TA, CA and leaving!

Ugh I post on Facebook but then forget about here!  So to catch you up -

We received TA on Thursday 3/13.  We knew our drop dead date was 3/14 so I was shocked when they called and we actually made our timeline!

We are with Madison and half of their staff is in China right now.  We have expressed our desire to travel over our kids spring break for a month.  Needless I was shocked when she mentioned that she wasn't sure if our in CHina person could make the arrangements in the time allotted so we could have a 3/24 gotcha.

But it worked AND I happened to get an email Thursday evening that we received our requested CA appt of 4/1!!

By Friday morning I had confirmation that we could in fact get Dawson on 3/24 -

GOD!  Only GOD! could get everything lined up (including flights) in less than 24 hours!!

For some reason flights are packed - we used adoptionairfare.com (we used someone else last time and found he doesn't really do well with quick turn arounds etc.)

They found us super reasonable rates but not the best flight - especially.  When we tried changing things around flights rose by at least $1000 a piece.  It requires us to be gone a tiny bit longer AND spending 2 nights in Beijing (this was our choice versus flying for almost 40 hours at a time.

SOOOO, we leave THURSDAY at 6 am!!

Spend a few hours in LAX and straight to Beijing.  We will spend a few days on our own in Beijing without a guide but frankly - loved their transit system and I am really not to worried about it.

Sunday - we fly to Nanning, Guangxi province (southern most China) - for some reason there were no flights form hong kong to here without taking about 24 hours ?!?!

MONDAY!! 3/24 - we get Dawson - PLEASE if you think about pray for his little heart.  I can't even look at my older kids and imagine asking them to do what this amazing boy will soon do.  I know in my heart its the right thing for him but still.

Friday - 4/28 - we fly to Guangzhou

Friday 4/4 we fly HOME!!

The biggest praise - ALL of our rooms are FREE (we did pay for an upgrade in GZ)!  We have the marriott card and transferred ALL of our month bills, and living expenses on this card.  We had 2 certificates from promos over the summer. This is the first in province time we are also staying at a Marriott!

I can not believe that this boy (these pics are from his 2008 file) will finally have a family again.  I am absolutely prepared for the worst but am praying for the best.  God sent us on this journey.  This boy has waited so very long.  We are exceptionally blessed that he will become our son!

Filled!

 We got it!

Our travel approval to bring home our baby boy came today!

grrr it was dated 11/2

Tomorrow (hopefully) we will find out exactly when our last chair will be filled.

Please if you think about it would you pray that God works a miracle and we can somehow get a spot still the end of November.

Many people are looking at consulate dates the first 2 weeks in December.  

I worry about my husband as this will place us traveling Black Friday and beyond -

 for the retail world the WORST possible time.

My oldest missed 3 days of school this week because of being really sick,

plus two more weeks if we don't travel until after Thanksgiving is hard.

We know this is God's journey, and we will follow His lead.

But selfishly I am still going to ask for prayers.

And while your at it, please pray for our Griffen - that his heart is already being opened to the changes soon to occur.  My heart breaks even thinking of tearing him away from his current foster family, the week his orphanage requires he spend alone before we travel.  Fill him with the Holy Spirit and love that so many of you already have for him.

Daddy's prayer

Ok before I even start this post, please know that I have known my husband since I was 18 years old!  Yep, I would "kill" my own daughter now.  But he is my heart and my soul.  We kid around a lot.  We use humor to deal with stress, challenges and jsut life in general.

This man came home last night with a cheshire grin on his face last night,

He said - Pastor was in the shop today, I told him God answered my prayer.

Me - Really, what prayer was that?

Him - I prayed "Please Lord, please stop trying to teach my wife PATIENCE, or we might have to strangle her!"

WHAT!

I wasn't sure if I questioned him praying this prayer more or telling the Pastor LOL!!

Atleast we got our TA - and who says prayers aren't answered!

Oh Yeah!!

Pretty excited over here in Colorado!!  We "got our paper today!!"  according to the kids.  For those wondering - it's our last real piece of paper - we got TRAVEL APPROVAL  which means -

WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!

We got the email while sitting in Qdoba having lunch and I almost started crying!  We asked to leave on the Dec 8th plan which means - we leave in like 15-16 days!!  With the holiday weekend we may not know until Monday but that's ok, we will plan on the 8th until we hear otherwise.

Now that;s what I call a fabulous reason to celebrate - there will soon be two less orphans in the world!

AFRAID!

Ok, I am jsut going to say it - there are parts of this process that scare me!

I have spent countless, and I mean countless hours worrying over the logistics

I will have 5 yes FIVE kids - we don't even particularly like most kids, and FIVE - what am I thinking!  I stress in public here, people DON'T LOOK DOWN!  I have a child with dwarfism, he IS SHORT!  What - and I mean WHAT am I going to do with 2 LITTLE spitfires.  I am having nightmares of them running in opposite directions, while trying to run after them with our youngest (who is bigger than the 2 littles) in my arms because - oh yeah- he can't walk!

I am afraid FeiFei won't like our princess who has prayed for a girl.  She won't want to do girl things, won't want to have her hair done - do you know how many bows we have bought!

I am afraid all the smoke will cause my lungs to become a total wreck

I am afraid little man will be in horrible pain due to the cold weather

Did I mention I am afraid I will lose someone

I am afraid our guide, rooms, flight etc will be a disaster

Heehee, my husband is afraid I will say something and end up in jail and HE will have 5 kids to himself

I am afraid I will miss an appointment, not have the right paperwork, or run out of money

I am afraid I am being a burden to others, that one of our hundred pets will die while we are away, it'll snow, the house will catch on fire . . .

I AM AFRAID my new kiddos will think that our family is the worst thing that has ever happened to them!

I AM AFRAID  .  .  .  they won't like us

There I have said it - for the whole world to see.

And then I hear once again the song Courageous by Casting Crowns.  I LOVE this song, I will probably listen to it for all 18 hours we fly.

I know this song is for husbands, but it gives me power.  I love the watchers on the sidelines part as our families slip away.  i don't care what anyone says that speaks volumes on adoption of SN kids to me.

And I realize I can do this with HIM!

Recently, there was a discussion on international adoption and non believers.  I know in my heart I would NOT be courageous enough to do this own my own!  I am so blessed that He is there either leading the way or carrying me.

HIS Perfect Timing!

First let me say that at times I feel like a toddler in my relationship with God.  I get it, I get to see His magnificent workings and then bam! something else happens and I go right back to being the toddler in a temper tantrum!

If you haven't been reading my blog (all 5 of you LOL!) I'll sum up our journey to our paperwork.  We were delayed 3 times.  I have spent a fortune on Fedex.  I have been ORGANIZED (this is no small feat!) and still we have been delayed by OTHER PEOPLE!

Can I tell you how absolutely frustrating this is!

My last post about my son got me thinking even more.  Then it dawned on me - THIS was why our Article 5 was delayed a week.  If it had been picked up on Oct 27th like we expected, we would have been in the TA wave (25 families) that came on Tuesday.  Knowing myself, I would have had airline tickets scheduled by Thursday.  Long story short - I would have been in China with a kid in a full arm cast who needed it removed - oh yeah that would have been good!  Besides the fact - I need him for this trip.

Ok I felt so in awe of Him, this weekend.  What a nice and amazing place to be - just saying.  I couldn't help smiling, I couldn't help telling those around me, I mean it is cool.

Of course I got another email today from our agency and low and behold ANOTHER delay!  I mean really, I lost it, I balled, I typed up a ... um ... not so nice email.  The only saving grace was that I had a tiny bit of thought to call my husband before hitting send.  He of course calmed me, reminding me of who really is in charge.  I am disappointed, people's incompetence jsut makes me mad.  Please pray for us, this has to be one of the hardest experiences I can remember going through.  

Broken Sherpa! and His grace.

That's right folks, 

jsut weeks before we are hoping to leave for China 

to get our treasures 

my oldest 

fondly referred to as Our Sherpa 

looks like this ~

His arm was hurt last Saturday, at his first wrestling tournament.  Which he still placed 5th out of 70 boys even with a forfeight!

I was really surprised today when someone said "you must have really made God mad for this to happen."  Besides the fact that MY GOD is a loving God and I don't believe this, it did make me think.  Do I just see the good happenings in my life as acts of God and not the bad?

And then it dawned on me.

This has nothing to do with our trip but how our adoption will bless our family.  

You see we had a consultation on Monday - which took 6 weeks to get - to develop a plan of care for Cavanaugh's legs when he gets home, as well as thoughts on FeiFei.  While I waited for the fabulous orthopedist to see us, her PA came in to introduce himself and talk about our family.  I asked him to look at our big boys x-ray and explained the situation.  He said he thought it was ok, but that elbows are really hard to diagnose.  He left me saying if it still hurts in a week to come see him.

My friends these words were His Grace.

By Wednesday, although he was still in a half cast splint, my big boy said his arm hurt MORE - ugh!  Also it jsut looked kinda weird and he couldn't straighten his elbow.  Now my experience is NICU, I know a lot but bones - not so much!

My husband and I decided he should be seen jsut to ensure everything was ok before the trip.  I called around without much luck, and then I called the orthopedist office and asked for an appt with the PA.  One nice thing about adopting 2 special needs kids and of course little man - we are memorable.  Once the receptionist called the PA he quickly agreed to see big boy on their first available!

So does the situation suck is difficult - Yep, but knowing we are firmly placed in His hands makes everything better!

Don't worry little man's is an empathy cast so he could get ice cream too!

Natives are restless

Ok, I know this is so bad, we are 4 YES FOUR days into our wait for Travel Approval.  

My sweet husband ( below shown with my son) called me today and 

ASKED ME

Soooo, do you know when we are leaving yet?  

Really

REALLY?

Pretty sure this is NOT something I am going to keep from him LOL!!

Then these three have been all out of sorts. 

I know I am lucky, I have great kids, but they are about ready to make me strangle someone.

Little man is spending most of the time worrying about being a good big brother.

THe oldest is spending his time forgetting everything.

Princess - ok 2 out of 3 are making me crazy LOL

I know they are getting ready for their new roles in the family, for their new siblings and of course the unknown.  I know this is normal behavior, but the difference is that with a pregnancy you have a DATE to plan around.  Please pray for us all during this very last step.

Me, well, I have either been checking the computer or shopping LOL!  BUT I got a great deal on a double stroller.

Did I mention we are only FOUR days into the TA wait!!

Article 5 delay!

Ugh sometimes I jsut want to scream at this process.  Really once again I overnighted all our paperwork to our agency so it could be (at our expense of course) overnighted to China to sit for a freakin week!  The worst part is that we were charged for two overnight fees at $65 each (I believe) when we all know darn well that they were placed in the same envelope.

We received a form email written for a group that our Article 5 paperwork was dropped off at the consulate YESTERDAY NOT the 12th as we were led to believe.  This backs our Article 5 pickup to Nov 2nd not next week!

You know when I started this process I swore I wouldn't succumb to this BS.  We already have double the national average of kids, so I wasn't "desperate" right - WRONG!  I NEVER expected to become so attached to a couple of pictures of a child thousands of miles away.  So attached in fact that we aren't even  willing to make waves.

This is how I feel lately ~

But then I remember that eventually, all water eventually flows down hill to another treasure.

And they are worth every penny.