NVC Letter!!!

YES!  We received our National Visa Center letter today!!  Whahooo!!  Now our agency requests an Article 5 to be issued, which takes approx. 3 weeks, then we wait for Travel Approval (TA).  We also fed ex'd our own visa applications to travel today!  We couldn't be happier, and the final countdown to meeting our little girl is ON .....

Care Package #2

OK, so I know we just sent Ava Grace a little care package about 2 weeks ago, but I got to thinking, "Why didn't I send her any pictures of us"??  So you can guess what I had to do .... send another package, right??  YES!  So Ann from Red Thread was so kind to get another package together with pictures I sent of all of us, labeled in Chinese with our names, Mama, Daddy, and big brothers, so she can start seeing us.  I am so glad I did this, even though she is young :)  So you'll notice the book is not in English on the front, as it should be.  It was supposed to read "Who Loves Baby?"  on the front, but Ann told me they were all out of English ones and only had French.  How funny is that, that in China, they only had this French version??  Anyway, here are pics of the package that she should receive tomorrow, it included some donations to her orphanage....

I800 is here!!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know we are ONE step closer!  We got a call from our babysitter at home that our I800 approval came in the mail today, YAY!  And praise the Lord for this!  Now .....we wait 1-2 weeks to get a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC letter) that will go to the consulate in China to apply for an Article 5 (part of the steps to her her VISA).  My case worker still says we should get travel approval by mid August, and travel about 2 weeks after that, so we are looking at Labor Day travel :)  Praying for sooner, though. 

Gifts!!!

We also wanted to share what we did this week as a family!  We sent Ava Grace a care package through Red Thread.  We found a wonderful lady in China who has a heart for orphans and puts together these fabulous care packages for the families far away to send to their waiting child.  Ann from www.redthread.com put this together and translated a letter we wrote to Ava Grace's caretakers.  She will receive it this Friday or Saturday!!!  I would highly recommend this company as it has a great reputation.  This is the package before she boxed it up ....  PJ's, outfit, board book, camera, blanket, candies for her caregivers,  doll.

Updated pictures!!!

We got a special surprise this week!  Our adoption agency sent up some new pictures of our sweet girl late Monday night.  These were taken just last week.  I was on a fieldtrip with Jace in the outer banks of NC when Joey texted me the new pics, and I got quite teary.  The new haircut, and sad eyes made me long for her so much more.  Can't wait to hold her in my arms and finally see her smile .....  Here she is ...

Is she just adorable or what??  bitter sweet for mom, here, to see those big, brown eyes ....  would have been easier to see a smile, one day soon though ....  We love you!!

A Little Humor

I found this humorous on another family's blog adopting from China and wanted to share ...

You might be adopting from China if:

13. You own new children's clothing in 2 sizes, for two seasons, for a child you've never met.

12. You know that waiting for China has nothing to do with dishes.

11. You've been "expecting" way more than 9 months.

10. You're as hormonal as a pregnant woman without the weigh gain--well, maybe with some weigh gain.

9. You've been fingerprinted four times and have never committed a crime.

8. You practice squatting while going potty to perfect your aim.

7. You practice strapping large amounts of cash to your body without wrinkling it.

6. You have a crazy obsession with Skype, Blogger, and Chinese adoption sites.

5. Letter combinations such as LOA, LID, TA, LSC, PA, SWI, CWI, SW, SN are part of your everyday vocabulary.

4. You can stock a small medical clinic with the "just-in-case" medicine and first aid supplies that are in your suitcase.

3. You know that I-800 and I-767 are NOT highways.

2. You study Mandarin phrases like a college student cramming for finals in hopes you will have something to say to your daughter.

And ....

1. You love someone you've never met with all of your heart.