Provisional Approval granted from the US!!!!!!  9/26/11!!!!!!!!

Clarity that wasn't there yesterday

Dearest Taeya,  We just have a handful of things left to wait for before I can travel now.  I feel as though I am so close to you like if I opened my eyes wide enough I could see you.  I look at the last picture of you differently now.  It's like I see you in a clarity that wasn't there yesterday.  I look at the shape of your hands.  I look at the pretty little teeth in your mouth.  I look at your perfect eyes that look like a crescent moon when you are smiling super big like you seem to do a lot.  I am starting to think about the sound of your laugh.  Like can I hear it in the picture??  I can almost hear you speaking Chinese to me.  I can almost hear myself answer you in Chinese.  I wonder if you know of us yet.  I wonder what you are doing right now.  Is someone holding you?  Is someone telling you they love you? I went to the store today and bought the simplest of things - a toothbrush.  It was so simple that it hit me hard.  You are coming soon.  I can go to China soon to get you.  I can go to China soon.  Soon I will know the sound of your voice in my ears.  Soon I will know the smell of your breath when you talk to me really close.  Soon I will know what it feels like to have you reach for my hand as we are walking somewhere.  I will soon know what all those cute little facial twitches you do look like up close.  I will get to see you do that really cute blink you do with your eyes. I will get to smell your hair and touch it.  I can gently pull your hair back from your face and tuck it behind your ears.  I can read you a story.  I can kiss you goodnight and hold you until you fall asleep...  soon...

I suppose that I should update here!!!!!  WE HAVE OUR LOA!!!!  Letter of Acceptance!!!!  So I filled out all of our paperwork regarding this and our other forms that are due now and returned them to YuPing in less than 24 HOURS!!!!!!!  She was shocked!!!!!  So now This is where we are at!!!

 Terms and Notes:

• NBC-National Benefits Center
• NVC-National Visa Center
• I800-seeks approval to adopted a specific child

*Some agencies will send your I800, LOA and all supporting documents to the National Benefits Center (NBC).    Some agencies will send you all documents needed to file your I800 and you will have to send it to the NBC.

• I864W- Intending Immigrant's Affidavit of Support Exemption
• *DS230 -This is your child’s visa application. It doesn’t “have” to be sent with your LOA but don’t wait too long b/c it needs to go with your documents to GZ after your Provisional Approval arrives.
• In general agencies will send all your (LOA) paperwork and DS230 to the GZ consulate after your receive I800 Provisional Approval. Check with your agency for specific details as to how they assist you with your paperwork between LOA and TA.
• Timeframe-In general it is taking 2 to 3 months between LOA and TA; roughly 3 weeks from LOA to Provisional Approval, 1 week from Provisional Approval to NVC letter, 3 to 4 weeks from NVC letter to Article 5, and 2 to 3 weeks for Travel Approval

Which in my feeble brain translates into me being in China during thanksgiving!!!!!!!!  SO she would be here in time for Christmas!!!  With the latest surgery stuff for me going on this week coming up that is just the best news!!!!!!!

With this last step we are now able to send her things!!!!  You betcha we sent her stuff!!!!!  A sound book and a bumpy ball that lights up.  A stuffed horse and a photo album with like 200 pics in it of us!!!!!!  I sent it to someone in China who translates it for us...  SO if the SWI gives it to her before I get there I'll be so tickled!!!!!!  I can't believe that we are getting so close to it!!!  We are going to have a little mommy tea party fundraiser to try and get all the $$ we need for me to travel to China and back.  Can't wait to share in the joy that is our second adoption in China!!!!!!!