One Step Closer!

This afternoon (2:53pm!) I opened my email account to check email. I figured there would be several messages on the "yahoo groups" , and there were. BUT, right in the middle of all those emails I saw:

From: (our adoption agency Family Coordinator)
Subject: Pre-Approval!

YEAAAAAAHHHH!!!! 

The CCAA has pre-approved our application for "the Child".

Now we continue to wait for Referral Acceptance, which will be the official word that this little one is approved to be OURS! According to our family coordinator this could be anytime in the next 2-3 months. She thinks ours could be sooner rather than later since our dossier has already been approved for adoption from China. They just need to match up the paperwork and the child. I'm sssoooooo excited!!!

OK, time to go study Chinese. We don't have an official quiz tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some sort of a popquiz. Wo yao qu Zhongguo kan women haizi. Ta tai shuai! (I 'really' want to go to China to see our child. He's so handsome!) OK, so I want to do more than SEE him... I want to bring him home!! I just don't know how to say that in Chinese yet!! ;)

Happy pre-approval day. We're one step closer to our little guy!

It's a girl!

No, not us!  The neighbors had a baby girl yesterday.  She was born with part of her intestines outside of her little tummy, so they had to do surgery soon after she was born.  Before she was born they weren't sure if she would need multiple surgeries to tuck her innerds back in, but Praise God they were able to do it all in one surgery!!  It sounds like she'll be in the hospital for anywhere from 1 - 6 weeks, depending on when her body starts to function properly.  Please pray for baby Raya Irene and for her mom & dad, Tara & Mike (and for Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Chris).  I'm excited to meet the newest neighbor!  She's been in the making ever since we moved here...guess it's been close to 9 months!! :)    Now we just need to get our little one home so they can be play buddies!! :)  Oh such fun!!

One month ago....

One month ago today we sent our "Letter of Intent" to adopt a "specific child" to our adoption agency, who then electronically sent that to the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs).  What that means is: we have chosen a child and are now waiting for the CCAA to approve our application for THIS child.  At the time we were told that we couldn't post anything specific about our child on blogs because the CCAA has not yet approved this match.  As I understand it, the "pre-approval" generally comes about a month after the Electronic application (EA) is sent to CCAA.  Then there is "referral approval" (RA).  Once the RA is received, then we can post pictures and whatever information about OUR child that we want to.  And at that point we wait for Travel Approval (TA) and break the bank account and head to CHINA!  

We have three pictures of our little one and I'm sooooooooo anxious to post them.  I want to show everyone what a beautiful child we are getting.  One of the pictures is here by the computer, so Little One is here beside me as I write this blog.  SOON--very soon--I will post the pictures!  

This has been a long month of waiting.  With Chinese New Year and nothing being processed in China, the wait seems to have dragged on and on.  But, Chinese New Year celebrations end on Feb. 9 so hopefully they will get back to work quickly and get this show on the road.  

While waiting I have been reading other people's blogs about their wait and referrals and going to China to bring their children home.  It has been interesting, educational, and exciting to see families get their little ones and bring them home.  Some have posted details about the child they have sent "letter of intent" but not yet received any approvals.  Others are just starting blogs (like me) and others have pictures, movies, slideshows....

So, for now, I'll keep you in suspense.  But, like I said, we have petitioned to adopt a specific child... a very dear child!  Thank you for the prayers for speedy approvals.  Keep lifting them up!   Please pray for our child's health and well being, for the caregivers, for us as we continue to wait.  

Hopefully early next week I'll have GREAT news to post!  Until then.....

Well, let's try something new.  A new color of font, a new picture a new font size, maybe a different color, or this one,  or maybe this one.  

I decided that I should try to upload at least one picture.  This is a view from our sunroom in our house in Iowa.  We no longer own that house, but our house here in PA has a beautiful view out the back window also.  

Keep praying for Little One!!.  Thanks!!

I think I like the regular color best, don't you?