TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!!

Today we were informed by our agency that we have our Travel Approval! We now have to request an appointment at the US Consulate. We are requesting one the week of September 12 or the 19th. Depending on which appointment we get we will either leave for China on August 31st or September 8th. We should know more about our itinerary by the first of next week, but either way we will be hugging Carsen for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks!

An update and new pictures

We received an update and new pictures today of Carsen. He is now 31 inches tall and weighs just over 20 pounds. He can crawl and stand holding onto something. He is a good eater, he eats fruit, rice, noodles, vegtables, congee and meats. He likes to play with balls, noise making toys and things that are brightly colored.

Officially Awaiting Travel Approval

We were notified by our agency today that their in country facilitator had picked up our Article 5 from the US Consulate and forwarded it to the CCCWA.  That means were officially waiting on the final step, which is Travel Approval, then we will be able to travel to meet Carsen!  Travel approval usually takes 2-4 weeks, then travel typically occurs 1-3 weeks later.  We really, really hope to travel in early-mid September.  It is really starting to feel real, like this might really happen.  We are getting anxious and excited, trying to get some things prepared ahead of time so we are runny around like crazy at the last minute.

Update on the process

Last Friday we found out that our I800 was approved on July 14th.  After our I800 was approved it was forwarded on to the National Visa Center.  At the NVC they "cable" or email our approval to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China.  We found out today that we were cabled.  So know we wait until they send us a copy of the letter so we can send it on to our agency who forwards it to their in China staff.  Once they receive it they drop everything off at the consulate where we wait for two weeks for them to issue our Article 5.  Once that is issued we wait for the CCWCA to issue our Travel Approval, which usually occurs in 2-4 weeks.  Then we will travel in 1-3 weeks.  We are slowly, but surely getting closer to Carsen!!

LOA!!

Yesterday Jamie received a phone call from our agency.  The call was to tell us that she had received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) or LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation) from the CCWCA.  What this means is that China is officially accepting us to be Carsen's parents!!  For those that are unfamiliar with the process, this is one of the biggest steps in this process.  It's huge because the waiting time to receive the LOA varies greatly (some families wait only 30 days and others up to 100 days!) and there does not appear to be any predictable pattern in which they are issued.  The past couple of weeks have been very stressful for me waiting for the LOA to come.  We are very thankful that we only had 53 days, because recently we have seen others wait up to 90 days.  This puts us on track to travel in September or October, but hopefully in September before the holidays in China and the trade fair in Guangzhou. 

God has really been with me during the past couple of weeks when the waiting has become really stressful for me.  I have listened over and over to "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller and began seeking out what God would have me to do during the waiting period, because I felt like there was something, I just couldn't figure our what.  The other day I found out what it was, Jamie and I are being given an opportunity to share how God has given us a passion for orphans and adoption and what we are doing about it.  We are very thankful that He is continuing to led and guide us through this process.

Pictures!!!!

One of the other Xuzhou families went this week to meet their child and they were able to go visit the orphange where Carsen lives and took some new pictures of him. We are very grateful to them for taking the time to get pictures for us and the other waiting families

Update about Carsen

Our agency requested an update about Carsen and we received it today.  We are very excited.  He weighs almost 19 pounds and 29 inches long.  He is able to sit independently.  He stands and walks in the baby walker.  He likes to be hugged and cuddled.  He likes to play with other children and he is outgoing.  His favorite toy is a ball.  We were very glad to hear that he is doing well and continues to grow and develop as he should.