was very obvious.  So, your daughter is in excellent hands!  I also have a surprise for you....video!  I took some of her, but unfortunately you will have to wait until I get back to the states before I can send it to you.  I can't upload video here.

This momma got tears when I read that Andrea got video.  I will keep myself busy until Andrea gets home and can send it to us.  Oh what a treasure!

1800 sent off and Visa's Applied for!

I shared with you that our Letter of Acceptance arrived.  As soon as it arrived I took it for Jeff to sign, signed it myself, made copies and sent it back to our agency.  In addition we sent our 1800 off.  That is to get immigration approval for specifically Myah.  We hope to have this approval in the next week!  Here is a look at what forms look like!

Late last week I also sent off our passport to a courier service.  She will be taking them to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago to apply for our visa's to travel to China.  She will deliver them to the consulate tomorrow and then return to pick them up next Monday.  There is not much more we can do to prepare for Travel Approval.  We just wait and pray that everything goes through quickly, so we can go get our Myah.

I hope to beable to post some beautiful new pictures of Myah in the next 24 hours.  There is a family that will be at the orphanage tomorrow and has asked to see her.  I am hoping that I have an email from her before I go to bed tonight!  We will see!

FedEx delivery, signed, sealed and on the way to delivery.... and a baby update!

This morning I sat in the living room so I could hear with the FedEx truck arrived with our oh so important adoption papers.  I was to the door faster then the delivery lady (she was a bit scared of our neighbors dogs).  I forgot the camera... (many adoptive families photograph the delivery driver) but oh well.  We rushed to Jeff's office for him to sign the forms, went home to make copies and then off to send the originals back to our agency and the copies along with other documents to the USCIS.  All this accomplished by 1:30 PM!!!

While I was waiting for FedEx, I received an update on our precious Myah.  This is what we learned:

Her head 42.5cm = 16.5 inches and 25% on the Chinese Growth Chart

Her chest 45cm = 17.7 inches

She is 71cm long = 28 inches and 30% on the Chinese Growth Chart

She weighs 8.5kg = 18.7 pounds and 75% on the Chinese Growth Chart

Her foot is 11cm = 4.3 inches (size 3 or 4 in baby girl shoes)

She can make many different sounds. (That is music to my hears, as some cleft babies can't make sounds)

She will smile to the nannies she knows and wants them to pick her up.

She can roll over, sit very well alone, crawl, stand up by holding something.

She can grasp toys and pass toys between 2 hands. 

She is a very active and happy baby.

She gets up around 6:20 am (we will work on fixing that!)

She then plays outside for awhile. 

Breakfast is around 8 am then off to physical therapy.

Lunch is around 11 am.

Nap from 11:30 to 1:30 pm. (just like her big brother Sam)

Bottle at 2 pm and snacks at 3 pm.

Bath at 3:30 pm

Dinner at 5 pm and then play time with the other kids.

Bottle at 8 pm.

Bedtime at 9 pm.

Bottle at 4 am (I WILL CERTAINLY WORK ON FIXING THAT ONE--- YUCK!)

She sleeps fine at night (except for needing a bottle at 4 am).

She has 3 meals of soft food every day, 3 bottles and one snack.  She loves to eat fruit!

What a great day of news.  Our agency thinks we will travel in 6 to 8 weeks!  LOVE LOVE LOVE knowing that the time before we get our sweet Myah is getting shorter!!!

  

LOA! LOA! LOA! LOA!!!!!!!!

I received the much anticipated call today that our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) was at the agency office and was being sent to us.  We will have it tomorrow!  Once we both sign it and make copies of it, we will send it back to our agency.  We will send a copy of it along with another few things to US Immigration.  They will approve us bringing Myah into our country as an immigrant.  That will take 2 to 3 weeks.  There are a few steps that follow that as well.  Every thing from here on out is pretty timed and we will see the progress as it goes.  We hope to still be in China by Mid Sept.  Please pray for that, with us! 

Dear friends gone from this earth but are rejoicing in heaven!

July 4th started as a relaxing day, with a mixture of working around the house and some fun.  We were slow going in the morning and then our sweet Sam hit his head and cut it open.... OUCH!  My first thought after getting a rag to clean Sam up and discover where the blood was coming from was to call Diane.  I grabbed my phone and dialed her number, there was no answer.  I looked outside and saw her car was not there.  We were rushing to get dressed and ready to take him to th ER, when I heard banging at the door.  Our neighbor came to tell us that another neighbor Diane, and her 11 year old daughter Anna had been killed in a headon collision, but a drunk driver!  I will say I was in shock!  Diane was a dear friend and Anna was such a doll.  She loved the Lord most and then her family and other people.  They were gone in an instant!

This photo was taken just a few weeks ago.  In addition to Anna and Diane is Diane's youngest son Tyler.  You can tell in their smiles and eyes the love that they had for eachother.  Our family is deeply saddened and grieving the loss of these two wonderful people.  We rejoice in knowing that they are without a doubt in heaven with Jesus.  They are happy and praising God! 

Mary, another friend of Diane wrote something and said it so well, so I am sharing it here. 

This morning started out like any other....she was on her way
to spend time with her family.....In an instant, all that changed forever. Today
I'm mourning...specifically for this family, but also for the effects of living
in a fallen world and for the way that sin steals our loved ones most
unexpectedly.....Diane was ready....she not only believed in God, she knew Him
intimately. So tonight, I ask my friends and loved ones....what's your
relationship with Christ like? Just Believing in Him isn't enough...being a good
person isn't enough....neither is going to church....In the end, only one thing
will will be enough......having a relationship with Jesus that not only invites
Him into your life, but invites Him to take OVER your life.....to surrender to
His Lordship - no matter what the cost -- hard words to absorb on a day like
today...but for Diane and Anna, they gained the greatest prize....they are face
to face with Jesus tonight, fully recognizing the "substance" of their
faith.....So on a night that my heart is grieving for them, I ask you, my
friends.....are you 100 percent sure that if you died tonight, you'd be in
heaven? Please, please, don't just assume you're "in" because you go to church
or are a good (even great) person...the words of Scripture are clear...."there
is none righteous, no not one." The standard isn't measuered against anyone
else....but is soley based on what you've done with Jesus....If you confess with
your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe with your heart God raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved...(Romans 10:9).....your lives are dear to me....your
eternity even more so. Christ has provided the way....at great cost....my prayer
is that you will allow His death to bring you life.