Family Christmas Pajamas

Mama has her matching Christmas pajamas!! 

I've always thought it would be fun to have matching Christmas pajamas, as part of a holiday tradition.  It never made sense in years past because it was only Earl and I and my grown son wouldn't be keen on Christmas pajamas, but now with the younger children, it's going to be fun!  We are fanatic Disney fans and found the pajamas at the Disney Store.  We also bought Christmas Mickey and Minnie stuffed animals, for Sterling & Miao.

Hotel Reservations in Guangzhou

COME ON, TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!

As of today, we have hotel reservations in Guanghzou!!!  Earl has been working deligently toward getting our hotel reserved to ensure we have lodging once we receive TA.  There are major events being held in Guangzhou, currently the Asian Games which are making it a challenge for families to find hotels for their adoption travel, especially those families wanting to travel quickly after receiving TA.  No more sweating it for us, we have a hotel!!!!

Fortunately, with all the business travel Earl has done over the years to China, we are able to receive a discount, confirmation of the executive floor and couple of free nights!  While we don't like daddy traveling on business, it is once again, paying off!  Thank you daddy for all your hard work and many nights of waking at 2:00 am in the morning...while in China or back at home when readjusting to the time change!!!!

COME ON TA!!!!  WE'RE READY AND WAITING.....AND A HOTEL ROOM RESERVED!!!!  YEA!!!!! 

Next stop on the list of things to do...purchase the gifts for China officials, orphanage director and general gifts for the orphanage children.  Many other "to-do's" on our list but taking it one step at a time.......

Sterling's First Halloween

Wow, hard to believe it’s already October and the end of October, at that!!! It’s now been 11 months that our lives were blessed with Sterling. 11 months of joy and love!!! Our son is very affectionate and a caring little boy. We’ve been blessed beyond words!


He celebrated his first Halloween party today, at school! He was pretty much at a loss with what was going on around him but at the end of the day, when leaving school and taking with him a bag of “goodies” he was giggling and smiling, ear-to-ear!!

The day started off with a costume parade of all the children at his school. Each class walked around outside, in front of parents. Sterling came to me a couple of times for hugs but overall, he did very well and remained seated with his class, while I sat across the way.

I took a day off work and so glad that I did…..it was a memorable day to have shared the parade and Halloween party, with him.

TA Joy For A Guangzhou Family!

I've been in touch with several families who are adopting older girls from the Guangzhou Orphanage.  Of the families we've met via email, 3 familes have returned from China and started life as a new family. 

Another family received their TA last Friday and today, received confirmation of the day they will be united with their daughter!!!  It's always a joy to share in the excitement with other families who have become friends and have followed one another along the journey.  Tonight, we are rejoicing with them in the joy of receiving their TA and CA!!!!

Sadly, Miao will be the last of the group of girls to come home.  We are praying our TA is processed swiftly so that we can jet-over to China, ASAP!!! 

Our dear friends did say that when arriving China, they will try hard to include our daughter at the McDonald's party.  The only challenge is that our daughter is at the boarding school and our friend's daughter is at the orphanage, preparing for her family's arrival.  Either way, they are going to try and include Miao.  We are grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity!

YEA SHEILA.....we are cheering you on and singing praises from Houston!

PS:  If you're wondering about the McDonald's party.  There seems to be a trend with the children being adopted.  They want a party with their friends, to celebrate their new family.  Of all the places, the children request McDonald's.  The children consider it "special"  having the opportunity to stand at a McDonald's counter and order their own food.  Something they don't have an opportunity to do until families sponsor parties.  Yes, we plan to have a party for Miao and include her friends and perhaps other children at the SWI who don't yet have families.  More details to come as we get closer to travel.  Another plan to be ironed out.  It's not something that is customary but thanks to our wonderful care package service, Gifts To China With Love, they may be instrumental in assisting us in the planning. 

Blessings,
Sharee

OFFICIALLY WAITING TA!!!!!

IT'S OFFICIAL!!

We received an email from our agency, earlier today confirming the CCAA received our Article 5 and original signed LOI, TODAY!!!!  So, as of  today, 10/25 we are officially waiting TA!!!

We've been keeping watch on recent TA's and they seem to be coming in 2-3 weeks. 

We are beginning to put plans in place for travel, details to make our daughter's homecoming and transition as smooth as possible and to place finishing touching in her bedroom.

Please pray with us the TA is received smoothly and swiftly!

Blessings,
Earl & Sharee

Article 5--Still Sitting Idle

WE CONTINUE TO WAIT


Well, as we last wrote, our Article 5 has been sitting on someone's desk since 10/13 and it continues to sit.
As mentioned in our last post, the original, signed LOI (Letter of Intent to Adopt) must be with our paperwork before the TA (Travel Approval) will be processed.


We also learned this is not a new rule from China but rather a rule that has always been in place but not enforced. Now, China is enforcing it. Bad news: those families who are with agencies that have not been including the original, signed LOI are in our same situation.


We Fed Ex'd our original, signed LOI to Madison on Sunday with an overnight arrival. It arrived on Tuesday morning around 10:30. Madison mailed our signed LOI to China on Wednesday afternoon.

We've been told it may take 3-4 days to arrive and also told it may take 7 days. Let's pray it only takes the 3-4 days to arrive!!!!
Once our original, signed, LOI arrives, we'll be back on track!!!! We're very close and at the final steps required before travel---THE TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!

How close we are to travel:
-Signed LOI reaches agency contact in Beijing
-Contact in Beijing hand delivers our original, signed, LOI to CCAA-TA is processed
-CA is scheduled (Consulate Appointment)
-Flights are scheduled

Please pray with us our LOI arrives smoothly and quickly to China AND our TA has a speedy process!!!

PS: For those not familiar with international adoption, CA is the American Consulate Appointment. This is the final step before returning home from China. This step allows us to receive Miao's visa to return home and one of the final steps toward her becoming an American citizen when the plan touches down, in the US!

Blessings,
Earl & Sharee

Article 5 Sitting Idle-Wait for TA Extended

NEW RULINGS FROM CHINA

Unfortunately, our Article 5 is just sitting idle, due to a new ruling that was put in place last week...wouldn't ya know, our Article 5 was processed on Wednesday, 10/13 and now must be included with the new ruling.

I spoke with our agency this morning to learn that once our Article 5 was picked up, the courier mailed to it the agency's contact in Beijing.  They use snail mail so it will take a few days to arrive.  Our agency anticipates it will arrive Beijing around today or tomorrow. 

BUT, now an additional step has been added to the process.  China now requires an original signed LOA to be included in the package of Article 5 paperwork.  This must be done before the travel approval will be processed.  Those families who haven't received Article 5, the paperwork must be received before the Article 5 is processed. 

Since the original is required, there's no email or wiring the document, our agency must mail it out....unfortuantely, adding extra time to our wait..extra weeks.  Bummer!

We placed an original signed LOA in the mail yesterday, via Fed Ex.  Fed Ex will pick up the document today and will arrive our agency by 10:30 tomorrow morning, 10/19.  In turn, the agency will place it in the mail to China.  They anticipate it will take about 3-4 days to arrive to the contact in Beijing. 

Due to this new procedure our Article 5 will not be submitted to the CCAA for processing our TA until next week or worse case, the following week.   It will depend upon how quickly Madison turns around our original signed LOA and places it in the mail for China and how quickly it is received.  The agency anticipates turning it around by Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. 

Okay, let's look together at the new potential time line:  (best guess scenario)

-10/19 original LOA reaches Madison
-10/20 Madison mails out original LOA
-10/25 Original LOA reaches contact in Beijing
-10/26 Original LOA & Article 5 sent to CCAA

The quicker TA's are currently taking approximately 2-3 weeks for processing.  With God's favor, we'll be on the quicker time line--our daughter is anxious to come home and we are anxious to bring her home!!!!   

We are keeping our prayes and thoughts on Miao and anxiously preparing for her homecoming!!!  While it seems like it's never going to happen, in reality, it will be here soon!!! 

Blessings