Plane tickets are booked!!!

On Tuesday, August 9, we got a confirmation of our CA appointment in China so we were officially allowed to book flights to get us all to China! Yep. ALL 7 of us are going to China!! We leave August 24 and arrive back home on September 8. We're still trying to work out a few details with the kids school and schedules but hopefully we'll know all of that soon enough. I believe by the end of this week we will have our in country itinerary and I'll be able to share more about what exactly is happening. All I know is this. NINE days until we leave and FOURTEEN days until Kai is in our arms. So ready!

Ok, this just got REAL!!!

This morning I was for sure convinced that we would receive Travel Approval. Like for sure.

I know. This is a pattern for me.

I know that our agency always checks the website where China lists their TA's every morning after their corporate prayer time. So by late morning with no call I was convinced that we'd have to go through another weekend with no news or knowing when we were leaving. We were told that it could take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to receive TA after our article 5 pick up (which for us was August 1) but I'd been seeing a trend that alot of people with our agency were getting it faster. I decided instead of pouting and scouring the internets for ANYTHING related to travel approvals I'd get out of the house with the little kids and run errands. As I walked into Target at 1:30pm my phone rang and it was someone from our agency letting me know our TA had arrived and they were busy trying to request a Consulate appointment for our time in China!! 4 days after our Article 5 pick up!! I couldn't believe it! Adiah, Rhett, and I did a huge happy dance right there in the Rubbermaid section of Target!! We were a sight!

So here is what I know today. Since its Friday and we can't get a confirmed Consulate Appointment until Monday (or Tuesday) we can't really book flights. But if it goes like they think it will we will be leaving on August 24th for China and we will get Micaiah on August 29th! Eeeek! Like...that means we leave in 19 days!

We are not even going to talk about the fact that school starts for my school aged kids on August 22 and for my college kid on August 24th. And that she needs to move into her on campus apartment on August 21. Not eeeeven going to talk about it.

We are truly praising God for this huge news and trusting how all the details will get worked out! He is good!

Whooo hoooo! Article 5 pick up!

It seems like the last 2 weeks have flown by and crawled by all at the same time! We knew that August 1 was the day set for our final piece of paper to be picked up in China so I used that time to begin sorting through all of the things we've accumulated to take with us to China. I ordered clothes online from Old Navy for Micaiah and then promptly sent them back when we got updated measurements of him. I ordered the next size up (3t) but now I'm wondering if I should have kept the 2t. Oh well...we'll see soon enough! We also gathered all the documents needed to take with us to China that we have so far. I got all of our medications purchased to take with us. Rhett and Adiah took their typhoid series of pills. Lots of things! But even though we've been busy... my mind has felt preoccupied with this date. August 1.

Because now?

Now we are only waiting on our travel approval. I've seen some people from our agency receive theirs in 3 days. Some 1 week. Some longer. Our travel coordinator told us we would need our TA by August 5 in order to leave on the 17th to get Kai. If it doesn't come until next week we will have to wait until the 24th. If it's after that? Who knows. But as you can imagine we are anxious to get our boy. My mind is swirling with how we're going to pull this off with all of the back to school things going on. Only God can work this out for us so I'm choosing to not fret but wait and see what He does.

All I know is this.....


There is a chance that we could meet Micaiah James AnFu Woods this month!

THIS MONTH!!

Like we could be leaving in 2 1/2-3 1/2 weeks!

Ok, I need to go breathe into a paper bag now....much to do.

Peace out.

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!