NOTHING YET!

Can you believe that we are still waiting for our TA-travel approval!  I am so upset that it has not come yet! TA is usually issued between day 9-21.  I guess I'm one of the "lucky" ones that has to wait until the last day!   I really wanted to leave next week on Jan. 4th!  Now we will most likely not be able to leave until after the Chinese New Year!  Argh!  I just hate thinking that Emma will have to be in the SWI for another 3.5 weeks! 
Anyways, there is this website that I go onto every day.  It's a website for people who are adopting and can post questions, vent, or just talk.  So, on this website there are charts that let people know where they "stand" according to there paper work dates.  On a brighter note, I am all the way towards the top of the list of people who are waiting for their TA!  Below, I posted a picture of part of the chart. I used to be all the way at the bottom- number 170!  Now, I am all the way at the top- number 3!  Yay!   Hopefully, next week I will be off the chart and on the chart for CA- consulate appointment!

Waiting for TA

Okay... just received the email I had been waiting for!  Our article 5 was received on January 14th at the CCCWA!  So we are officially on day 4 of our wait for travel approval!  One of my online friends just received her TA on Thursday(day 9 for her ) and she was exactly one week ahead of us!  So please pray that our wait is super quick and that we receive our TA next week!  I am really hoping to travel before the Chinese New Year which begins on January 23!

Article 5 Pick Up

Hi everyone!  So I  think our article 5 pickup was today in Guangzhou!  I have not had a confirmation from my agency... but I believe it did happen!  Our China representative I have been told is wonderful and extremely reliable.  So if today was the day for pick up- then it was picked up.  My agency did tell me they will email me once they find out!  So, what does this mean?  It means we are officially waiting for our TA- travel approval!  Yeah!  Finally!  TA is usually given between 2 and 3 weeks.  I am praying that we receive our TA on the quicker side. My perfect scenario:  Leaving for China on January 4th!  Will it happen?  There is a possibility if we get a fast TA!  Only time will tell! 

Article 5 Drop Off

Today our article 5 was dropped off to the US Embassy in China!  What is an article 5?  This is the NVC letter we received, Emma's visa application, and our LOA- letter of acceptance. The consulate will review Emma's visa application to make sure it meets the qualifications for an immigrant visa.  Then they will sign off that everything is in order for the adoption to take place!  This is called the article 5 letter.  Once our representative in China picks this up (exactly two weeks- Dec.13)  it will be delivered directly to the CCCWA for our Travel Approval!  Yeah!!  Let the countdown begin!! 

We Are Cabled!

This morning I received an email from the NVC(National Visa Center) telling me that we were "cabled" today.  Basically that means our petition to adopt Emma has been sent to the appropriate visa-issuing post(the US consulate in China) where the adoption will take place.  I am sooooo happy!  One step closer to getting Emma.  All we have left are two more steps!

1.  The US Embassy in China will review Emma's Visa application.  This will take exactly two weeks!
2.    China will review all US approvals & give us the ok to travel to pick up Emma(TA-travel approval).  This takes just about three weeks!  By the end of December we should have our TA! 
WOOHOO!

New Pictures!

This is so funny!  My friend "R" who is adopting a little girl from the same orphanage as Emma just received some new "birthday" pictures of her little girl.  I was so happy for her!  When she emailed the photos to me... she told me to take a close look at one of the pictures.  So, after zooming in on the picture I noticed that there was a little baby sitting on the floor in the backround- our EMMA!  How cool was that???  After I looked through all her adorable pictures I noticed one more picture with our little Emma in it!  I was so happy to see her cute little face looking right at the camera!  Thanks "R!"  This was a real treat!
Here are the pictures!

                      Here is the same picture after I zoomed in on it!

Update! Yeah!

This morning when I opened up my email I had an update on Emma!  I couldn't believe it!  The information that I have on her is from 7 months old!  This new information is current- 13 months old!  Here it is:

 Update Infomation
-Song Xiao Tao - (Her Chinese Name)

Measurements
Length: 71.5cm- 28.1 inches
Weight: 7.3kg- 16.1 pounds
Chest circumference: 42.8cm
Foot length: 11cm- 4.3 inches
Teeth: 2

This is what the orphanage had to say about our Emma!

She is very smart, smarter than other kids of her age. She can not speak yet.  She is naughty and she likes to climb over her crib to the crib of other kids.  She gets along well with other kids.

She is healthy, she has no heart disease, and she has had no surgeries before.

I am over the moon with this new information!  I wonder if she'll be able to actually climb out of her crib once we are home!

I800 APPROVED!

I just couldn't wait another day!  I called USCIS today to see if my I800 application was approved yet.  I talked with my officer and she told me that my application was approved yesterday!  Woohoo!  This means that the US Immigration has given us approval to adopt Emma Song!  We are one step closer to getting our precious little girl! 
Only 3 more steps to go!
1.  US immigration will tell the US Embassy in China we are approved to adopt Emma.
2.  US Embassy reviews Emma's Visa application.
3.  China reviews all US approvals & gives us the ok to travel to pick up Emma.
Can't WAIT!

I800

Okay- so I called USCIS today to see if my officer has received my I800 application.  Yes!  She has it!  So hopefully by Wednesday I should have my approval!  I hope everything in these last few stages moves along quickly! 

Baby Shower!

On Sunday I had a beautiful baby shower given by my wonderful mom!  I of course wanted a "ladybug" theme!  So from there we planned, purchased, and made everything we needed for the special day.  We tied bows upon bows, put labels on the water bottles, and put all the food in  containers that matched the colors of my theme.  We started all this work a few months ago! Everything was set up on my patio- tables, chairs, a tent, and even paper lanterns were hanging!   The only thing that could have made this day even more special was to have Emma there to see it all!  Everything turned out more beautiful then I could have imagined!  Thanks for everyone who was there to share my special day with me!  And a special thanks to my husband-the love of my life, my two perfect boys, my mom who has ALWAYS been there for me, my friend Myrna who helped me set everything up, and my sister for flying down from New York!  Here are some pictures of the shower.  Hope you enjoy them!

How cool is this!  A "real" ladybug decided to join the party!

Got the VISAS

Yesterday I received a package from my travel agent with my families passports.  They were all opened to a specific page- when I looked at the page, I realized the Chinese Visa was there!  I had no idea it would be so quick and I had no idea that the Visa was put inside the passport.  I don't know why I thought this, however I thought I would get a booklet or paper at a later date that was our Visas!  Anyways, I am super excited that we have them!  That was super easy and quick!  One step closer to Emma!

I800 Received

Today I received the official notice that our I800 was received from USCIS.  So I am hoping that we will have our approval in the next couple of weeks!  Actually, I am really hoping that it only takes a week... but realistically, it should be approved within two weeks!  One step closer!

Building a Bookcase

So yesterday I finally found the perfect sized bookcase for Emma's room.  My husband and our two boys quickly got the tools needed to put it together.  Her room is pretty much complete now.  All I need to do are some last minute things like put the rug down  and make the bed before we leave on our trip to China.  Her room is also filled with the items needed for the baby shower that my mom is giving us.  So you will notice how "messy" it looks right now.  Here are some pictures of the boys and me working on the bookcase.

I 800 SENT!

So today I finally received our LOA in the mail!  Yeah!  I made sure to have all the necessary paper work already completed to send out to USCIS.  I made copies of what I needed, signed the documents, and sent them via UPS to USCIS in Texas.  There the application and documents will sit in a lock box for 10 days!  ARGHH!  Then our application will be sent to a USCIS officer for review.  Hopefully, I completed everything correctly!  Within about 3 weeks I should hopefully have approval!

VISA's

Last night I finally finished all five VISA applications- One for me, hubby, our two boys, and my mom.  Today I sent them via UPS.   They should arrive on Thursday!  I hope everything was filled out correctly!  One set of applications done, one more to go!  Tomorrow I should be receiving my LOA package in the mail!  Yeah!  Finally! 

A Bit Disappointed...

I am a little disappointed that I have not received the actual LOA package from my agency yet.  Unfortunately, they had a problem with their printer and couldn't finish printing everything out!  I talked with them yesterday, and they told me that they would overnight it on Monday.  So, I should have it by Tuesday and then sent on to USCIS the same day!  Those "5" days could mean traveling in January or NOT!  I am sooooo hoping we will go get our little Emma in January!

LOA BABY!!!!

Today when I got home from school I decided to plant some flowers.  I went into the bedroom and took off my jewelry.  As I was taking off my jewelry I noticed their was a message on the machine.  I pushed play and the last message was from my agency telling me they had my LOA-letter of acceptance.  They told me they were working on it and I should have it by Monday or Tuesday the latest!  I couldn't believe it!  This is the letter that I have been waiting exactly 79 days to receive!!!  I have been on cloud nine all evening!  I am praying that we will be traveling in January to go and bring Emma home!  This has been one of the BEST weeks!  Yesterday receiving 4 new pictures of Emma and today our LOA!  God is great!

Birthday Pictures!!!

I have been all smiles the whole day!  Today I opened up an email which included four new pictures of Emma's birthday party at the orphanage!  I just couldn't believe it!  She is absolutely adorable!  Her nannies look very nice and caring!  Emma looks happy, healthy, and well cared for!  What more could I ask for?(except to have her already home with me)  I so hope we receive our LOA soon!  I want to go and get her already!  Soon baby girl... mommy, daddy, big brothers, and nana will be there!!!!

The Director of Emma's SWI

So get this... my friend "R" who is also adopting a little girl from the same orphanage as Emma just met the director of Emma's SWI(orphanage)! Her agency was hosting people from the CCCWA and our daughters director was there! She found out that our little girls are living in the same room- a total of 11 babies with two nannies! How cool is that! It was so nice to here any information about Emma! As you know, we haven't had any information or pictures of Emma since she was 7 months old. She just turned "1" last week!