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!

Kai's care package

The day we got our LOA we contacted Lady Bugs and Love and ordered Kai a care package. We weren't allowed to do that until we got our official "yes" from China so you better believe I got on that quickly! Some of our most treasured pictures from when we adopted Rhett was when we got photos of him seeing us in a picture book and eating a cake we ordered for him and his friends. It's like he officially knew we were coming for him. This morning our agency emailed us two pictures they received from his "party". I'm not sure if we'll get anymore but you can believe that I was happy to get these!!

I mean COME ON! Look at his sweet face! And you know we ARE from Texas so I say "go big or go home" about that cake!! Hilarious!! Listen, we don't mess around.

I can't wait to kiss his sweet little cheeks. 

Soon....

What's next?

Before we talk about anything else lets just take another look at our little sweetie.....

*sigh*.........

He's just too precious. And I'm so thrilled that we can actually share his photos and tell you a little about him.

His name right now is An Fu Rui. He lives in Guizhou, China. An Shun City to be exact. We found that An means "peaceful" and Fu means "blessing" and so we chose to keep those two names in his new name. Just like we did with Rhett and Adiah. So Micaiah James AnFu Woods. And I can't wait to get him home and start the journey of us learning about him and him learning about us and all the fun stuff in between.

So now that we've been approved by getting our LOA you'd think we can just hop on a plane like yesterday, right? For those who followed along with our other adoption journeys then you know there are a few more steps to take before we can go. Thus, the estimated mid August to early September travel time frame.

I found this handy dandy graphic floating around the world wide web that *sort of* explains what all happens during a Chinese adoption process.

We are currently on step 9. Yesterday I mailed off our I800 application which is basically our immigration application to bring home this specific child. Once approved steps 10-13 kinda happen with out me knowing much. They kinda happen behind the scenes. Which is weird but hey....can't change it.So I'm thinking late July or early August before we get Travel Approval. That's just a guess.

BUT OH the paperwork that now we get to do in order to prepare for travel. And by that I mean starting this morning after I get done typing this I'll be up to my EAR BALLS (yes, I made that up and in my head it sounds awesome so I'm keeping it right there) in paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. I ate my breakfast, took my greens and vitamins, did my stretches so now I'm ready. I can do it!!!

Kai is so worth it!

Wait....say whaaaa? (aka LOA, baby!!!)

So.....

today around 3pm I had decided that yet again our LOA would not arrive since it was already 4pm where our agency is. I figured that maybe Friday it would come.

At 3:01 pm I was sitting at the computer checking email and facebook when I saw at notification that I had just gotten another email. I clicked over and this is what it said...

"LOA Arrived & Next steps!"

Come again....??

I stared at the screen and then literally SCREAMED my head off. A couple of times.
And then I hugged my daughter and called my husband, and told the rest of the kids! (I did eventually get a call from our family coordinator. I guess she sent the email first.)


China says YES!

Introducing you to our son, Micaiah James AnFu Woods! Aka:Kai Aka:little man Aka:our boy

We are over the moon excited and can't wait to go get him! We have a few more steps to go through in order to get travel approval. Estimating a mid August-early September travel time frame. We shall see. But first...We CELEBRATE!!!

Well here we are....Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival in China

"The Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival, Duānwǔ Jié, Double Fifth, Tuen Ng Jit) is a
traditional holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar
Qu Yuan (Chu Yuan). The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the 
Chinese lunar calendar.

What Do People Do?

The Dragon Boat Festival is a celebration where many eat rice dumplings (zongzi), drink realgar wine
(xionghuangjiu), and race dragon boats. Other activities include hanging icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic
guardian figure), hanging mugwort and calamus, taking long walks, writing spells and wearing perfumed 
medicine bags.

All of these activities and games such as making an egg stand at noon were regarded by the ancients as
an effective way of preventing disease, evil, while promoting good health and well-being. People
sometimes wear talismans to fend off evil spirits or they may hang the picture of Zhong Kui, a guardian 
against evil spirits, on the door of their homes.

In the Republic of China, the festival was also celebrated as "Poets' Day" in honor of Qu Yuan, who

is known as China's first poet. Chinese citizens traditionally throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked

rice into the water and it is also customary to eat tzungtzu and rice dumplings."

June 9-12...Chinese National Holiday

If you're wondering how I feel about Dragon Boat 
Festival....I'm all for it! Truly. Enjoy! But please....can
you come back from said festival and issue us our LOA? 
Thanks. 

Love, 

The mama who loves a good celebration but desperately 
wants her baby boy home