We are BACK!!!

Wish it was to share some TA news..... but it's not.
Maybe tomorrow ?? Please Dear Father, let it be Tomorrow!
For now I have some major catching up to do. No new news on my sweet Ivy. I am trying so hard to just sit tight and wait on God's great timing. It is so hard, but I am getting so much better at it. He who gives us strength also gives me great hope.


The Bigs are all set to step in and help out as much as possible. 
My niece took these pictures of them while we were together for Christmas. She is only 17 :) I think she did a great job!

                                And the little big sister? 

She is doing fabulous! She is just getting so big and is now so well prepared for this trip. She fully understands what is going on and how everything will work. She tells me in great detail every single detail we have ever told her as well as things she has just overheard. She thinks that China is closed right now so that is why I have not left yet. I know she is going to do far better than I ever thought she would and I have much peace about it now. Yes I will miss her so very much but I so look forward to having my 2 girls, one on each leg, safe and home in my embrace!!!

And we can't forget Big brother!!! He is ready to Rock China with Me and bring his newest little sister home!!!

ARTICLE 5 PICK UP!

I am still without a computer!!!! Sigh.... BUT praise be to God, our article 5 has been dropped off AND picked up!!! It is on it's way to cccwa so we can be issued TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!!!! Now for the bad news... Tomorrow, ( tonight really, since China is a day ahead of us ) is the last working day in China before the 1 week shut down for CHINESE NEW YEAR. So we will need to wait longer than we hoped for our Travel Approval. We were so close to squeezing in! Regardless, we will get an emergency consulate appointment as soon as the officials return from their little vacation and Brady and I will be off to China in just a few weeks!!! My darling friend Jill will be traveling with us and we could not be more excited!! My bags are packed, I'm ready to go!!! Lexi has been prepped and is so ready for her sister IBEE to get home! I pray I have a computer before I leave so I can blog and Skype while in China! I may have to steal one of the girls laptops if mine is still sick when I leave. You know I can't go to China and not blog, that would be brutal! At this time I am asking anyone who feels lead to do so, Please pray for Ivy and her transition to life with us. She is going to have her whole world taken from her, she is so close to her nanny and she is so terrified of strangers! Please pray that it won't take long for her to calm down, crying and anxiety will be so bad for her heart condition and we don't want any tet spells in China! Also, prayers for my sweet baby girl here at home. That Lexi will do great while I am away and that my heart will not break without her. Thank you!!!!!! Mary

Pressing on

cid:55937523-052D-442E-8C8F-F7E40F9DC9EA/photo.JPG Posting from my iPad, my Computer CRASHED!!!! My i800 has been approved and was overnighted to NVC yesterday! I am supposed to call at 12:30 in hopes of getting the PDF. If all goes well my article 5 will be dropped off. After speaking to my agency today, TA before the 21st is highly unlikely, but.... We are pressing on, making great progress and IT WILL NOT BE LONG NOW!! Travel in February is certain, just not sure when in February. Mary

December has come and gone and I have not posted in weeks. So much to catch up on, I will do a back post this weekend but for now I wanted to bring you up to date on where we stand with Ivy's timeline.

On December 19th we received our Letter Seeking Confirmation and we mailed out our I-800 to the lockbox in Texas. We left for the cabin to have a White Christmas and just an old fashioned fun filled week on the 22nd. I was feeling so giddy with joy and excitement! I just could tell that this part of our adoption was going to move really fast. I could barely stand how happy and excited I was! Soooo on December 28th I decided to email my officer. We were still up in the mountains, my email account had been hacked, my laptop was dead and I just wanted to touch bases with her. She replied that she had not received anything yet...hmm..
I was not worried, the holidays were here and I was sure I would have news from her right after the New Year! Happy Happy OH WAS I HAPPY!!!
We came home on the eve of the 29th. We started to go through Lexi's old things and made a list of what may and may not fit Ivy. I was nesting :) I was happy!!
On December 31, I went to get the mail and in the box was a big white envelope that said HAGUE!
I was sure it was my I-800 approval. My officer must had forgotten to contact me or the NVC must had forgotten to send me the email notification or something! I could barely contain my joy and excitement as I headed back in the house. I tore it open and about lost my balance, wanted to throw up!!
I-800 REJECTED!!! WHAT????? ARE THEY CRAZY? HOW? WHY?
Well, the paper said I was missing pages 8 and 9! And sure enough, I was. I made copies of each page and some how my original pages 8 and 9 did not get put back with pages 1-7! Failure doesn't begin to explain how I felt. I was a mess. Sobbing, yep, sulking, uh hu, total melt down!!!!!!
But soon, after about 50 emails and prayers and phone calls, I remembered who is in control here. I remembered that this is not about my plan and my timing. I remembered that the ONE who has held this baby girl in the palm of his hand from the day He gave her life had no plans of letting her go.
After waiting 3 looooong days for the uscis workers to get back to work, my officer allowed me to send the packet and the missing pages straight to her at Lee's Summit. It was received on Tuesday at 10 am and I have not heard from my officer at all. Am I nervous? ..... Do pigs oink!! I am
 sweating bullets wondering if my paperwork was sent back to the Lockbox or if they kept it?
The security the mail goes through at Lee's Summit is insane!!!

We are now waiting on I-800 approval, NVC cable, Article 5 drop off and pick up and Travel Approval. We needed to beat Chinese New Year. We wanted TA by the 22nd of January. But we don't always get what we planned. God knows the perfect timing for Ivy, for our family. This adoption has taught me so much about trusting Him. It is a learning  process,a healing process and
a geat time to remember that it is through tough things that we grow the most.

Here is our most recent  treasure from Hangzhou China. Once again, very unhappy.....AYE
I think she is just waiting for her mommy to put a smile and some giggles on!!