Article 5 drop off and other stuff....

Monday the 18th our Article 5 was dropped off in Guangzhou, China. This is the last item of business before our Travel Approval (TA) is issued. It always takes 10 business days for it to be ready so August 1st is the day that it will be picked up by our agency's liaison. Once it's picked up it will be overnighted to Beijing which is where our TA will happen. So basically we are at least 2 weeks away from getting that. 

Here's the fun news though. It looks like there is a trip planned for August 18. Which meeeeeaaannnnssss....

If we get our travel approval on time we could be leaving August 17th!

Now I'd like to point out that this is the EXACT time that is the most difficult for us. Emily's college classes start back on August 24th in Nashville. Her move in date to her apartment on campus is August 21. The other kids schools start August 22. 

But here is what I also know. Our boy is sitting in an orphanage across the world and nothing will keep us from getting him asap. I fully believe that God will work out all of the details.

He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His ways are higher than ours and our thoughts are not like his. 

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

I'm giddy with excitement and nervous all at the same time. It's getting so close and then Micaiah will no longer be with out a family!!

NVC letter

This morning we received the pdf of our NVC letter in our email. I forwarded it along to our Travel Coordinator and we are now scheduled for Article 5 drop off on Monday. It's always 10 business days so it looks like we'll get pick up on August 1. But that will be confirmed on Monday. Can't wait! After pick up its TRAVEL APPROVAL time! Not that I'm excited or anything. 

GUZ number and DS260

I was fully expecting to get our GUZ number in our email's inbox yesterday which was day 6 after I800 approval. The typical day most people get theirs on. But why be typical I always say (#noidont). So this morning on day 7 when it STILL wasn't in our inbox I emailed them again and asked for it. I got an email back with our GUZ number so then we got to move on to filling out our DS260 form. Whats that you ask?

I don't really know. A form. Called DS260.

Glad I could help you.


No really, its a very important form because this is what triggers our Article 5 drop off and pick up.
What's that you ask again?

I really don't know. An article. That has a 5 at the end.

You're welcome.


No really AGAIN! I think its the last thing that happens before our TA can be issued. It takes about 10 business days once it's dropped off in China to be ready. But they only drop off and pick up on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

So as soon as we get the pdf of something in our email then I'll send it to our Travel Coordinator and she'll schedule drop off day. Yay! Getting oh so close to being able to book flights and KNOW when we get to go pick up Kai!!

I800 provisional approval...check!!

So apparently if you bug your officer assigned to your case at USCIS it doesn't necessarily help. What has in the recent past been taking 10-11 days for an approval of an I800 application took us 16 days. Is that a huge deal? No. Unless you're a mama waiting to bring her kid home then YES. It's a big deal. I happened to call the handy dandy number on our receipt last Friday which was day 11. I got a big fat "No. Not approved yet". But in my heart just knew that it got approved the second I hung up the phone with the officer. What can I say? I'm an optimist. Tuesday rolled around (the day after the 4th of July) so I called again. Another "no". I called Wednesday. "no"

You see the pattern? I was completely bummed and thought for sure something was wrong.

It wasn't. We just happened to get a slow officer. I called on Thursday, July 7 and finally got the answer I wanted to hear. APPROVED!! Either they got sick of me calling or our file finally came up for review but either way we now get to move on to the next step!! What step is that, you ask?

I don't even know. I think I fill out another form online after I get another email from someone. :)

All I know is this...

We're close.

Like SUPER close!!


Kai baby, we're coming!