The calm before the storm...

So it is kind of quiet right now...no huge packages expected from fedex or a call from the agency. I know my LOA is safely back on it's way to China and with this week being some kind of national holiday they probably wont even open it until the next week. Two to three weeks from now I should be ramped up to crazy again because we are awaiting the Travel Authorization but for right now...for today... it is quiet. I have a list of documents that we have to travel with...some filled out and notorized, some we are not allowed to fill out until we get there. I am thinking about how stressful this is going to be...poor Molly basically being kidnapped by these funny smelling white people and thrown...okay, maybe thrown isnt the right word....taken to a hotel room with this weird thing called an air conditioner ( will be new to her) as well as a western style toilet. No before you go thinking that the toilets have cowboy boots and spurs, they dont. Most kids in China use the bathroom by squatting over a hole...so that funny white porcelian seat with the hole in it is going to something she hasnt seen before. Looks like we will have to show her what it is and how to use it...which will give her plenty to talk about with her therapist alone!

The bonding issue is a tough one. I have heard stories of miracle children who dont cry and are bonding with their mom and dad within hours...and then there are the kids who are angry and totally reject their new parents and wonder where their nannies/foster moms/ nurses are? We really have to be prepared for the latter. As much as I want to hope that she will "get it".... I dont think she will. I do hope that if she bonds with one of us initially that it is Rob though. The poor guy has lived for seven years with two boys who are clearly all about mom...so it would be nice if Molly would throw the guy a bone and just like him more! It is only a matter of time before I convince her that I am the one that controls the food and toys... so Im hoping for an easier transition for Rob than myself. But of course, if she instantly falls in love with both of us, I wont be complaining either.

We have finally wrapped up baseball season here and are just dealing with soccer that will run another month. Then it looks like we may have a break in the sports schedule unless I can convince either of my boys to play hockey...not likely...what is wrong with them?

There is still SOOOO much to do before we travel. I have started cleaning out every room, closet,and drawer in the house. This weekend we cleaned out the boys rooms, went through the closets and filled up the garage with stuff for the annual garage sale. Carpets should get cleaned sometime this week. Like you guys really needed to know when are carpets get cleaned. Looks like Im out of information to share... oh except for this picture. Today was polka dot day for jack and he is proudly showing off his polka dot shirt, shorts, and socks.

Finger printing...

Our finger prints expire on October 19, 2008 so Rob and I had to PLEEEAAAD with the INS to get us in as early as possible and they did! We have a finger print appointment this Saturday and they are going to waive the fees. So lets hear it for our federal government! I hope to have the updated INS paperwork that will allow us to bring her back into the country in the next few weeks and then we are in the clear. Today we are applying for visa's, getting extra passport photos taken, and gathering all the tons of paperwork we have to travel with together. Looking forward to hearing about the TA but think it will be a few weeks before we get anything back from that.

Moving right along....

Looking for some items..

Hello blog fans... I thought I would take this opportunity to put some feelers out for some furniture we are needing for the little princesses room! We have a bed frame and box springs but are in need of a twin mattress and a dresser. We are not asking for donations and will gladly pay for these...but I wanted to find out from anyone out there in our hometown area if they either had these items to sell or knew someone who did!

Thanks!!

LOA and other stats...

Okay...so this is the single piece of paper that we have been waiting for...the LOA! I have deleted Molly's given name as an agreement I made with the adoption agency. But at the very bottom is where Rob and I signed and dated and then fedexed the page right back on the same day. It will arrive at the agency on Monday and in China by Wednesday.

So what is next? Well, what is next that within 1 to 3.5 weeks we will get the Travel Authorization. Once that comes from China to the agency, they will call us and we will talk about travel dates and request a few dates from the CCAA. This occurs over fax or email. Once the CCAA agrees to the next available possible date, the agency calls and we book our travel. Once we get our TA, we can be gone in 3 days or 3 weeks..that's about the average.

So what does all this mean? That we are looking at about 6 -8 weeks until we end up in China.
I should be receiving our addendum to the Home Study this week and our fingerprint appt.

Oh...and I just had to post this...this is a picture that our 7 year old drew of our family. You can see his mom and dad and little brother. When I asked him about the red line, he said that "is a rope that I am using to pull Molly home". What a sweet boy!!!!

More Info on the LOA.

Hello blog fans..just a little more information on what the LOA means for us in terms of travel. The LOA stands for Letter of Acceptance and it is basically a colored piece of paper that is sent from China to the Adoption Agency and is fedexed to us for both Rob and I to sign stating that we agree to take Molly. We will get this tomorrow morning, sign it, and fedex it back to the agency on the same day! It should arrive in PA on Monday and be back in China by Wednesday. From that date - October 1, 2008 - the clock starts over again. We can expect to get the Travel Authorization anywhere from one week ( the fastest) to 3.5 weeks ( the slowest). Once we receive the TA, the adoption agency emails CCAA ( China) and requests the soonest possible date for a Consulate Appointment. Once that date is approved, we get a phone call with our travel dates. The CA is the last thing we do so basically the travel date will occur a week and a half prior to the CA date. There have been families that will get a phone call on a Monday and leave that Thursday? It can happen..so at this point we really need to be ready for anything. It could be 4 weeks, 6 weeks or 8 weeks. Guess it is time to get that bed setup!

Thanks for all the support and generous donation of the Delta Sky miles Kari!!! As long as the dates work out, Mary will be able to travel with us to get Molly!

We have the LOA!

Finally, at 10:08am my phone rings with that familiar Philadelphia suberb number and we were told we have the LOA! Ashley will fedex it to us and we will get it tomorrow, sign it, fedex it back to the agency, who will then turn around and fedex it back to China. So basically by next wednesday we are looking at the LOA being in China. The CCAA will then issue the TA within 1 to 4 weeks and once they issue the TA the agency gets our consulate appointment and we are on an airplane.

This is huge! This means that China is agreeing that Molly is ours...and we get to come bring her home.

GIDDY UP!!!

One crisis diverted

Last night we had the meeting with the social worker who interestingly enough asked us what strengths we had that would allow us to raise this special needs child. I wanted to say the same strengths that allow us to raise the two kids we have and the same strengths you found in us over the last three years that convinced you to approve us for the 0-15 month baby. I didn't though. I knew the interview was going to be on a slightly negative slant as that has been the attitude of this social worker from the beginning about adopting an older child or a child with special needs. She kept reminding us how hard our lives were going to be? No kidding...because the two boys we have just make everything easier. Not to be overly sarcastic here...but I was a little offended at the assumption that Rob and I were not intelligent enough to consider how incredibly difficult this journey is going to be. Since when has that stopped me from doing anything I want to do? I tried to explain that most anything worth doing is usually hard and that the blessing that this child will bring us and the boys FAR outweighs any inconvenience to our heavily scheduled lives. There is no greater gift we can give our boys than to teach them tolerance, patience, and the appreciation of diversity. Not just teach it, but live it. It is our hope to do this while at the same time bring a little girl to the states without a future and allow her to have one...regardless of what she wants it to be. I would love if her future included skates and a hockey stick.....but that is just the competitive mom in me talking!

On a positive note the social worker was nice enough to get out to our house two days before our scheduled appointment and write the addendum in one day to get it to Montgomery who will in turn, get it to Atlanta for processing. I think Atlanta will have it in their hands by the middle or end of next week and hopefully they will know that we need some quick processing. So all that is left is to get to Birmingham for fingerprints which is not a big deal as there isn't anything required for them to do in order to book our travel and so we should be set. What is the rush? Well, the rush is this...if we get to leave for China and get Molly prior to the middle of November, my sister Mary gets to be there. I dont know how often any of you have flown half way around the world and then accepted a child in the middle of a crowded busy room full of anxious parents and overwhelmed babies...but I am going to assume that this is going to be a pretty amazing experience...so of course I want my sister there with me.

The LOA. I'm not talking about the LOA. Im not even going to mention that the LONGEST that the LOA has taken any family from our adoption agency has been 3.5 weeks and that the 3.5 week mark is tomorrow. As much as I love to set a record, this isnt one of those times. So....I will not be writing anything about the LOA coming today. Not even going to mention it.

Tonight is our fourth sign language class and we, as a class, are starting to get a little overwhelmed. The instructor has been forced to slow down a little....Im thinking we are not her brightest group?

Well, off to make the doughnuts. Had a great time last night playing hockey against a group of guys that included my husband. I only took the puck from him twice! :)