What we've been up to....

You wait and wait and finally receive Travel Approval.  What happens next?  You start running around like crazy!!! We are leaving April 3rd, meeting our precious and sweet Shawn on April 8th and then returning home on April 20th.  For those of you following along, here's what our trip will look like:

April 3: Leave US for Beijing
April 4: Arrive in Beijing
April 5th and 6th: Tour Beijing
April 7: Depart Beijing for Zhengzhou, Henan.  Shawn is from the Henan province, so we will meet him in the capital city of his province.  (Just like meeting him in Baton Rouge if we were in Louisiana.)
April 8: GET OUR SHAWNSKY!!!!!
April 9: In the morning, travel back to the Civil Affairs office to complete paperwork.  In the afternoon, travel 2.5 hours to Shawn's hometown, Shangqiu, for more paperwork.  That will be a 5 hour roundtrip road trip with our two children...one of whom will only have met us 24 hours earlier.  PLEASE PRAY!
April 10: Free day....recover from April 9th.
April 11: Will receive notary documents.
April 12: Receive Shawn's passport.
April 13: Free day.
April 14: Leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou.  (All families who adopt must travel to Guangzhou to complete the final paperwork.  We had to do this in '09 with Bella too.)
April 15: Shawn's medical exam
April 16: I think this is a free day.
April 17: Consulate appointment.  Shawn will become a US citizen.
April 18: Recieve Shawn's visa packet.  This mommy has also scheduled a time to shop with a personal shopper.  Hello Ch***se markets!!!
April 19: We will fly to Beijing and spend the night.
April 20: Begin the long flight home.

We are so excited to be so close to bringing our son and baby brother home.  It's hard to believe "in three sleeps" we will be boarding a plane to China.

I would like to ask for prayers to cover our baby boy.  We have recently learned he is having to return to his orphanage.  He has been in his foster home since he was one month old; this will be such a huge transition to him before we uproot him again.  Please pray for peace and for the orphanage staff to surround him with love before he meets his forever family.

Until next time......

Travel Approval

It's been 4 months, 2 weeks & 6 days since we first saw Liu Xin Yu's face...
4 months, 1 week & 5 days since our dossier was logged in...
4 months, 1 week & 2 days since we were pre-approved to adopt him...
2 months, 3 weeks & 5 days since our dossier was out of translation...
1 month, 3 weeks & 5 days since our Letter of Acceptance arrived...
1 month, 2 weeks & 6 days since Shawn Xinyu Smith's immigration paperwork was submitted...
1 month, 1 week & 2 days since his immigration paperwork was approved...
1 month & 1 day since all his paperwork was delivered to the US Embassy in Ch*na...
15 days since all his paperwork was picked up from the Embassy and delivered to the C3WA...
Today was the day his daddy, mommy and big sister were told to come pick up our son / baby brother and bring him home...


We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God’s very own hands. ~ Kristi Larson

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Day 10

Today is Day 10 of waiting for our Travel Approval. How many more days are left? I do not know. The current average wait for Travel Approval is two weeks. However, I know of a family who is currently at day 23. Like everything else in this process, nothing is guaranteed. We are hopeful for this week and can't think beyond it.

I am starting to realize, at some point, we are leaving the country soon and we better start preparing! I have a bag of travel size products for Bella and Shawn, Brian and I have enough medication to open a small pharmacy, Shawn's room is somewhat coming together and I have ordered "packing cubes" which are suppose to make packing so much easier. Now I need to decide what clothes we need for Ch*na.

Oh I hope this is our week and we can start looking at flights! Is it just me or has this been the longest 4 1/2 months ever?





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And the winner is......

THANK YOU so much to everyone who supported our raffle! We raised over $1,000 and every penny will be used as an orphanage donation. Thank you again.

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Giant Step

We are almost to China! We got an email from our agency that all our paperwork was picked up at the US Embassy today. It was immediately sent to the C3WA (the government agency that handles adoptions)! What does that mean? That means all we are waiting on now is our Travel Approval!!! Tomorrow will be day #1 on the "Travel Approval Countdown". I've seen Travel Approvals come in 7 days; I've seen them come in 30 days. The current average wait is 14 days. Please send prayers that this wait will be short and painless. Once we get our Travel Approval, our agency will do their best to get us in China to our sweet boy. Oh please, God speed!


Want to support Shawn's orphanage? We are hosting a raffle for a mini iPad bundle. ALL proceeds will benefit the sweet babies left behind. Go to this link: http://countingdownagain.blogspot.com/2013/02/adoption-raffle.html?m=1

....or scroll below. Thank you.

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