Travel Approval!!!!!!

We just recieved word that we have travel approval!!!! Our agency is requesting our Consulate Date right now. It will be about one week before we hear anything from the US Consulate. The agency must hear from them before we can proceed any further. Once we hear from them we'll start getting our airline tickets!!! New ESTIMATED travel dates are: Depart the USA on July 16 and return to the USA on July 30, 2009.

Birthday Presents

It's so wonderful to know that so many people are so anxious for Claire to come home! Her cousins and friends have already bought her some birthday presents! Thanks everyone for remembering her on her birthday and for keeping her in your prayers!

Visas!!!!!

Our visas came in the mail today!!! It's finally starting to sink in that we're really going to China - and I'm really coming home with my daughter!!!

Claire's 1st Birthday

I'm feeling a little sad that Claire will turn one on Sunday and I won't be with her. I did send a package and pray that she has the items I sent. Happy Birthday sweet baby! It won't be long now!! Today we celebrated her cousin Adam's 26th birthday, so I brought a cake for Claire too. It's already the 21st in China, so it is her birthday where she is. I stopped by Sam's Club to pick up a small cake and there it was, the perfect birthday cake - a ladybug!!! Your family is thinking of you and wishing we were with you sweetie!

While She Waits

A couple who were at the Chen Zhou CWI this past weekend posted on a listserv about their trip. They said "For anyone waiting for their child please know that the staff at the SWI is taking good care of everyone." It's truely comforting to know she's in good hands until she can be with her family.

Thanks Nan-Man!

My boss's sweet little grandson,Nathaniel,decided to share some of the fun toys he has outgrown with Claire! Thanks a bunch Nan-man!!! Grandma had a great time showing me how they all worked. I can't wait until Claire gets home so we can play with all this fun stuff!!!

A Shower!

I'm looking forward to the shower my friends for work are giving me. My sweet boss handmade these great invitations. Now if I can just figure out where to store the presents once I get them home!! The shower's being held at a Chinese resturant - can't wait to see what they have planned!!

The Panic is Setting In!

I'm starting to get a little paniced. So much to do and only 6 weeks left to do it! And I'm praying the swine flu situation won't impact our travel dates. While I'm paniced about all I have to do, I'm also desperate to have my daughter home! I have a shower scheduled for June 30th with the folks from work - should be fun. My "adoption" friends had a travel shower for me several weeks ago - they gave me lots of practial stuff for both Claire and me to take on the trip. And a great diaper backpack to put it all in! It's kind of hard to anticipate what all I might need when she gets home. I do know I have lots of clothes already - picking up bargains for nearly 4 years filled up her closet pretty well and her new friends-to-be Hannah and Anna have been kind enough to share clothes they've outgrown.

Family resemblence

I've been told by my family that my daughter looks like me and that she looks like my great-niece Avery. Anybody buying it?

Travel plans

I just finished a two and a half hour phone call with A Helping Hand talking about the travel. Right now, we have to do our visa applications. And make lots of lists and get tons of things done before there's a toddler living in my house!